A new version of OpenSilver, an open source UI framework for building .NET applications in C# and XAML, has just been released.
OpenSilver 3.2 integrates .NET MAUI Hybrid, which will enable Windows Presentation Foundation (WPF)-compatible apps to be made for mobile and web from a single codebase.
According to the company, the benefits of this approach are that only a single XAML/C# codebase needs to be maintained across different platforms, native device APIs can be accessed through .NET MAUI, apps can be distributed across app stores, and UI is consistent across all platforms.
“Our mission is to enable .NET developers to deploy their applications everywhere, including iOS, Android, Windows, macOS, Linux (via Photino), and Web from a single WPF-compatible codebase,” the team wrote in a blog post.
OpenSilver also now features a new project template that creates a .NET MAUI Hybrid app, which will make it easier for existing projects to add mobile support.
OpenSilver 3.2 introduces a number of other WPF enhancements as well, including:
- Full bidirectional text and layout support for RTL languages
- Enhanced event routing that matches WPF behavior
- Support for WPF-style animation techniques
- Better performance for large collections via improvements to VirtualizingStackPanel
- Smoother scrolling on touch screens
Other features in this release include:
- Extensions in the Visual Studio Marketplace and VS Code Marketplace
- A XAML designer in VS Code with drag-and-drop capabilities
- AI-assisted XAML design features
The team also revealed the features they are working on for the next release. These include improved third-party component support, enhanced XAML.io online designer capabilities, integration with Blazor components, and more.
