98: MAUI Blazor Hybrid Apps

In this conversation, Jon and Allan discuss Blazor hybrid development, specifically in the context of Maui. They explore the benefits and challenges of using Blazor in a hybrid setting, including performance considerations and compatibility with different platforms. They also discuss the use of Blazor web views in Maui apps and the integration of native APIs. The conversation highlights the flexibility and potential of Blazor hybrid for building mobile apps. In this conversation, Allan Ritchie and Jon discuss the challenges of cross-platform development and the differences between Web Assembly and Maui. They also explore the use of view models in Blazor and Maui, as well as the benefits of Maui for businesses. The conversation concludes with a discussion on the slow progress of web standards and the plugin packages of the week: MudBlazor and Radzen.

Takeaways

• Blazor hybrid development allows for the integration of Blazor web views in Maui apps, providing the flexibility to leverage web technologies in a native app environment.
• Blazor's Razor syntax and evolving language features make it a powerful tool for building UI components, especially for forms and complex layouts.
• Blazor hybrid development can offer a faster development loop and improved productivity, especially when working on UI components that are shared between web and mobile platforms.
• The performance of Blazor web views in Maui apps can vary depending on the platform and the debugging environment, but overall, it can provide a reasonably good user experience. Maui hybrid apps provide a way to run code in both Web Assembly and Maui, allowing for cross-platform development.
• View models in Blazor and Maui can be used to organize code and share functionality between different platforms.
• Maui offers performance advantages and a native look and feel compared to web-based solutions.
• Maui provides an escape route for rendering technology and opens up new hiring markets for businesses.
• The slow progress of web standards can hinder the development of web apps compared to native solutions.

People

• Hosts: Jon Dick, Allan Ritchie
• Audio Engineer: Jim Heath

Chapters

• 00:00 Introduction and Small Talk
• 00:35 Introduction to Blazor Hybrid
• 01:23 Blazor Rendering Modes
• 02:15 Experience with Blazor Hybrid
• 04:21 Using Razor in Blazor
• 05:19 Mobile Blazor Bindings for Xamarin and Maui
• 06:18 Choosing Between Blazor and XAML
• 07:36 Using Blazor for Complex Layouts
• 08:39 Blazor Web Views in Maui
• 09:38 Benefits of Blazor Hybrid for Forms
• 10:22 Mixing Blazor and Native Components
• 11:38 Using Third-Party Control Libraries in Blazor
• 12:37 Improvements in Web View Performance
• 13:48 Comparing App Performance on Different Platforms
• 14:38 Preloading Blazor Content in Maui
• 15:12 Loading Experience in Blazor Hybrid
• 16:09 Debugging and Performance in Blazor Hybrid
• 19:57 Injecting Maui Services into Blazor Pages
• 21:05 Debugging Experience in Windows
• 22:25 Separating Blazor and Maui Projects
• 23:21 Using WebAssembly for Blazor
• 24:18 Benefits of Blazor Hybrid for Development
• 26:11 Choosing Between Blazor and Native App
• 27:28 Challenges of Cross-Platform Development
• 29:13 Understanding Maui Hybrid Apps
• 30:02 Differences Between Web Assembly and Maui
• 31:21 Performance and Native Look
• 33:08 View Models in Blazor
• 35:23 Using View Models in Maui
• 36:44 Navigation in Maui and Blazor
• 38:18 Naming Confusion: Maui Blazor Hybrid
• 39:25 Benefits of Maui for Businesses
• 43:29 Transitioning from Web App to Native App
• 45:20 The Slow Progress of Web Standards
• 49:45 Plugin Packages of the Week: MudBlazor and Radzen

Links:

• Radzen Blazor Components
• MudBlazor