Migrate from Xamarin.Forms to .NET MAUI

• Dec 12, 2023
• 6 minutes to read

.NET MAUI is an evolution of the Xamarin.Forms platform. Most DevExpress components for Xamarin.Forms have counterparts in .NET MAUI. If your Xamarin.Forms application is based on DevExpress components, you can follow the steps in this article to create a similar .NET MAUI application.

To migrate from the DevExpress Xamarin.Forms Controls to DevExpress .NET MAUI Controls, follow the steps below:

1. Convert the projects from .NET Framework to .NET SDK Style
2. Update NuGet packages
3. Update code namespaces
4. Address breaking API changes

View Example: Migrate a DevExpress Xamarin.Forms Application to .NET MAUI

See the following Microsoft topics for more information: Migrate your app from Xamarin.Forms and Xamarin.Forms Support Policy.

Step 1: Create a New Project

Refer to the following Microsoft topic for information on how to create a .NET MAUI project: Migrating from Xamarin.Forms - Create a New Project.

Step 2: Update DevExpress NuGet Package References

The following table lists DevExpress Xamarin.Forms NuGet packages and their equivalents in DevExpress .NET MAUI:

DevExpress Xamarin.Forms Controls NuGet Package	DevExpress .NET MAUI Controls NuGet Package
DevExpress.XamarinForms.Charts	DevExpress.Maui.Charts
DevExpress.XamarinForms.CollectionView	DevExpress.Maui.CollectionView
DevExpress.XamarinForms.Editors	DevExpress.Maui.Editors
DevExpress.XamarinForms.Grid	DevExpress.Maui.DataGrid
DevExpress.XamarinForms.Navigation	DevExpress.Maui.Controls
DevExpress.XamarinForms.Scheduler	DevExpress.Maui.Scheduler

Step 3: Update Code Namespaces

Step 3.1: Update Framework Namespaces

Refer to the following Microsoft topic for information on how to update framework namespaces: Migrating from Xamarin.Forms - Source Code Updates.

Step 3.2: Update DevExpress Namespaces

XAML Namespaces

The following table lists DevExpress Xamarin.Forms XAML namespaces and their equivalents in DevExpress .NET MAUI:

DevExpress Xamarin.Forms Controls Namespace	DevExpress .NET MAUI Controls Namespace
http://schemas.devexpress.com/xamarin/2014/forms/charts	clr-namespace:DevExpress.Maui.Charts;assembly=DevExpress.Maui.Charts
http://schemas.devexpress.com/xamarin/2014/forms/collectionview	clr-namespace:DevExpress.Maui.CollectionView;assembly=DevExpress.Maui.CollectionView
http://schemas.devexpress.com/xamarin/2014/forms/editors	clr-namespace:DevExpress.Maui.Editors;assembly=DevExpress.Maui.Editors
http://schemas.devexpress.com/xamarin/2014/forms/datagrid	clr-namespace:DevExpress.Maui.DataGrid;assembly=DevExpress.Maui.DataGrid
http://schemas.devexpress.com/xamarin/2014/forms/navigation	clr-namespace:DevExpress.Maui.Controls;assembly=DevExpress.Maui.Controls
http://schemas.devexpress.com/xamarin/2014/forms/scheduler	clr-namespace:DevExpress.Maui.Scheduler;assembly=DevExpress.Maui.Scheduler

Code-Behind Namespaces

The following table lists DevExpress Xamarin.Forms namespaces and their equivalents in DevExpress .NET MAUI:

DevExpress Xamarin.Forms Controls Namespace	DevExpress .NET MAUI Controls Namespace
DevExpress.XamarinForms.Charts	DevExpress.Maui.Charts
DevExpress.XamarinForms.CollectionView	DevExpress.Maui.CollectionView
DevExpress.XamarinForms.Editors	DevExpress.Maui.Editors
DevExpress.XamarinForms.Grid	DevExpress.Maui.DataGrid
DevExpress.XamarinForms.Navigation	DevExpress.Maui.Controls
DevExpress.XamarinForms.Scheduler	DevExpress.Maui.Scheduler

Step 3.3: Replace Initializers with the UseDevExpress Method

If you use DevExpress Xamarin.Forms Controls, your code calls the Initializer.Init() method for each DevExpress namespace you reference in the application:

MainPage.xaml.cs

using System.ComponentModel;
using Xamarin.Forms;
namespace DataGrid_Columns {
    public partial class MainPage : ContentPage {
        public MainPage() {
            DevExpress.XamarinForms.DataGrid.Initializer.Init();
            DevExpress.XamarinForms.Charts.Initializer.Init();
            // other DevExpress Xamarin.Forms Control Initializers
            InitializeComponent();
        }
    }
}

If you migrate to DevExpress .NET MAUI Controls, replace those method calls with a single call to the UseDevExpress(MauiAppBuilder, Boolean) method. It registers all DevExpress MAUI controls:

MauiProgram.cs

using DevExpress.Maui;

namespace DataForm_GettingStarted;
public static class MauiProgram {
    public static MauiApp CreateMauiApp() {
        var builder = MauiApp.CreateBuilder();
        builder
            .UseMauiApp<App>()
            .UseDevExpress()
            .ConfigureFonts(fonts => {
                fonts.AddFont("OpenSans-Regular.ttf", "OpenSansRegular");
            });
        return builder.Build();
    }
}

You can also pass true to the UseDevExpress() method as a parameter to localize DevExpress .NET MAUI Controls. Refer to the following topic for more information: Localization.

Step 3.4: Update the DevExpress Xamarin.Forms Types to Their .NET MAUI Equivalents

This section lists DevExpress Xamarin.Forms types that we renamed in DevExpress .NET MAUI. Rename the types in your applications and review related breaking API changes listed in footnotes.

Navigation

The table below lists types available in the DevExpress.XamarinForms.Navigation namespace and their .NET MAUI counterparts. Note that the types from the DevExpress.XamarinForms.Navigation namespace now belong to the DevExpress.Maui.Controls namespace.

Xamarin.Forms Type	.NET MAUI Type
Navigation.ContentAlignment	Controls.HeaderContentAlignment[1]
Navigation.HeaderElements	Controls.HeaderElements
Navigation.ItemHeaderPlacement	Controls.ItemHeaderPlacement
Navigation.ItemHeaderTappedEventArgs	Controls.ItemHeaderTappedEventArgs
Navigation.Position	Controls.HeaderContentPosition[1]
Navigation.TabHeaderUnitType	Controls.TabHeaderUnitType
Navigation.TabItem	Controls.TabItem
Navigation.TabItemLengthUnitType	Controls.TabItemLengthUnitType
Navigation.TabView	Controls.TabView
Navigation.TabViewItem	Controls.TabViewItem

Related Breaking API Changes

• T1085745 - Navigation controls for .NET MAUI are no longer supported - The DevExpress Mobile UI for .NET MAUI suite does not include the TabPage, DrawerPage, and DrawerView components available in our suite for Xamarin.Forms.
• T1125434 - Controls - API Changes
• T1124204 - Changes on the Appearance Classes

Popup

The table below lists types available in the DevExpress.XamarinForms.Popup namespace and their .NET MAUI counterparts.

Note

All types from the DevExpress.XamarinForms.Popup namespace now belong to the DevExpress.Maui.Controls namespace.

Xamarin.Forms Type	.NET MAUI Type
Popup.DXPopup	Controls.DXPopup
Popup.Placement	Core.Placement
Popup.PopupHorizontalAlignment	Controls.PopupHorizontalAlignment
Popup.PopupVerticalAlignment	Controls.PopupVerticalAlignment

Related Breaking API Change

• T1124204 - Changes on the Appearance Classes

Data Editors

The table below lists types available in the DevExpress.XamarinForms.Editors namespace and their .NET MAUI counterparts.

Note

Certain types from the DevExpress.XamarinForms.Editors namespace now belong to the DevExpress.Maui.Controls namespace.

Xamarin.Forms Type	.NET MAUI Type
CalendarCellStyle	CalendarCellAppearance[2]
CalendarDayCellStyle	CalendarDayCellAppearance[2]
CalendarDayOfWeekCellStyle	CalendarDayOfWeekCellAppearance[2]
CalendarHeaderStyle	CalendarHeaderAppearance[2]
CalendarMonthCellStyle	CalendarMonthCellAppearance[2]
CalendarSelectableCellStyle	CalendarSelectableCellAppearance[2]
CalendarYearCellStyle	CalendarYearCellAppearance[2]
Editors.CornerMode	Core.CornerMode
CustomDayOfWeekCellStyleEventArgs	CustomDayOfWeekCellAppearanceEventArgs[2]
CustomSelectableCellStyleEventArgs	CustomSelectableCellAppearanceEventArgs[2]
Editors.FilterMode	Core.DataFilterCondition[3]
Editors.IconHorizontalPosition	Controls.IconHorizontalPosition
Editors.IconVisibility	Core.IconVisibility
Editors.Localization.EditorsLocalizer	Editors.EditorLocalizer[4]
Editors.SimpleButton	Core.DXButton

Related Breaking API Changes

• T1124204 - Changes on the Appearance Classes
• T1120574 - DataGridView and DXCollectionView - API Changes
• T1120789 - Editors - API Changes
• T1125921 - Localization Mechanism Changes

Data Grid

The table below lists types available in the DevExpress.XamarinForms.DataGrid namespace and their .NET MAUI counterparts.

