Control Mappings from Xamarin.Forms to Uno Platform

This guide provides a comprehensive mapping of Xamarin.Forms controls and their equivalents in Uno Platform/WinUI. Understanding these mappings is essential when migrating your Xamarin.Forms application to Uno Platform.

Layout Controls

Xamarin.Forms	Uno Platform / WinUI	Notes
`StackLayout`	`StackPanel`	Set `Orientation` property for horizontal/vertical layout
`Grid`	`Grid`	Same control name, similar API with `RowDefinitions` and `ColumnDefinitions`
`AbsoluteLayout`	`Canvas`	Use `Canvas.Left`, `Canvas.Top` for positioning
`RelativeLayout`	`RelativePanel`	Different API - uses attached properties for relationships
`FlexLayout`	Custom implementation or `VariableSizedWrapGrid`	No direct equivalent; consider redesigning with `Grid` or `StackPanel`
`ScrollView`	`ScrollViewer`	Similar functionality with additional properties
`ContentView`	`ContentControl`	Base class for custom controls
`Frame`	`Border`	Use `CornerRadius`, `BorderBrush`, `BorderThickness`

Text Controls

Xamarin.Forms	Uno Platform / WinUI	Notes
`Label`	`TextBlock`	For read-only text display
`Entry`	`TextBox`	Single-line text input
`Editor`	`TextBox` with `AcceptsReturn="True"`	Multi-line text input
`SearchBar`	`AutoSuggestBox`	Provides search functionality with suggestions
`Span` (in FormattedString)	`Run` (in TextBlock)	For inline formatted text

Button and Input Controls

Xamarin.Forms	Uno Platform / WinUI	Notes
`Button`	`Button`	Same control name
`ImageButton`	`Button` with `Image` content	Or use `AppBarButton` with icon
`CheckBox`	`CheckBox`	Same control name
`Switch`	`ToggleSwitch`	Different control with on/off states
`Slider`	`Slider`	Same control name
`Stepper`	`NumberBox`	Provides increment/decrement functionality
`DatePicker`	`DatePicker` or `CalendarDatePicker`	Choose based on UI requirements
`TimePicker`	`TimePicker`	Same control name
`Picker`	`ComboBox`	Dropdown selection control
`RadioButton`	`RadioButton`	Available in WinUI 2.5+

Collection Controls

Xamarin.Forms	Uno Platform / WinUI	Notes
`ListView`	`ListView`	Same control name with different templating
`CollectionView`	`ItemsRepeater` or `ListView`	`ItemsRepeater` for flexible layouts
`CarouselView`	`FlipView`	Swipeable item view
`TableView`	Custom with `ListView` or `ItemsRepeater`	No direct equivalent
`RefreshView`	`RefreshContainer`	Pull-to-refresh functionality
`SwipeView`	Custom implementation	Use `SwipeControl` on supported platforms
`IndicatorView`	Custom implementation	Create with `ItemsRepeater` or dots pattern

Visual and Media Controls

Xamarin.Forms	Uno Platform / WinUI	Notes
`Image`	`Image`	Same control name
`ImageButton`	`Button` with `Image`	Or use icon fonts
`BoxView`	`Rectangle` or `Border`	For colored rectangles
`WebView`	`WebView2`	Requires WebView2 runtime on Windows
`MediaElement`	`MediaPlayerElement`	For audio/video playback
`Map`	Third-party map controls	Use Uno.Extensions or platform-specific maps
`ActivityIndicator`	`ProgressRing`	Indeterminate progress indicator
`ProgressBar`	`ProgressBar`	Same control name

Xamarin.Forms	Uno Platform / WinUI	Notes
`ContentPage`	`Page`	Base page type
`NavigationPage`	`Frame` with navigation	See Migrating Navigation
`TabbedPage`	`NavigationView` or `TabView`	Bottom tabs or top tabs
`CarouselPage`	`FlipView`	Swipeable pages
`MasterDetailPage`	`NavigationView`	Split view with menu
`Shell`	`NavigationView` with routing	See navigation guide
`FlyoutPage`	`NavigationView`	Replaces MasterDetailPage

