Guide to Migrate from Xamarin.Forms to .NET MAUI

 This guide covers step-by-step migration, automated tools, AI assistance, and best practices to transition smoothly from Xamarin.Forms to .NET MAUI.

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1. Pre-Migration Assessment

Before migrating, evaluate your current Xamarin.Forms project:

✔ Check Compatibility

• Ensure your project is on Xamarin.Forms 5.x (latest stable version).

• Identify third-party libraries (check if they support MAUI).

• List all custom renderers, effects, and platform-specific code.

✔ Run .NET Upgrade Assistant

Microsoft’s official tool helps analyze migration challenges:

bash

dotnet tool install -g upgrade-assistant
upgrade-assistant upgrade YourXamarinProject.csproj

• It suggests fixes for incompatible APIs.

• Generates a migration report.

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2. Setting Up the MAUI Project

✔ Install Prerequisites

• Visual Studio 2022 (v17.3+) with .NET MAUI workload.

• .NET 6/7/8 SDK (MAUI is bundled with these).

✔ Create a New MAUI Project

bash

dotnet new maui -n YourNewMauiApp

OR Use Visual Studio:

• File → New Project → .NET MAUI App

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3. Migrating Code & Resources

✔ Migrate XAML Files

1. Copy .xaml and .xaml.cs files from Xamarin.Forms to MAUI.

2. Update namespaces:

   xml

   <!-- Xamarin.Forms -->
   xmlns:xf="http://xamarin.com/schemas/2014/forms"
   
   <!-- MAUI -->
   xmlns:mc="http://schemas.microsoft.com/winfx/2006/xaml/presentation"

✔ Migrate C# Code

• Replace Xamarin.Forms namespaces with Microsoft.Maui.

• Key changes:

  Xamarin.Forms	.NET MAUI Equivalent
  Device.RuntimePlatform	DeviceInfo.Platform
  DependencyService	MauiAppBuilder.Services (DI)
  MessagingCenter	WeakReferenceMessenger
  Navigation.PushAsync()	Navigation.PushAsync() (similar but with DI)

✔ Migrate Platform-Specific Code

• Custom Renderers → Handlers

  csharp

  // Old (Xamarin.Forms)
  public class CustomButtonRenderer : ButtonRenderer { ... }
  
  // New (MAUI)
  public class CustomButtonHandler : ButtonHandler { ... }

• Use Partial Classes for platform-specific logic.

✔ Migrate Assets & Resources

• Move images to Resources/Images.

• Update paths (icon.png → Resources/Images/icon.png).

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4. AI & Automated Tools for Faster Migration

✔ GitHub Copilot / ChatGPT

• Prompt Examples:

  • "Convert this Xamarin.Forms XAML to MAUI XAML."

  • "What is the MAUI equivalent of Xamarin's DependencyService?"

✔ Custom Scripts (Python/Regex)

• Use regex find & replace for namespace updates.

• Example (Python script to update namespaces):

  python

  import re
  with open("YourFile.xaml", "r") as f:
      content = f.read()
  content = re.sub(r"Xamarin\.Forms", "Microsoft.Maui", content)
  with open("YourFile.xaml", "w") as f:
      f.write(content)

✔ Telerik / Syncfusion Migration Assistants

• If using UI libraries, check vendor migration guides.

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5. Testing & Optimization

✔ Run on All Target Platforms

• Test on Android, iOS, Windows, macOS.

• Check:

  • UI consistency

  • Performance (MAUI is generally faster)

  • Third-party library compatibility

✔ Performance Improvements

• Use Compiled Bindings (x:DataType).

• Replace ListView with CollectionView.

• Optimize images with Resizetizer.NT.

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6. Deployment & Post-Migration

✔ Update CI/CD Pipelines

• MAUI uses single-project structure, simplifying builds.

• Example (GitHub Actions):

  yaml

  - name: Build MAUI App
    run: dotnet build -f:net8.0-android -c Release

✔ Monitor & Optimize

• Use .NET MAUI Profiler for performance checks.

• Check Google Play / App Store submission guidelines (some Xamarin rules changed).

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Final Recommendation (Best Approach)

1. Manual Migration (Recommended) → Cleanest result.

2. AI-Assisted (Copilot/ChatGPT) → Speeds up repetitive tasks.

3. .NET Upgrade Assistant → Helps with API updates.

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🚀 Need More Help?

• Official MAUI Migration Docs

• MAUI Community Toolkit