Converter’s Delight: A Step-by-Step Guide to Convert Xamarin.iOS (Native) into MAUI

Are you ready to take the leap and migrate your beloved Xamarin.iOS project to the shiny new MAUI framework? Well, you’ve come to the right place! In this epic guide, we’ll walk you through the process of converting your Xamarin.iOS (native) project into a sleek MAUI application, step by step, no stone unturned.

Before We Begin: Preparing for the Migration

Before we dive into the juicy stuff, let’s get some prep work out of the way. Make sure you have:

• Xamarin.iOS project set up and ready to go
• .NET 6 or later installed on your machine
• Visual Studio 2022 or later (optional but recommended)
• A basic understanding of Xamarin.iOS and C# (we’ll be using C# for this guide)

Step 1: Create a New MAUI Project

Fire up Visual Studio (or your preferred IDE) and create a brand new MAUI project. Follow these steps:

1. File > New > Project…
2. Search for “MAUI” and select “MAUI App (Cross-platform)”
3. Name your project (e.g., “MyMAUIApp”) and choose a location
4. Select “.NET 6” or later as the target framework
5. Choose the “iOS” option for the target platform
6. Click “Create” to create your new MAUI project

Step 2: Add Xamarin.iOS Project Files to MAUI

It’s time to bring your Xamarin.iOS project files into the MAUI project.

Create a new folder in your MAUI project, e.g., “Xamarin.iOS Files”. Move the following files from your Xamarin.iOS project into this new folder:

<Xamarin.iOS project>
    <project name>.csproj
    <project name>.xcodeproj
    Assets.xcassets
    Info.plist
</Xamarin.iOS project>

Step 3: Update MAUI Project File (csproj)

Edit your MAUI project file (e.g., “MyMAUIApp.csproj”) and add the following lines:

<Project Sdk="Microsoft.NET.Sdk">
    <PropertyGroup>
        <TargetFramework>net6.0-ios</TargetFramework>
        <OutputType>Exe</OutputType>
        <RootNamespace>MyMAUIApp</RootNamespace>
    </PropertyGroup>
    ...
    <ItemGroup>
        <Compile Include="..\Xamarin.iOS Files\**\*.cs" />
        <EmbeddedResource Include="..\Xamarin.iOS Files\Assets.xcassets" />
        <EmbeddedResource Include="..\Xamarin.iOS Files\Info.plist" />
    </ItemGroup>
    ...
</Project>

Step 4: Update AppDelegate and MainWindow

In your MAUI project, open the “AppDelegate.cs” file and update the `FinishedLaunching` method:

using Microsoft.Maui;

namespace MyMAUIApp
{
    [register("AppDelegate")]
    public class AppDelegate : MauiUIApplicationDelegate
    {
        protected override MauiApp CreateMauiApp() => new App();
    }
}

Next, open the “MainWindow.xaml” file and update the `ContentPage`:

<ContentPage xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/dotnet/2021/maui"
             xmlns:x="http://schemas.microsoft.com/winfx/2009/xaml"
             x:Class="MyMAUIApp.MainWindow">
    <-- Add your Xamarin.iOS UI components here -->
</ContentPage>

Step 5: Update Xamarin.iOS Views and Controllers

Update your Xamarin.iOS views and controllers to use MAUI’s UI components:

using Microsoft.Maui.Controls;

namespace MyMAUIApp
{
    public partial class MyViewController : ContentView
    {
        public MyViewController()
        {
            InitializeComponent();
            // Update your Xamarin.iOS UI components to use MAUI's UI components
        }
    }
}

Step 6: Add MAUI-Specific Code

Add MAUI-specific code to your project, such as theme setup and platform-specific code:

using Microsoft.Maui.Controls.Platform;
using Microsoft.Maui.Controls.Platform.iOS;

namespace MyMAUIApp
{
    public partial class App : Application
    {
        public App()
        {
            InitializeComponent();

            // Set up MAUI theme
            Application.Current.UserAppTheme = OSAppTheme.Unspecified;

            MainPage = new MainWindow();
        }
    }
}

Step 7: Run and Test Your MAUI App

The moment of truth! Run your MAUI app on an iOS simulator or physical device:

> dotnet run -c Release

Test your app thoroughly to ensure everything is working as expected.

Troubleshooting and Optimization

As you migrate your Xamarin.iOS project to MAUI, you might encounter some issues. Here are some common troubleshooting tips:

• PlatformCompat.dll not found? Ensure you’ve added the Microsoft.Maui.Controls.Platform NuGet package.
• UI components not rendering correctly? Check your Xamarin.iOS views and controllers for compatibility with MAUI’s UI components.
• Performance issues? Optimize your app by reducing unnecessary views, using caching, and leveraging MAUI’s performance features.

Conclusion

And that’s it! You’ve successfully converted your Xamarin.iOS (native) project into a shiny new MAUI application. Pat yourself on the back, and take a moment to bask in the glory of your accomplishment.

Remember, this guide is just the starting point. MAUI offers a plethora of features and improvements, so be sure to explore and take advantage of them to create an even more amazing app.

Conversion Checklist
Step	Description
1	Create a new MAUI project
2	Add Xamarin.iOS project files to MAUI
3	Update MAUI project file (csproj)
4	Update AppDelegate and MainWindow
5	Update Xamarin.iOS views and controllers
6	Add MAUI-specific code
7	Run and test your MAUI app

Frequently Asked Question

Are you ready to level up your mobile app development game by migrating from Xamarin.iOS to MAUI? We’ve got you covered! Here are some frequently asked questions to get you started: