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

Page and Navigation

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

Shell Navigation

• 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:

1. Identify usage patterns: Search for all instances of a Xamarin.Forms control
2. Map to equivalent: Use the tables above to find the Uno Platform equivalent
3. Update properties: Map property names according to the property mappings
4. Test on target platforms: Verify behavior on all platforms you're targeting
5. 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

WebAssembly

• WebView2 becomes an HTML iframe
• Media controls may have limitations
• File pickers use browser file input

Performance

• ListView and ItemsRepeater are optimized for large lists
• Use virtualization for long scrolling lists
• Consider ItemsStackPanel or ItemsWrapGrid for layout panels

Next Steps

• Migrating Custom Controls
• Migrating Data Binding
• Migrating Navigation
• Return to Overview

See Also

• Native Views in Uno Platform
• Platform-Specific XAML
• Platform-Specific C#