Mobile Development with C#: Building Native iOS, Android, and Windows Phone Applications

by Greg Shackles

Overview

It’s true: you can build native apps for iOS, Android, and Windows Phone with C# and the .NET Framework—with help from MonoTouch and Mono for Android. This hands-on guide shows you how to reuse one codebase across all three platforms by combining the business logic layer of your C# app with separate, fully native UIs. It’s an ideal marriage of platform-specific development and the "write once, run everywhere" philosophy.

By building a series of simple applications, you’ll experience the advantages of using .NET in mobile development and learn how to write complete apps that access the unique features of today’s three most important mobile platforms.

• Learn the building blocks for building applications on iOS, Android, and Windows Phone
• Discover how the Mono tools interact with iOS and Android
• Use several techniques and patterns for maximizing non-UI code reuse
• Determine how much functionality can go into the shared business logic layer
• Connect to external resources with .NET’s rich networking stack
• Read and write data using each platform’s filesystem and local database
• Create apps to explore the platforms’ location and mapping capabilities

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781449338305
Publisher:	O'Reilly Media, Incorporated
Publication date:	05/07/2012
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	174
File size:	4 MB

About the Author

Greg Shackles is a Senior Software Engineer at OLO Online Ordering, based in New York City. An active member of the community, Greg speaks regularly at many user groups and regional events. Greg received both bachelor's and master's degrees in computer science from Stony Brook University. In addition to his passion for technology, he is also an avid fan of heavy metal, baseball, and craft beer, sometimes in combination. His blog, which focuses mainly on .NET and related topics, can be found at gregshackles.com.

Table of Contents

Preface;
Who Is This Book For?;
Contents of This Book;
Conventions Used in This Book;
This Book’s Example Files;
Using Code Examples;
Safari® Books Online;
How to Contact Us;
Acknowledgments;
Chapter 1: Surveying the Landscape;
1.1 The Players;
1.2 Write Once, Run Anywhere;
1.3 An Alternative Approach;
1.4 Summary;
Chapter 2: Hello, Platforms!;
2.1 iOS;
2.2 Android;
2.3 Windows Phone;
2.4 Summary;
Chapter 3: Code Sharing Techniques;
3.1 Project Setup;
3.2 File Linking;
3.3 Abstraction;
3.4 Observer Pattern;
3.5 Partial Classes;
3.6 Conditional Compilation;
3.7 Summary;
Chapter 4: Accessing the Network;
4.1 Reaching into the Cloud;
4.2 Notifying the User Interface;
4.3 Summary;
Chapter 5: Storing Data;
5.1 Project Setup;
5.2 Accessing the Filesystem;
5.3 Using a Local Database;
5.4 Summary;
Chapter 6: Location, Location, Location;
6.1 Mapping;
6.2 Mocking Location;
6.3 Using Location Data;
6.4 Summary;
Creating Android Virtual Devices;
Further Reading;
iOS;
Android;
Windows Phone;