Using the Uno.Sdk

Uno Platform projects use the Uno.Sdk package that is designed to keep projects simple, yet configurable. It imports the Microsoft.Net.Sdk (and the Microsoft.Net.Sdk.Web for WebAssembly).

This document explains the many features of this SDK, and how to configure its behavior.

Note

The Uno.Sdk only supports the WinUI API set.

Tip

Beginning with 5.2, Uno.Sdk enabled projects are best experienced using the MSBuild Editor Visual Studio 2022 Extension to provide intellisense.

Managing the Uno.Sdk version

Updating the Uno.Sdk is done through the global.json file.

Uno Platform Features

As Uno Platform can be used in many different ways, in order to reduce the build time and avoid downloading many packages, the Uno.Sdk offers a way to simplify which Uno Platform features should be enabled.

You can use the UnoFeatures property in the csproj or Directory.Build.props as shown here:

<UnoFeatures>
    Material;
    Hosting;
    Toolkit;
    Logging;
    Serilog;
    MVUX;
    Configuration;
    Http;
    Serialization;
    Localization;
    Navigation;
</UnoFeatures>

Important

Once you have changed the features list, Visual Studio requires restoring packages explicitly, or building the app once for the change to take effect.

This allows for the SDK to selectively include references to relevant sets of Nuget packages to enable features for your app.

Here are the supported features:

Feature	Description
`Foldable`	Adds a reference to Uno.WinUI.Foldable.
`MediaElement`	Adds native references where needed to use MediaElement.
`CSharpMarkup`	Adds support for C# Markup.
`Extensions`	Adds the most commonly used Extensions Packages for Hosting, Configuration, and Logging.
`Authentication`	Adds the Uno.Extensions packages for Custom Authentication.
`AuthenticationMsal`	Adds the Uno.Extensions packages for Authentication using Microsoft.Identity.Client.
`AuthenticationOidc`	Adds the Uno.Extensions packages for Authentication using a custom Oidc client.
`Configuration`	Adds the Uno.Extensions packages for Configuration.
`Hosting`	Adds support for Dependency Injection using Uno.Extensions.Hosting packages.
`Http`	Adds support for custom Http Clients including the use of Refit with Uno.Extensions.
`Localization`	Adds support for Localization using Uno.Extensions.
`Logging`	Adds support for Logging using Uno.Extensions.
`MauiEmbedding`	Adds support for embedding Maui controls in Uno Platform applications.
`MVUX`	Adds support for MVUX.
`ThemeService`	Adds the Uno.Extensions.Core.WinUI package.
`Navigation`	Adds support for Navigation using Uno.Extensions.
`LoggingSerilog`	Adds support for Serilog using Uno.Extensions.
`Storage`	Adds support for Storage using Uno.Extensions.
`Serialization`	Adds support for Serialization using Uno.Extensions.
`Toolkit`	Adds support for the Uno.Toolkit.
`Material`	Adds support for the Material Design Theme library. If the `Toolkit` feature is also used, it will add support for the Material Design Toolkit library.
`Cupertino`	Adds support for the Cupertino Design Theme library. If the `Toolkit` feature is also used, it will add support for the Cupertino Design Toolkit library.
`Mvvm`	Adds support for the CommunityToolkit.Mvvm package.
`Dsp`	Adds support for the Uno.Dsp.Tasks packages.
`Prism`	Adds Prism support for Uno Platform applications WinUI.
`Skia`	Adds support for SkiaSharp.
`GLCanvas`	Adds support for the OpenGL Canvas.
`Svg`	SVG support for iOS, Android, and Mac Catalyst. This option is not needed when only targeting WebAssembly and WinAppSDK.
`Lottie`	Adds support for Lottie animations.

Implicit Packages

Uno Platform is composed of many required and optional NuGet packages. By default, the SDK automatically references the Uno.UI required packages based on the current target framework, using versions appropriate for the version of Uno Platform being used.

It is possible to configure the version of those packages in two ways. The first is by using an explicit PackageReference to any of the Uno Platform packages, or by using the *Version properties supported by the SDK. These versions are used by the UnoFeatures defined for your app.

Here are the supported properties:

Uno Platform Packages
Third Party Packages

Property	NuGet Package(s)	Description
`UnoCoreLoggingSingletonVersion`	Uno.Core.Extensions.Logging.Singleton	Provides a logging singleton pattern with helpers and extension methods for simplified logging.
`UnoCSharpMarkupVersion`	Uno.WinUI.Markup and similar packages	Enables C# Markup, the use of C# for building UI markup, similar to XAML but with C# syntax.
`UnoDspTasksVersion`	Uno.Dsp.Tasks and similar packages	Includes tasks for Uno DSP (Theme colors import) within Uno Platform projects.
`UnoExtensionsVersion`	Uno.Extensions.Storage.WinUI and similar packages	Extends the Uno Platform with additional methods and classes for more versatile application development.
`UnoLoggingVersion`	Uno.Extensions.Logging.OSLog and similar packages	Implements logging mechanisms to help with monitoring and debugging Uno Platform applications.
`UnoResizetizerVersion`	Uno.Resizetizer	Provides tools for automatically resizing and managing image assets in Uno Platform projects.
`UnoThemesVersion`	Uno.Material.WinUI and similar packages	Supplies a variety of themes that can be applied to Uno Platform applications to enhance the UI.
`UnoToolkitVersion`	Uno.Toolkit.WinUI and similar packages	Offers a collection of controls, helpers, and tools to complement the standard WinUI components.
`UnoUniversalImageLoaderVersion`	Uno.UniversalImageLoader	Facilitates the loading and displaying of images across different platforms supported by Uno.
`UnoWasmBootstrapVersion`	Uno.Wasm.Bootstrap and similar packages	Enables the bootstrapping of Uno Platform applications running on WebAssembly.

Note

In the 5.2 version of the Uno.Sdk you must provide a value for UnoExtensionsVersion, UnoThemesVersion, UnoToolkitVersion, and UnoCSharpMarkupVersion in order to use the packages associated with the UnoFeatures from these libraries as they are downstream dependencies of the Uno repository.

Property	NuGet Package(s)	Description
`AndroidMaterialVersion`	Xamarin.Google.Android.Material	Implements Material Design components for Android using Xamarin bindings.
`AndroidXActivityVersion`	Xamarin.AndroidX.Activity	Provides classes to build Android activities with AndroidX libraries.
`AndroidXAppCompatVersion`	Xamarin.AndroidX.AppCompat	Offers backward-compatible versions of Android components with AndroidX.
`AndroidXBrowserVersion`	Xamarin.AndroidX.Browser	Contains components to implement browser features with AndroidX.
`AndroidXCollectionVersion`	Xamarin.AndroidX.Collection and similar packages	Provides AndroidX extensions for collections like sparse arrays and bundles.
`AndroidXLegacySupportV4Version`	Xamarin.AndroidX.Legacy.Support.V4	Supports older Android versions with AndroidX compatibility libraries.
`AndroidXNavigationVersion`	Xamarin.AndroidX.Navigation.UI and similar packages	Facilitates navigation within an Android app using AndroidX.
`AndroidXRecyclerViewVersion`	Xamarin.AndroidX.RecyclerView	Implements a flexible view for providing a limited window into large datasets with AndroidX.
`AndroidXSwipeRefreshLayoutVersion`	Xamarin.AndroidX.SwipeRefreshLayout	Provides a swipe-to-refresh UI pattern with AndroidX.
`CommunityToolkitMvvmVersion`	CommunityToolkit.Mvvm	Delivers a set of MVVM (Model-View-ViewModel) components for .NET applications.
`MicrosoftIdentityClientVersion`	Microsoft.Identity.Client	Provides an authentication library for Microsoft Identity Platform.
`MicrosoftLoggingVersion`	Microsoft.Extensions.Logging.Console	Enables logging to the console with Microsoft's extensions.
`PrismVersion`	Prism.Uno.WinUI and similar packages	Integrates the Prism library, which aids in building loosely coupled, maintainable, and testable applications.
`SkiaSharpVersion`	SkiaSharp.Skottie and similar packages	Provides a cross-platform 2D graphics API for .NET platforms based on Google's Skia Graphics Library.
`SvgSkiaVersion`	Svg.Skia	Renders SVG files using the SkiaSharp graphics engine.
`WinAppSdkBuildToolsVersion`	Microsoft.Windows.SDK.BuildTools	Contains the tools required to build applications for the Microsoft Windows App SDK.
`WinAppSdkVersion`	Microsoft.WindowsAppSDK	Provides project templates and tools for building Windows applications.
`WindowsCompatibilityVersion`	Microsoft.Windows.Compatibility	Enables Windows desktop apps to use .NET Core by providing access to additional Windows APIs.