Special Controls

Xamarin.Forms	Uno Platform / WinUI	Notes
`ToolbarItem`	`AppBarButton` in `CommandBar`	Top app bar buttons
`MenuItem`	`MenuFlyoutItem`	Context menu items
`ContextActions`	`MenuFlyout` or `SwipeBehavior`	Right-click or swipe actions
`Shapes` (Rectangle, Ellipse, etc.)	`Windows.UI.Xaml.Shapes` namespace	Same shape controls

Property Mappings

Size and Layout

Xamarin.Forms	Uno Platform / WinUI
`HeightRequest`	`Height`
`WidthRequest`	`Width`
`MinimumHeightRequest`	`MinHeight`
`MinimumWidthRequest`	`MinWidth`
`HorizontalOptions`	`HorizontalAlignment`
`VerticalOptions`	`VerticalAlignment`
`Margin`	`Margin` (same)
`Padding`	`Padding` (same)

Alignment Values

Xamarin.Forms	Uno Platform / WinUI
`Start`	`Left`
`End`	`Right`
`Center`	`Center`
`Fill`	`Stretch`

Colors and Styling

Xamarin.Forms	Uno Platform / WinUI
`BackgroundColor`	`Background` (use `SolidColorBrush`)
`TextColor`	`Foreground` (use `SolidColorBrush`)
`BorderColor`	`BorderBrush` (use `SolidColorBrush`)
`Color.Accent`	`{ThemeResource SystemAccentColor}`
`Color.Default`	Theme-dependent resources

Text and Fonts

Xamarin.Forms	Uno Platform / WinUI
`FontSize`	`FontSize` (same)
`FontAttributes="Bold"`	`FontWeight="Bold"`
`FontAttributes="Italic"`	`FontStyle="Italic"`
`FontFamily`	`FontFamily` (same)
`TextTransform`	Custom converter or `CharacterCasing`

Behaviors and Attachments

Xamarin.Forms	Uno Platform / WinUI	Notes
`Behavior<T>`	Attached properties or `Microsoft.Xaml.Behaviors`	Use Uno.Toolkit or create custom attached properties
`TriggerAction`	Visual states or code-behind	See Effects guide
`DataTrigger`	Visual states with `StateTrigger`	Use `AdaptiveTrigger`, `StateTrigger`
`EventTrigger`	Event handlers or behaviors	Use code-behind or behaviors library

Services and Dependency Injection

Xamarin.Forms	Uno Platform / WinUI	Notes
`DependencyService`	Built-in DI (IServiceProvider)	Use constructor injection with `IHost`
`MessagingCenter`	Event aggregator or messenger pattern	Use `Uno.Extensions` messaging or CommunityToolkit.Mvvm `Messenger`

Application Lifecycle

Xamarin.Forms	Uno Platform / WinUI	Notes
`Application.OnStart`	`App.OnLaunched`	Application startup
`Application.OnSleep`	`Application.EnteredBackground`	App backgrounded
`Application.OnResume`	`Application.LeavingBackground`	App foregrounded
`Application.MainPage`	`Window.Content` or navigation setup	Set root content

No Direct Equivalent

Some Xamarin.Forms features don't have direct equivalents and require alternative approaches:

CollectionView Features

EmptyView: Implement with conditional visibility and custom empty state UI
ItemsLayout: Use ItemsPanel with different panel templates in ListView or ItemsRepeater
RemainingItemsThreshold: Implement using IncrementalLoadingTrigger or scroll position monitoring

SwipeView

Use platform-specific implementations with conditional compilation
Consider SwipeControl for Windows 10+
Implement custom gestures for other platforms

Use Uno.Extensions.Navigation for similar URI-based routing
Implement with Frame and view models for simpler scenarios
Use NavigationView for hierarchical navigation

FlexLayout

Redesign layouts using Grid with responsive triggers
Use VariableSizedWrapGrid for simple wrapping scenarios
Consider CSS Grid on WebAssembly with HTML embedding

Migration Strategy

When migrating controls:

Identify usage patterns: Search for all instances of a Xamarin.Forms control
Map to equivalent: Use the tables above to find the Uno Platform equivalent
Update properties: Map property names according to the property mappings
Test on target platforms: Verify behavior on all platforms you're targeting
Refactor if needed: Some controls may require redesign for better Uno Platform patterns

Platform-Specific Considerations

Native Renderer vs Skia

Native renderer on iOS/Android: Maps WinUI controls to native platform controls
Skia renderer: Uses Skia for consistent pixel-perfect rendering across platforms
Some controls behave differently between renderers - test thoroughly