Xamarin.Forms Projects – Second Edition

Build Real Mobile Apps with

Learning a cross-platform framework feels best when you are actually building something. This second edition of Projects takes exactly that approach. Authors Daniel Hindrikes and Johan Karlsson walk through complete, working mobile applications rather than isolated code snippets, showing how to share logic across iOS, Android, and Windows while still delivering a native-quality experience.

The book has been refreshed for Visual Studio 2019 and modern tooling, including XAML Hot Reload and improved development workflows. If you already know C# and want to move into mobile, the project-based structure gives you a clear path forward.

What Changed in the Second Edition

This edition reflects the current state of development. It includes updated project setups, guidance on the latest Visual Studio features, and a focus on patterns that hold up in real production apps. The authors draw on their own experience building mobile applications for clients, so the chapters address practical concerns like persistence, navigation, and dependency injection.

Projects You Will Work Through

The book is organized around hands-on projects that gradually increase in complexity. Early chapters introduce the architecture and page structure. Then readers build a to-do list app that uses SQLite for local persistence, followed by a news reader built with Shell. These projects demonstrate MVVM, data binding, value converters, and dependency injection with Autofac, giving you a solid foundation for your own apps.

Working code is central to the learning experience. Rather than simply reading about concepts, you will modify and extend real applications, which helps the ideas stick.

Techniques and Tools You’ll Use

• and XAML for shared UI
• C# with Visual Studio 2019
• MVVM architecture for clean separation of concerns
• SQLite for on-device data storage
• Shell for navigation
• Dependency injection with Autofac
• XAML Hot Reload for faster iteration

These are the same tools many professional mobile teams use, so the skills transfer directly to real projects.

Who Will Get the Most from This Book

If you are a C# developer who wants to build mobile apps without learning Swift, Kotlin, or Java separately, this book gives you a coherent entry point. Some familiarity with C# and Visual Studio is assumed, but you do not need prior Xamarin or mobile experience. The clear explanations and complete project examples make the learning curve feel manageable.

Even experienced Xamarin developers will find value in the updated coverage of Visual Studio 2019 and modern features. The second edition is not just a reprint; it is a meaningful refresh that reflects the framework’s evolution.

Why Still Matters

Despite the growing number of cross-platform options, remains a strong choice developers. It lets you reuse C# skills and share a significant portion of your codebase across platforms, while still giving you access to native APIs when needed. This book shows you how to make the most of that balance, focusing on projects that are realistic and maintainable.

The authors’ practical tone and step-by-step instructions make the material approachable, without hiding the complexities that arise in real mobile development. You will finish the book with the confidence to plan, build, and extend your own applications.

Digital Delights is pleased to offer this practical guide for developers ready to turn their C# knowledge into mobile apps.