Xamarin – a Cross Platform App
Development Technology
A white paper on Fundamentals and Implementations of Xamarin Cross platform
Mobile Technology
Contents
Abstract ... 3
Xamarin Products ... 3
Part 1: Xamarin Platform (Build Mobile Apps) ... 4
C# as a preferred language for Mobile App Development ... 4
Native User Interfaces... 5
Share Code everywhere ... 5
NuGet and Xamarin Component Store ... 6
Build native iOS and Android apps in Xamarin Studio and Visual Studio ... 6
Part 2: Xamarin Test Cloud ... 7
Part 3: Xamarin Insights ... 8
Understand how users are interacting with App ... 9
Integrate data ... 9
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Abstract
This white paper gives a brief overview of the app development using Xamarin. Xamarin apps look and feel native because it is a Cross Platform field service app for iOS Android and Windows. This article introduces the highlights of Xamarin and its features also how dependable and feasible to adopt Xamarin as an approach for Mobile App Development.
Xamarin is a cross platform Mobile App development technology. It unifies App development in C# for all major device platforms. Deliver complete native Apps (UI and Performance)
Code sharing and reuse
Companies can leverage existing C# skills, tools, teams and code.
Achieve the broad reach device platforms and escape the Objective-C and Java dead ends. Cross Platform field service app for iOS, Android and Windows 8.
Build iOS, Android and Windows Apps in Visual Studio.
Language unification across platforms in C# and IDE unification across platforms.
Xamarin Products
Xamarin helps in building, testing and monitoring Apps via the following products
Xamarin Platform – Build Apps in C# for iOS, Android and Windows Phone. Xamarin Test Cloud – Automatically test your App on hundreds of mobile devices. Xamarin Insights – Real Time Monitoring to improve your Apps.
Part 1: Xamarin Platform (Build Mobile Apps)
Xamarin supports in writing your Apps entirely in C# and share the same code on iOS, Android, Windows, Mac and Windows. Xamarin Apps share code across all platforms. We can target for iOS,, Android, Windows and Mac with a single C# codebase and use the same language, APIs and data structures on every platform. Xamarin is a “Write-once, run everywhere” platform. It supports native API Access and native UI.
C# as a preferred language for Mobile App Development
Anything you can do in Objective-C, Swift or Java, you can do in C#. Xamarin Apps are built with standard, native User Interface controls.
Automatic deduction of data types, more datat types and less verbose type annotations. Asynchronous programming keeps apps responsive.
Stronger types, Smarter tools First-class functions
Native User Interfaces
Xamarin Apps uses native UIs on every platform to simplify App design without swapping out of IDE.
Source: xamarin.com
Share Code everywhere
Use the same language, API and data structures to share an average of 75% of App code across all mobile development platforms. Build user interfaces with Xamarin.Forms and share nearly 100%.
Shared Projects: You may share projects (any files, images, code, and media) into the Shared
Projects and make a reference to it and it will automatically be included on all platforms.
Portable Class Libraries: You can use Portable Class Libraries like SQLite, Json.Net or Reactive UI
on every platform.
Xamarin.Forms: Xamarin.Forms comes with Xamarin Platform. From a single, shared C# codebase
you can build native UIs for Android, iOS, Mac and Windows.
NuGet and Xamarin Component Store
Finish your App faster with NuGet and the Xamarin Component Store.
Component Store: Add components such as Cloud Services, Libraries, User Interface, Themes,
Game Development and Prime Components to your app directly from your IDE, including controls, Web Service APIs, etc. Integrate popular backend such as Microsoft Azure, Parse, Salesforce, and SAP. Add powerful security features such as authentication and encryption.
NuGet: A Visual Studio extension that helps in creating your own packages.
Source: xamarin.com
Build native iOS and Android apps in Xamarin Studio and Visual Studio
Xamarin Studio: Offers features like Universal Search, Contextual insights, Intelligent Refactoring,
F# support, Smart Syntax Highlighting, NuGet packages and others.
Visual Studio: Features such as native to the Visual Studio, “IntelliSense” to auto detect data
types, design UIs without leaving Visual Studio few others are available.
Part 2: Xamarin Test Cloud
With Xamarin Test Cloud, you can automatically test the App on any device in cloud. You will have to select device based on form factor, manufacturer, operating system
You can automate App using the Xamarin testing framework known as “Calabash” and test any iOS or Android app, native or hybrid. Xamarin provides both Automation Framework and Device Cloud.
Upload test suite and run it on device; you will receive a detailed report with results, screenshots, and performance metrics.
Img source: xamarin.com
Img source: xamarin.com
Part 3: Xamarin Insights
Xamarin Insights provides real time monitoring of the Mobile Apps to ensure the following: Real-time crash and exceptions monitoring to improve your apps.
Crash and Issue Reporting: Easily monitor native and managed crashes and exceptions. Session and User Monitoring: Get to know your Users and track any event in real time. Built on .NET: Experience seamless handling of .NET managed exceptions.
Secure and Private: Can make use of fine-grained control and top grade security measures.
Developers will be able to prioritize their crash list, see the exact users each crash is impacting, and what sequence of actions preceded the crash. This is made possible by the algorithm used by the Xamarin Insights to rank issues according to User impact and reach.
Understand how users are interacting with App
Easily see who’s online, which devices they are using, what issues they have experienced, where they are from and which activities they have used in sessions.
Be more prepared than ever when communication about issues, crashes, updates and fixes.
Img source: xamarin.com
Integrate data
Connect your App to a variety of external Services and be notified when a new issue is opened, an issue is occuring repeatedly in a small amount of time, or an issue’s status is changed.
About Optisol Business Solutions
About Optisol Business Solutions
Optisol is proficient service provider for Social, Mobile, Analytics and Cloud solutions and focusing on building innovation for our clients in more than 20 countries. With 90+ smart employees, we act as the reliable outsourcing services partner, providing optimized business solutions with delivery excellence to both small and medium enterprises worldwide. Through our services on Consulting, Solutions, Mobility, Cloud Computing and Big Data, we assist our clients to transform and thrive in a changing world.
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