WindowsCommunityToolkit vs Maui

Pros

• Rich set of controls and helpers: Offers a wide variety of UI controls, extensions, and helper functions that can significantly speed up Windows app development.
• Active community and regular updates: Maintained by a large community of contributors, ensuring frequent updates and improvements.
• Microsoft-backed: Supported by Microsoft, which provides a level of reliability and long-term support.
• Cross-platform compatibility: Many components work across different Windows platforms (UWP, WinUI, WPF), enhancing code reusability.

Cons

• Learning curve: Due to the extensive set of features, it may take time for developers to fully understand and utilize all the available tools.
• Potential overhead: Including the entire toolkit in a project might add unnecessary bulk if only a few components are needed.
• Version compatibility issues: Updates may occasionally introduce breaking changes, requiring developers to adjust their code.
• Limited to Windows development: While versatile within the Windows ecosystem, it's not applicable for cross-platform development beyond Microsoft's platforms.

Pros

• Cross-platform development: Build native apps for iOS, Android, macOS, and Windows from a single codebase
• Familiar C# and .NET ecosystem: Leverage existing skills and tools for mobile and desktop development
• Rich UI controls: Extensive set of pre-built UI components for creating modern, responsive interfaces
• Hot Reload: Faster development cycle with real-time code changes reflected in the running app

Cons

• Learning curve: Developers new to MAUI may need time to adapt to its architecture and concepts
• Limited third-party libraries: Fewer community-contributed packages compared to more established frameworks
• Performance overhead: Some performance impact due to abstraction layer, especially on lower-end devices
• Platform-specific features: Implementing platform-specific functionality may require additional work or custom renderers

XAML Controls

The Windows Community Toolkit provides a variety of XAML controls. Here's an example of using the RadialGauge control:

<controls:RadialGauge
    x:Name="radialGauge"
    Value="70"
    Minimum="0"
    Maximum="100"
    TickSpacing="10"
    ScaleWidth="26"
    Unit="Units"
    TrailBrush="Gray"
    ScaleBrush="White"
    NeedleBrush="Red"
    TickBrush="White" />

Animations

The toolkit includes various animation helpers. Here's an example of using the Implicit animations:

var visual = ElementCompositionPreview.GetElementVisual(myUIElement);
var compositor = visual.Compositor;

var animation = compositor.CreateVector3KeyFrameAnimation();
animation.InsertKeyFrame(1.0f, new Vector3(100, 100, 0));
animation.Duration = TimeSpan.FromSeconds(0.5);

visual.ImplicitAnimations = compositor.CreateImplicitAnimationCollection();
visual.ImplicitAnimations["Offset"] = animation;

Extensions

The toolkit provides numerous extension methods. Here's an example of using the TaskExtensions:

public async Task<string> GetDataAsync()
{
    return await Task.Run(() => 
    {
        // Simulating a long-running operation
        Thread.Sleep(2000);
        return "Data retrieved";
    }).TimeoutAfter(TimeSpan.FromSeconds(3));
}

XAML UI Definition

This snippet demonstrates how to define a simple UI in XAML for a .NET MAUI application:

<ContentPage xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/dotnet/2021/maui"
             xmlns:x="http://schemas.microsoft.com/winfx/2009/xaml"
             x:Class="MyMauiApp.MainPage">
    <StackLayout>
        <Label Text="Welcome to .NET MAUI!"
               VerticalOptions="Center" 
               HorizontalOptions="Center" />
        <Button Text="Click me!"
                Clicked="OnButtonClicked" />
    </StackLayout>
</ContentPage>

Cross-Platform API Usage

This C# snippet shows how to use .NET MAUI's cross-platform APIs to access device features:

public async Task TakePhotoAsync()
{
    if (MediaPicker.Default.IsCaptureSupported)
    {
        FileResult photo = await MediaPicker.Default.CapturePhotoAsync();
        if (photo != null)
        {
            string localFilePath = Path.Combine(FileSystem.CacheDirectory, photo.FileName);
            using Stream sourceStream = await photo.OpenReadAsync();
            using FileStream localFileStream = File.OpenWrite(localFilePath);
            await sourceStream.CopyToAsync(localFileStream);
        }
    }
}

Installation

To get started with the Windows Community Toolkit, follow these steps:

1. Install the NuGet package using the Package Manager Console:

Install-Package Microsoft.Toolkit.Uwp

2. Alternatively, you can use the NuGet Package Manager in Visual Studio:
   • Right-click on your project in the Solution Explorer
   • Select "Manage NuGet Packages"
   • Search for "Microsoft.Toolkit.Uwp"
   • Click "Install"

Basic Usage

Here's a simple example of how to use the Windows Community Toolkit in your UWP application:

1. Add the XAML namespace to your page:

xmlns:controls="using:Microsoft.Toolkit.Uwp.UI.Controls"

2. Use a control from the toolkit in your XAML:

<controls:AdaptiveGridView
    OneRowModeEnabled="False"
    ItemHeight="200"
    DesiredWidth="300"
    ItemsSource="{x:Bind ViewModel.Items}">
    <controls:AdaptiveGridView.ItemTemplate>
        <DataTemplate>
            <TextBlock Text="{Binding}" />
        </DataTemplate>
    </controls:AdaptiveGridView.ItemTemplate>
</controls:AdaptiveGridView>

3. In your code-behind or ViewModel, populate the Items collection:

public ObservableCollection<string> Items { get; } = new ObservableCollection<string>();

public MainPage()
{
    this.InitializeComponent();
    for (int i = 1; i <= 20; i++)
    {
        Items.Add($"Item {i}");
    }
}

This example demonstrates the use of the AdaptiveGridView control, which automatically adjusts its layout based on the available space and device orientation.

Next Steps

• Explore the official documentation for more detailed information on available controls and features.
• Check out the sample app in the repository for more usage examples.
• Join the Windows Community Toolkit community to contribute or get help.

Installation

To get started with .NET MAUI, follow these steps:

1. Install the latest version of Visual Studio 2022 (17.3 or later) with the ".NET Multi-platform App UI development" workload.

2. Ensure you have the latest .NET 6 SDK installed.

3. (Optional) For iOS development on Windows, install the Mac build host.

Basic Usage

Here's a quick guide to create and run a basic .NET MAUI app:

1. Open Visual Studio 2022 and create a new project.

2. Select ".NET MAUI App" from the project templates.

3. Choose a project name and location, then click "Create".

4. In the MainPage.xaml file, replace the existing content with the following:

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8" ?>
<ContentPage xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/dotnet/2021/maui"
             xmlns:x="http://schemas.microsoft.com/winfx/2009/xaml"
             x:Class="YourAppName.MainPage">

    <StackLayout>
        <Label 
            Text="Welcome to .NET MAUI!"
            VerticalOptions="Center" 
            HorizontalOptions="Center" />
        <Button 
            Text="Click me!"
            Clicked="OnButtonClicked"
            HorizontalOptions="Center" />
    </StackLayout>

</ContentPage>

5. In the MainPage.xaml.cs file, add the following method:

private void OnButtonClicked(object sender, EventArgs e)
{
    DisplayAlert("Hello", "You clicked the button!", "OK");
}

6. Run the application by selecting your desired platform (Android, iOS, or Windows) from the run options in Visual Studio.

This will create a simple .NET MAUI app with a label and a button. When the button is clicked, it will display an alert.