Those properties can be set from Directory.Build.props or may be set in the csproj file for your project.

If you wish to disable Implicit package usage, add <DisableImplicitUnoPackages>true</DisableImplicitUnoPackages> to your Directory.Build.props file or csproj file. You will be then able to manually add the NuGet packages for your project.

Note

When disabling Implicit Uno Packages it is recommended that you use the $(UnoVersion) to set the version of the core Uno packages that are versioned with the SDK as the SDK requires Uno.WinUI to be the same version as the SDK to ensure proper compatibility.

Supported OS Platform versions

By default, the Uno.Sdk specifies a set of OS Platform versions, as follows:

Target	`SupportedOSPlatformVersion`
Android	21
iOS	14.2
macOS	10.14
MacCatalyst	14.0
WinUI	10.0.18362.0

You can set this property in a Choose MSBuild block in order to alter its value based on the active TargetFramework.

 <Choose>
    <When Condition="$([MSBuild]::GetTargetPlatformIdentifier('$(TargetFramework)')) == 'android'">
      <PropertyGroup>
        <SupportedOSPlatformVersion>21.0</SupportedOSPlatformVersion>
      </PropertyGroup>
    </When>
    <When Condition="$([MSBuild]::GetTargetPlatformIdentifier('$(TargetFramework)')) == 'ios'">
      <PropertyGroup>
        <SupportedOSPlatformVersion>14.2</SupportedOSPlatformVersion>
      </PropertyGroup>
    </When>
    <When Condition="$([MSBuild]::GetTargetPlatformIdentifier('$(TargetFramework)')) == 'macos'">
      <PropertyGroup>
        <SupportedOSPlatformVersion>10.14</SupportedOSPlatformVersion>
      </PropertyGroup>
    </When>
    <When Condition="$([MSBuild]::GetTargetPlatformIdentifier('$(TargetFramework)')) == 'maccatalyst'">
      <PropertyGroup>
        <SupportedOSPlatformVersion>14.0</SupportedOSPlatformVersion>
      </PropertyGroup>
    </When>
    <When Condition="$(TargetFramework.Contains('windows10'))">
      <PropertyGroup>
        <SupportedOSPlatformVersion>10.0.18362.0</SupportedOSPlatformVersion>
        <TargetPlatformMinVersion>10.0.18362.0</TargetPlatformMinVersion>
      </PropertyGroup>
    </When>
  </Choose>

Visual Studio 2022 First-TargetFramework workarounds

Using a Single Project in Visual Studio 2022 requires the Uno Platform tooling to apply workarounds in order to have an acceptable debugging experience.

For some of the platforms (Desktop, WinAppSDK, and WebAssembly), the corresponding target frameworks must be placed first in order for debugging and publishing to function properly. To address that problem, the Uno Platform tooling modifies the csproj file to reorder the TargetFrameworks property so that the list is accepted by Visual Studio.

As a result, the csproj file is on disk and will show the file as modified in your source control, yet the automatic change can be reverted safely. If the behavior is impacting your IDE negatively, you can disable it by adding the following in your .csproj file:

<PropertyGroup>
  <UnoDisableVSTargetFrameworksRewrite>true</UnoDisableVSTargetFrameworksRewrite>
</PropertyGroup>

Note that we are currently tracking these Visual Studio issues, make sure to upvote them:

net8.0-desktop must be first for WSL debugging to work (Link)
net8.0-browserwasm must be first for WebAssembly debugging to work (Link)
net8.0-windows10 needs to be first for WinAppSDK Hot reload to work (Link)
WSL HotReload does not invoke MetadataUpdater properly
WinAppSDK Unpackaged profile cannot be selected properly when a net8.0 mobile target is active

Disabling Default Items

The Uno.Sdk will automatically includes files that you previously needed to manage within your projects. These default items include definitions for including files within the Content, Page, and PRIResource item groups. Additionally, if you have referenced the Uno.Resizetizer it will add default items for the UnoImage allowing you to more easily manage your image assets.

You may disable this behavior in one of two ways:

<PropertyGroup>
  <!-- Globally disable all default includes from the `Uno.Sdk`, `Microsoft.NET.Sdk`, and if building on WASM `Microsoft.NET.Sdk.Web` -->
  <EnableDefaultItems>false</EnableDefaultItems>

  <!-- Disable only default items provided by the `Uno.Sdk` -->
  <EnableDefaultUnoItems>false</EnableDefaultUnoItems>
</PropertyGroup>

WinAppSdk PRIResource Workaround

Many Uno projects and libraries make use of a winappsdk-workaround.targets file that corrects a bug found in WinUI. When using the Uno.Sdk these targets now are provided for you out of the box. This extra set of workaround targets can be disabled by setting the following property:

<PropertyGroup>
  <DisableWinUI8857_Workaround>true</DisableWinUI8857_Workaround>
</PropertyGroup>

Cross Targeting Support

By Default when using the Uno.Sdk you get the added benefit of default includes for an easier time building Cross Targeted Applications. The supported file extensions are as shown below:

*.crossruntime.cs (WASM, Skia, or Reference)
*.wasm.cs
*.skia.cs
*.reference.cs
*.iOS.cs(iOS & MacCatalyst)
*.macOS.cs (MacOS not MacCatalyst)
*.iOSmacOS.cs (iOS, MacCatalyst, & MacOS)
*.Android.cs

As discussed above setting EnableDefaultUnoItems to false will disable these includes.

Tip

When you need to exclude specific files from a particular target framework (such as WebAssembly), you can use a custom MSBuild target:

<Target Name="AdjustAppItemGroups" BeforeTargets="ResolveAssemblyReferences">
    <ItemGroup Condition="'$(TargetFramework)' == 'net9.0-browserwasm'">
        <None Remove="Page.xaml"/>
        <Page Remove="Page.xaml"/>
    </ItemGroup>
</Target>

This approach allows you to selectively remove pages from specific target frameworks while maintaining them in others.

Apple Privacy Manifest Support

Starting May 1st, 2024, Apple requires the inclusion of a new file, the Privacy Manifest file (named PrivacyInfo.xcprivacy), in app bundles. This file is crucial for complying with updated privacy regulations.

For projects using the Uno.Sdk (version 5.2 or later), the Platforms/iOS/PrivacyInfo.xcprivacy file is automatically integrated within the app bundle. An example of this manifest file can be found in the Uno.Templates repository.

For more information on how to include privacy entries in this file, see the Microsoft .NET documentation on the subject, as well as Apple's documentation.

Note

If your application is using the Uno Platform 5.1 or earlier, or is not using the Uno.Sdk, you can include the file using the following:

 <ItemGroup Condition="$([MSBuild]::GetTargetPlatformIdentifier('$(TargetFramework)')) == 'ios'">
   <BundleResource Include="iOS\PrivacyInfo.xcprivacy" LogicalName="PrivacyInfo.xcprivacy" />
 </ItemGroup>