When you sign into Visual Studio Community, you get access to a broad set of free developer tools, selected Xamarin University courses on-demand, Pluralsight training, Azure credits, and more as part of Visual Studio Dev Essentials.
Xamarin Controls allows you to choose parameters, and create the XAML code for a control directly in your XAML. Currently we support the following controls:-
- Grid
- Button
- Entry
- Label
- Date Picker
- Time Picker
- Editor
- Radio Button
- Check Box
- Picker
- ListView
- Image
- Label and Entry(create an entry field and associated label)
- Visual Studio 2015 is little bit different from 2013 version, I am also using xamarin on visual studio 2015. But that is not listed under tools menu like 2013. Maybe developers had changed that, you can go to 'start a new project'(just like you start new app development), there you can find xamarin/android projects list, there you can start new.
- Visual Studio Code is free and available on your favorite platform - Linux, macOS, and Windows. Download Visual Studio Code to experience a redefined code editor, optimized for building and debugging modern web and cloud applications.
- Visual Studio includes an Android SDK Manager that you use to download Android SDK tools, platforms, and other components that you need for developing Xamarin.Android apps. This guide explains how to use the Xamarin Android SDK Manager in Visual Studio and Visual Studio for Mac.
Simply right-click in your XAML file, and select your control from the 'Insert XAML Controls' menu. This extension should be of use to experienced users, and especially for beginners to help understand how the controls are built.
Select the control you want to generate and a 'selection box' appears, allowing you to choose properties for your control. In this case we have chosen 'Label.
If you are using a 'style' for your label, you can enter it in the 'style' box, and if you have a binding context, again, enter it into the box, and it will replace the 'text' entry in the code.
The parameters persist between sessions, but if you right click on the 'group box' containing all the controls, you can go back to the default parameters.
If you select 'Control in Grid', 3 more fields appear, allowing you to select a row, column and column span, to place your control in a grid. This is available in all the controls, except the grid control.
If we change the name above to lblWelcome, and leave all the other parameters as they are, click on OK, the following code is inserted your XAML:-
Download Xamarin For Visual Studio 2015
Which generates this on your form:-
You can see a video of the add-in in action here.
Any questions or problems - please email [email protected]
-->Visual Studio includes an Android SDK Manager that you useto download Android SDK tools, platforms, and other components that youneed for developing Xamarin.Android apps.
Overview
This guide explains how to use the Xamarin Android SDK Manager inVisual Studio and Visual Studio for Mac.
Note
This guide applies to Visual Studio 2019, Visual Studio 2017, and Visual Studio for Mac.
The Xamarin Android SDK Manager (installed as part of the Mobiledevelopment with .NET workload) helps you download the latest Androidcomponents that you need for developing your Xamarin.Android app. Itreplaces Google's standalone SDK Manager, which has been deprecated.
Requirements
To use the Xamarin Android SDK Manager, you will need the following:
- Visual Studio 2019 Community, Professional, or Enterprise.
- OR Visual Studio 2017 (Community, Professional, or Enterprise edition). VisualStudio 2017 version 15.7 or later is required.
- Visual Studio Tools for Xamarin version 4.10.0 or later(installed as part of the Mobile development with .NET workload).
Install Xamarin Visual Studio 2015
The Xamarin Android SDK Manager also requires the Java Development Kit(which is automatically installed with Xamarin.Android). There areseveral JDK alternatives to choose from:
- By default, Xamarin.Android usesJDK 8,which is required if you are developing for API level 24 or greater(JDK 8 also supports API levels earlier than 24).
- You can continue to use JDK 7if you are developing specifically for API level 23 or earlier.
- If you are using Visual Studio 15.8 Preview 5 or later, you can tryusing Microsoft's Mobile OpenJDK Distributionrather than JDK 8.
SDK Manager
To start the SDK Manager in Visual Studio, click Tools > Android >Android SDK Manager:
The Android SDK Manager opens in the Android SDKs andTools screen. This screen has two tabs – Platforms andTools:
The Android SDKs and Tools screen is described in more detail inthe following sections.
Android SDK location
The Android SDK location is configured at the top of the Android SDKsand Tools screen, as seen in the previous screenshot. This location mustbe configured correctly before the Platforms and Tools tabswill function properly. You may need to set the location of the AndroidSDK for one or more of the following reasons:
- The Android SDK Manager was unable to locate the Android SDK.
- You have installed the Android SDK in a alternate (non-default) location.
To set the location of the Android SDK, click the ellipsis (…)button to the far right of Android SDK Location. This opens theBrowse For Folder dialog to use for navigating to the location ofthe Android SDK. In the following screenshot, the Android SDK underProgram Files (x86)Android is being selected:
When you click OK, the SDK Manager will manage the Android SDK thatis installed at the selected location.
Tools tab
Xamarin Studio For Windows
The Tools tab displays a list of tools and extras. Use this tabto install the Android SDK tools, platform tools, and build tools.Also, you can install the Android Emulator, the low-level debugger(LLDB), the NDK, HAXM acceleration, and Google Play libraries.
For example, to download the Google Android Emulator package, click thecheck mark next to Android Emulator and click the Apply Changesbutton:
A dialog may be shown with the message, The following package requiresthat you accept its license terms before installing:
Click Accept if you accept the Terms and Conditions. At the bottomof the window, a progress bar indicates download and installationprogress. After the installation completes, the Tools tab will showthat the selected tools and extras were installed.
Platforms tab
The Platforms tab displays a list of platform SDK versions alongwith other resources (like system images) for each platform:
This screen lists the Android version (such as Android 8.0), thecode name (Oreo), the API level (such as 26), and the sizes ofthe components for that platform (such as 1 GB). You use thePlatforms tab to install components for the Android API level thatyou want to target. For more information about Android versions and APIlevels, seeUnderstanding Android API Levels.
When all components of a platform are installed, a checkmark appears nextto the platform name. If not all components of a platform areinstalled, the box for that platform is filled.You can expand a platform to see its components (and which componentsare installed) by clicking the + box to the left of the platform.Click - to unexpand the component listing for a platform.
To add another platform to the SDK, click the box next to the platformuntil the checkmark appears to install all of its components, thenclick Apply Changes:
To install only specific components, click the box next to the platformonce. You can then select any individual components that you need:
Notice that the number of components to install appears next to theApply Changes button. After you click the Apply Changes button,you will see the License Acceptance screen as shown earlier.Click Accept if you accept the Terms and Conditions. You may seethis dialog more than one time when there are multiple components toinstall. At the bottom of the window, a progress bar will indicatedownload and installation progress. When the download and installationprocess completes (this can take many minutes, depending on how manycomponents need to be downloaded), the added components are marked witha checkmark and listed as Installed.
Repository selection
By default, the Android SDK Manager downloads platform components andtools from a Microsoft-managed repository. If you need access toexperimental alpha/beta platforms and tools that are not yet availablein the Microsoft repository, you can switch the SDK Manager to useGoogle's repository. To make this switch, click the gear icon in thelower right-hand corner and select Repository > Google(Unsupported):
When the Google repository is selected, additional packages may appearin the Platforms tab that were not available previously. (In theabove screenshot, Android SDK Platform 28 was added by switching tothe Google repository.) Keep in mind that use of the Google repositoryis unsupported and is therefore not recommended for everydaydevelopment.
To switch back to the supported repository of platforms and tools,click Microsoft (Recommended). This restores the list of packagesand tools to the default selection.
Requirements
To use the Xamarin Android SDK Manager, you will need the following:
- Visual Studio for Mac 7.5 (or later).
The Xamarin Android SDK Manager also requires the Java Development Kit(which is automatically installed with Xamarin.Android). There areseveral JDK alternatives to choose from:
- By default, Xamarin.Android usesJDK 8,which is required if you are developing for API level 24 or greater(JDK 8 also supports API levels earlier than 24).
- You can continue to use JDK 7if you are developing specifically for API level 23 or earlier.
- If you are using Visual Studio for Mac 7.7 or later, you can tryusing Microsoft's Mobile OpenJDK Distributionrather than JDK 8.
Important
Xamarin.Android does not support JDK 9.
SDK Manager
To start the SDK Manager in Visual Studio for Mac, click Tools > SDK Manager:
The Android SDK Manager opens in the Preferences window, whichcontains three tabs, Platforms, Tools, and Locations:
The tabs of the Android SDK Manager are described in thefollowing sections.
Locations tab
The Locations tab has three settings for configuring the locationsof the Android SDK, Android NDK, and the Java SDK (JDK). Theselocations must be configured correctly before the Platforms andTools tabs will function properly.
When the SDK Manager starts, it automatically determines the path foreach installed package and indicates that it was Found by placing agreen checkmark icon next to the path:
Click the Reset to Defaults button to cause the SDK Manager to lookfor the SDK, NDK, and JDK at their default locations.
Typically, you use the Locations tab to modify the location of theAndroid SDK and/or the Java JDK. You do not need to install the NDK todevelop Xamarin.Android apps – the NDK is used only when you needto develop parts of your app using native-code languages such as C andC++.
Tools tab
The Tools tab displays a list of tools and extras. Use this tabto install the Android SDK tools, platform tools, and build tools.Also, you can install the Android Emulator, the low-level debugger(LLDB), the NDK, HAXM acceleration, and Google Play libraries.
For example, to download the Google Android Emulator package, click thecheck mark next to Android Emulator and click the Apply Changesbutton:
Adobe acrobat reader dc english download. A dialog may be shown with the message, The following package requiresthat you accept its license terms before installing:
Click Accept if you accept the Terms and Conditions. At the bottomof the window, a progress bar indicates download and installationprogress. After the installation completes, the Tools tab will showthat the selected tools and extras were installed.
Platforms tab
The Platforms tab displays a list of platform SDK versions alongwith other resources (like system images) for each platform:
This screen lists the Android version (such as Android 8.1), thecode name (Oreo), the API level (such as 27), and the sizes ofthe components for that platform (such as 1 GB). You use thePlatforms tab to install components for the Android API level thatyou want to target. For more information about Android versions and APIlevels, see Understanding Android API Levels.
When all components of a platform are installed, a checkmark appears nextto the platform name. If not all components of a platform areinstalled, the box for that platform is filled.You can expand a platform to see its components (and which componentsare installed) by clicking the arrow to the left of the platform.Click down arrow to unexpand the component listing for a platform.
To add another platform to the SDK, click the box next to the platformuntil the checkmark appears to install all of its components, thenclick Apply Changes:
To install only some components, click the box next to the platformonce. You can then select any individual components that you need:
Notice that the number of components to install appears next to theApply Changes button. After you click the Apply Changes button,you will see the License Acceptance screen as shown earlier.Click Accept if you accept the Terms and Conditions. You may seethis dialog more than one time when there are multiple components toinstall. At the bottom of the window, a progress bar will indicatedownload and installation progress. When the download and installationprocess completes (this can take many minutes, depending on how manycomponents need to be downloaded), the added components are marked witha checkmark and listed as Installed.
Repository selection
By default, the Android SDK Manager downloads platform components andtools from a Microsoft-managed repository. If you need access toexperimental alpha/beta platforms and tools that are not yet availablein the Microsoft repository, you can switch the SDK Manager to useGoogle's repository. To make this switch, click the gear icon in thelower right-hand corner and select Repository > Google(Unsupported):
When the Google repository is selected, additional packages may appearin the Platforms tab that were not available previously. (In theabove screenshot, Android SDK Platform 28 was added by switching tothe Google repository.) Keep in mind that use of the Google repository isunsupported and is therefore not recommended for everyday development.
![Visual Studio Xamarin Download Visual Studio Xamarin Download](https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-DTZ9YUGuy-8/VlrDohya6hI/AAAAAAAAWT0/DiCyZOlpWYI/s620-Ic42/Xamarin%252520Visual%252520Studio.jpg)
To switch back to the supported repository of platforms and tools,click Microsoft (Recommended). This restores the list of packagesand tools to the default selection.
Summary
This guide explained how to install and use the Xamarin Android SDKManager tool in Visual Studio and Visual Studio for Mac.