Introduction to MonoTouch

MONOTOUCH

Easier development of iOS applications using C#

NNUG Bergen
Jonas Follesø
29/02/2012

ABOUT ME

Jonas Follesø
Scientist & Manager BEKK Trondheim

AGENDA

What is MonoTouch?
FizzBuzz Demo + Unit Testing
Buss Schedule Demo
Cross Platform Apps
Xamarin.Mobile + MonoTouch.Dialog

WHAT IS MONO?

• Open source implementation of the .NET
platform

• 2001: Created to bring Windows applications to
Linux

• 2003: Acquired by Novell with Ximian

• Matured at Novell – now a world-class runtime.

WHAT IS MONO?

C#

IronRuby

IronPython

Visual Basic

F#

C# on iOS
(iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad)

15% discount for NNUG
Commercial Product

339$
399$
xamarin.com/nnug
(Free to run in emulator)

UNIT TESTING MONOTOUCH APPS

• NUnit Lite Runner on device/simulator

• Same NUnit syntax you already know

• Possible to run the same NUnit tests on
desktop, iOS and WP7 device

.NET & MONO JIT ENGINE

C# Memory
Executable
Source Code
Machine Code

MSIL Mono
Just In Time
.NET Bytecode
Compilation

AHEAD-OF-TIME COMPILATION

• Apple disallows Just-In-Time compilation (JIT)

• Cannot make writable memory executable – enforced by OS

• MonoTouch uses Ahead-of-Time Compilation (AOT)
• Generates the native code that JIT would normally generate

• Links to runtime to create single ARM process capable native binary

AHEAD-OF-TIME COMPILATION

MSIL
.NET Bytecode
Native Code

Mono Mono
Cross Compilation
(mtouch)
Runtime

Thin layer
on top of
Cocoa Touch

Same UI
Components
native look & fell

MONOTOUCH APIS

.NET APIs Native APIs 3rd Party APIs

• mscorlib • AddressBook • OpenTK
• System • AudioToolbox • OpenGL
• System.Core (LINQ) • CoreAnimation • OpenAL
• System.Data • CoreGraphics • SQLite
• Mono.Data.Sqlite • CoreLocation • MonoGame
• System.ServiceModel • EventKit/EventKitUI • RestSharp
• System.Json • ExternalAccessory • Json.NET
• System.Web.Services • GameKit • ServiceStack
• System.Xml • MapKit • Steema TeeChart
• System.Xml.Linq • NewsstandKit • Flurry Analytics
• StoreKit • RedLaser
• UIKit • And so on...
• And so on...

Cross Platform
Mobile
Development

REUSABLE CODE

Easily Reusable Reusable with some effort Not reusable

• Domain Model • Code accessing • User Interface Code
platform specific
components that
• Clients for your exist across all • Boot Strapping
REST- and web platforms Code
services
• GPS
• Data Access Code • Contacts
(SQLite) • Picture Library
• Accelerometer
• Storage Code
(Isolated Storage)

• Business Logic

CODE REUSE FOR MWC APP

• 100% reuse of Core Library (1635 LOC) iOS Android WP7

• iPhone + iPad (2476 LOC) 65%
• Android (1095 LOC)
• WP7 (896 LOC)

60%

57%

COMMON API FOR SHARED FUNCTIONALITY

Xamarin.Mobile

Compass +
Contacts Geolocation Camera Notifications
Accelerometer

XAMARIN.MEDIA.MEDIAPICKER

ImageView image = FindViewById<ImageView> (Resource.Id.image);

var picker = new MediaPicker (this);
picker.PickPhotoAsync()
.ContinueWith (t => {
if (t.IsCanceled || t.IsFaulted) // user canceled or error
return;

Bitmap b = BitmapFactory.DecodeFile (t.Result.Path);
RunOnUiThread (() => image.SetImageBitmap (b));
});

Create UI faster
using
MonoTouch.Dialog

GREATLY SIMPLIFIES CREATION OF SIMPLE UIS

TWO APIS: ELEMENTS API

• MonoTouch.Dialog is a framework that brings declarative UI programming to iOS

return new RootElement ("Settings") {
new Section (){
new BooleanElement ("Airplane Mode", false),
new RootElement ("Notifications", 0, 0) {
new Section (null,
"Turn off Notifications to disable Soundsn" +
"Alerts and Home Screen Badges for thenapplications below."){
new BooleanElement ("Notifications", false)
}
}},

TWO APIS – REFLECTION API

class AccountInfo {
[Section]
public bool AirplaneMode;

[Section ("Data Entry", "Your credentials")]

[Entry ("Enter your login name")]
public string Login;

[Caption ("Password"),
Password ("Enter your password")]
public string passwd;

[Section ("Travel options")]
public SeatPreference preference;
}

CONTROVERSY 1: APRIL 2010 – APPLE’S SECTION 3.3.1

• April 8nd: Apple changed license to state that:

“Applications must be originally written in Objective-C, C, C++, or
JavaScript as executed by the iPhone OS WebKit engine, and only code written in
C, C++, and Objective-C may compile and directly link against the Documented
APIs…”

• September 9th: Apple changed license again:

“In particular, we are relaxing all restrictions on the development tools used to create
iOS apps, as long as the resulting apps do not download any code. This should give
developers the flexibility they want, while preserving the security we need.”

CONTROVERSY 2: MAY 2011 - ATTACHEMATE

• May 2nd: Attachemate buys Novell – Mono team laid off

• Xamarin founded 2 weeks later

• Angry Mono customers pressure Novell to cooperate with Xamarin

• Xamarin secures a perpetual license to all Mono IP:
copyrights, patents and trademarks

MONOTOUCH & iOS RELEASE HISTORY

2009.07.17 2010.04.03 2010.06.21 2010.06.21 2011.10.12
iOS v3.0 iOS v3.2 iOS v4.0 iOS v4.0 iOS v5.0
(iPad)

2010.04.05
MT v2.0
2009.09.14 (iPad) 2011.04.06 2011.10.12 2012.01.17
MT v1.0 MT v4.0 MT v5.0 MT v5.2.5

2010.04.05
MT v3.0
(iPhone 4)

SUMMARY

C# for iOS Cross Platform Useful resources

• Makes iOS easily • Standard .NET libraries • http://xamarin.com/NNU
accessible for .NET for tasks such as: G for 15% discount on
developers. MonoTouch & Mono for
• File Access Android

• Thin layer on top of • Database Access
CocoaTouch – same • Web Service Access • https://github.com/folles
native look & feel oe/FlightsNorway/tree/w
• Business Logic orkshop for 50 page
workshop on cross
• MonoTouch.Dialog for platform development
easier UI creation • Xamarin.Mobile provides using Mono.
same API for common
phone functionality

• NDC 2011 presentation
on cross platform mobile:
http://vimeo.com/267016
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Introduction to MonoTouch

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