Mastering Xamarin.Forms

Build rich, maintainable multiplatform native mobile apps with Xamarin.FormsAbout This BookBuild an effective mobile app architecture with the Xamarin.Forms toolkitMaximize the testability, flexibility, and overall quality of your Xamarin.Forms mobile appThis step-by-step tutorial is packed with real-world scenarios and solutions to build professional grade mobile apps with Xamarin.FormsWho This Book Is ForThis book is intended for C# developers who are familiar with the Xamarin platform and the Xamarin.Forms toolkit. If you have already started working with Xamarin.Forms and want to take your app to the next level and make it more maintainable, testable, and flexible, then this book is for you.What You Will LearnFind out how, when, and why you should use architecture patterns and get best practices with Xamarin.FormsImplement the Model-View-ViewModel (MVVM) pattern and data-binding in Xamarin.Forms mobile appsExtend the Xamarin.Forms navigation API with a custom ViewModel-centric navigation serviceLeverage the inversion of control and dependency injection patterns in Xamarin.Forms mobile appsWork with online and offline data in Xamarin.Forms mobile appsTest both business logic and user interface code in Xamarin.Forms mobile appsUse platform-specific APIs to build rich custom user interfaces in Xamarin.Forms mobile appsExplore how to improve mobile app quality with analytics and crash reporting using Xamarin InsightsIn DetailDiscover how to extend and build upon the components of the Xamarin.Forms toolkit to develop an effective, robust mobile app architecture. Starting with an app built with the basics of the Xamarin.Forms toolkit, we'll go step by step through several advanced topics to create a solution architecture rich with the benefits of good design patterns and best practices.We'll start by introducing a core separation between the app's user interface and the app's business logic by applying the MVVM pattern and data binding.Discover how to extend and build upon the components of the Xamarin.Forms toolkit to develop an effective, robust mobile app architecture. Starting with an app built with the basics of the Xamarin.Forms toolkit, we'll go step by step through several advanced topics to create a solution architecture rich with the benefits of good design patterns and best practices.We'll start by introducing a core separation between the app's user interface and the app's business logic by applying the MVVM pattern and data binding.Then we will focus on building out a layer of plugin-like services that handle platform-specific utilities such as navigation, geo-location, and the camera, as well as how to use these services with inversion of control and dependency injection. Next we'll connect the app to a live web-based API and set up offline synchronization. Then, we'll dive into testing the app-both the app logic through unit tests and the user interface using Xamarin's UITest framework. Finally, we'll integrate Xamarin Insights for monitoring usage and bugs to gain a proactive edge on app quality.Style and approachThis easy-to-follow, code-rich guide will walk you through building a real-world Xamarin.Forms mobile app from start to finish. Each chapter builds upon the app by applying new advanced functionalities, design patterns, and best practices.