Xamarin.Forms Type	.NET MAUI Type
CellStyle	CellAppearance[2]
ColumnHeaderStyle	ColumnHeaderAppearance[2]
CustomCellStyleEventArgs	CustomCellAppearanceEventArgs[2]
CustomSummaryProcess	DataSummaryProcess[3]
DataGridValidationEventArgs	ValidateCellEventArgs[3]
GridColumnDataEventArgs	CustomUnboundDataEventArgs[3]
GridLocalizerExtension	GridLocalizer[4]
GroupRowStyle	GroupRowAppearance[2]
RowAllowEventArgs	CancelRowEventArgs[3]
RowStyleBase	CellAppearanceBase[2]
StyleBase	AppearanceBase[2]
SummaryType	DataSummaryType[3]
SwipeItemEventArgs	SwipeItemShowingEventArgs[3]
SwipeItemStyle	SwipeItemAppearance[2]
TotalSummaryStyle	TotalSummaryAppearance[2]

Related Breaking API Changes

• T1124204 - Changes on the Appearance Classes
• T1120574 - DataGridView and DXCollectionView - API Changes
• T1125921 - Localization Mechanism Changes

Charts

The table below lists types available in the DevExpress.XamarinForms.Charts namespace and their .NET MAUI counterparts.

Xamarin.Forms Type	.NET MAUI Type
ChartBaseView	ChartBaseView[5]

Related Breaking API Change

• T1127009 - ChartViewBase.Theme Property Removed

Scheduler

The table below lists types available in the DevExpress.XamarinForms.Scheduler namespace and their .NET MAUI counterparts.

Xamarin.Forms Type	.NET MAUI Type
AllDayAreaCellStyle	AllDayAreaCellAppearance[2]
AppointmentStyle	AppointmentAppearance[2]
CellStyle	CellAppearance[2]
DayViewCellStyle	DayViewCellAppearance[2]
DayViewHeaderItemStyle	DayViewHeaderItemAppearance[2]
HeaderItemStyle	HeaderItemAppearance[2]
ItemStyle	AppearanceBase[2]
SchedulerLocalizer	SchedulerLocalizer[4]
MonthViewCellStyle	MonthViewCellAppearance[2]
MonthViewHeaderItemStyle	MonthViewHeaderItemAppearance[2]
TextStyle	Members of this class and its descendants are now stored in the Appearance class of the Scheduler elements.[2]
TimeIndicatorStyle	TimeIndicatorAppearance[2]
TimeRulerCellStyle	TimeRulerCellAppearance[2]
TimeRulerHeaderStyle	TimeRulerHeaderAppearance[2]

Related Breaking API Changes

• T1124204 - Changes on the Appearance Classes
• T1125921 - Localization Mechanism Changes

Step 4: Address Breaking API Changes

To migrate your application from the DevExpress Xamarin.Forms Controls to DevExpress .NET MAUI Controls, you need to address the following breaking API changes:

• T1085745 - The TabPage, DrawerPage, and DrawerView Navigation Controls for .NET MAUI have been removed
• T1113074 - The DataFormDisplayOptions.IsReadOnly attribute is obsolete
• T1125921 - Localization Mechanism Changes
• T1124204 - Changes on the Appearance Classes
• T1120789 - Editors - API Changes
• T1125434 - Controls - API Changes
• T1120574 - DataGridView and DXCollectionView - API Changes
• T1127009 - ChartViewBase.Theme Property Removed

Footnotes

1. Breaking Change: T1125434 - Controls - API Changes

2. Breaking Change: T1124204 - Changes on the Appearance Classes

3. Breaking Change: T1120574 - DataGridView and DXCollectionView - API Changes

4. Breaking Change: T1125921 - Localization Mechanism Changes

5. Breaking Change: T1127009 - ChartViewBase.Theme Property Removed