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How about running a background service to synchronize a local folder of content with a remote server? Making sure the background service is launched correctly u

How about running a background service to synchronize a local folder of content with a remote server? Making sure the background service is launched correctly upon startup? Integrating with the OS's native sharing features with other apps? And so on. In my experience, using a "cross-platform" framework means that you'll write the code not once, but three times: once for the cross-platform framework, and once per platform (Android / iOS) given all the quirks and unavoidable customizations that will need to be made to make your app function correctly.

wsc981 7y ago
For platform specific stuff it's easy to write a wrapper. Most of the time Xamarin is very closely up to date with Apple's SDK, due to some automated tooling that generates the C# classes, interfaces and such. So you should be able to either use the C# wrappers for platform specific functionality, or alternatively can quite easily create your own binding using the Sharpie tool [0]. The last 2 apps I've been working on were Xamarin apps and I'd guess the first app probably shares 80% - 85% of the code base and the second app 95%. The first app less, because the client wanted a specialised camera module, which required me to create bindings for the Fotoapparat [1] library on the Android platform. Both apps used Xamarin Forms. The platform specific code, all things considered, is really small. I should note I've also done a lot of Swift & Objective-C development in the past and a little bit of Java. I also tried Xamarin around 2013 and back then the experience wasn't as good as it's right now. My major gripes with Xamarin currently are: - The IDE becomes slow sometimes (fixed with a restart) - The IDE sometimes has issues connecting to the Android emulator for debugging (often restarting the computer fixes this). I should also note that if I were to write an iOS only app, I'd definitely use Swift (I love working in Swift, more than C#, Objective-C, Java, …). But for multi-platform apps, currently my tool of choice is Xamarin. --- [0]: https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/xamarin/cross-platform/macios/binding/objective-sharpie/ https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/xamarin/cross-platform/maci... [1]: https://github.com/RedApparat/Fotoapparat https://github.com/RedApparat/Fotoapparat
- vlozko 7y ago
  I wonder how well Xamarin will work with Swift-only frameworks, like the upcoming SwiftUI and Combine frameworks. They make heavy use of Swift generics. It’s been a long time since I’ve touched Xamarin so it’s a genuine curiosity.
  - wsc981 7y ago
    I've used Sharpie Bind with a private (internal use) Swift Framework and it worked fine for me. But the Swift stuff is currently not officially supported. I've used these instructions: https://medium.com/@Flash3001/binding-swift-libraries-xamarin-ios-ff32adbc7c76 https://medium.com/@Flash3001/binding-swift-libraries-xamari... I did have to make some adjustments to the library, so I guess it could be tricky to use Sharpie Bind with Swift frameworks, if you're not in control of the Framework yourself.

wsc981 7y ago

For platform specific stuff it's easy to write a wrapper. Most of the time Xamarin is very closely up to date with Apple's SDK, due to some automated tooling that generates the C# classes, interfaces and such. So you should be able to either use the C# wrappers for platform specific functionality, or alternatively can quite easily create your own binding using the Sharpie tool [0]. The last 2 apps I've been working on were Xamarin apps and I'd guess the first app probably shares 80% - 85% of the code base and the second app 95%. The first app less, because the client wanted a specialised camera module, which required me to create bindings for the Fotoapparat [1] library on the Android platform. Both apps used Xamarin Forms. The platform specific code, all things considered, is really small. I should note I've also done a lot of Swift & Objective-C development in the past and a little bit of Java. I also tried Xamarin around 2013 and back then the experience wasn't as good as it's right now. My major gripes with Xamarin currently are: - The IDE becomes slow sometimes (fixed with a restart) - The IDE sometimes has issues connecting to the Android emulator for debugging (often restarting the computer fixes this). I should also note that if I were to write an iOS only app, I'd definitely use Swift (I love working in Swift, more than C#, Objective-C, Java, …). But for multi-platform apps, currently my tool of choice is Xamarin. --- [0]: https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/xamarin/cross-platform/macios/binding/objective-sharpie/ https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/xamarin/cross-platform/maci... [1]: https://github.com/RedApparat/Fotoapparat https://github.com/RedApparat/Fotoapparat

vlozko 7y ago
I wonder how well Xamarin will work with Swift-only frameworks, like the upcoming SwiftUI and Combine frameworks. They make heavy use of Swift generics. It’s been a long time since I’ve touched Xamarin so it’s a genuine curiosity.
- wsc981 7y ago
  I've used Sharpie Bind with a private (internal use) Swift Framework and it worked fine for me. But the Swift stuff is currently not officially supported. I've used these instructions: https://medium.com/@Flash3001/binding-swift-libraries-xamarin-ios-ff32adbc7c76 https://medium.com/@Flash3001/binding-swift-libraries-xamari... I did have to make some adjustments to the library, so I guess it could be tricky to use Sharpie Bind with Swift frameworks, if you're not in control of the Framework yourself.