maui-linux/README.md

OpenMaui Linux Platform

A comprehensive Linux platform implementation for .NET MAUI using SkiaSharp rendering.

Developed by MarketAlly Pte Ltd Lead Architect: David H. Friedel Jr.

Overview

This project brings .NET MAUI to Linux desktops with native X11/Wayland support, hardware-accelerated Skia rendering, and full platform service integration.

Key Features

• Full Control Library: 35+ controls including Button, Label, Entry, CarouselView, RefreshView, SwipeView, and more
• Native Integration: X11 and Wayland display server support
• Accessibility: AT-SPI2 screen reader support and high contrast mode
• Platform Services: Clipboard, file picker, notifications, global hotkeys, drag & drop
• Input Methods: IBus and XIM support for international text input
• High DPI: Automatic scale factor detection for GNOME, KDE, and X11

Quick Start

Installation

# Install the templates
dotnet new install OpenMaui.Linux.Templates

# Create a new project (choose one):
dotnet new openmaui-linux -n MyApp           # Code-based UI
dotnet new openmaui-linux-xaml -n MyApp      # XAML-based UI (recommended)

cd MyApp
dotnet run

Manual Installation

dotnet add package OpenMaui.Controls.Linux

XAML Support

OpenMaui fully supports standard .NET MAUI XAML syntax. Use the familiar XAML workflow:

<!-- MainPage.xaml -->
<ContentPage xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/dotnet/2021/maui"
             xmlns:x="http://schemas.microsoft.com/winfx/2009/xaml"
             x:Class="MyApp.MainPage">
    <VerticalStackLayout>
        <Label Text="Hello, OpenMaui!" FontSize="32" />
        <Button Text="Click me" Clicked="OnButtonClicked" />
        <Entry Placeholder="Enter text..." />
        <Slider Minimum="0" Maximum="100" />
    </VerticalStackLayout>
</ContentPage>

// MauiProgram.cs
var builder = MauiApp.CreateBuilder();
builder
    .UseMauiApp<App>()
    .UseOpenMauiLinux();  // Enable Linux with XAML support

Supported Controls

Category	Controls
Basic	Button, Label, Entry, Editor, CheckBox, Switch, RadioButton
Layout	StackLayout, ScrollView, Border, Page
Selection	Picker, DatePicker, TimePicker, Slider, Stepper
Display	Image, ImageButton, ActivityIndicator, ProgressBar
Collection	CollectionView, CarouselView, IndicatorView
Gesture	SwipeView, RefreshView
Navigation	NavigationPage, TabbedPage, FlyoutPage, Shell
Menu	MenuBar, MenuFlyout, MenuItem
Graphics	GraphicsView, Border

Platform Services

Service	Description
ClipboardService	System clipboard access
FilePickerService	Native file open dialogs
FolderPickerService	Folder selection dialogs
NotificationService	Desktop notifications (libnotify)
GlobalHotkeyService	System-wide keyboard shortcuts
DragDropService	XDND drag and drop protocol
LauncherService	Open URLs and files
ShareService	Share content with other apps
SecureStorageService	Encrypted credential storage
PreferencesService	Application settings
BrowserService	Open URLs in default browser
EmailService	Compose emails
SystemTrayService	System tray icons

Accessibility

• AT-SPI2: Screen reader support for ORCA and other assistive technologies
• High Contrast: Automatic detection and color palette support
• Keyboard Navigation: Full keyboard accessibility

Requirements

• .NET 9.0 SDK or later
• Linux (kernel 5.4+)
• X11 or Wayland
• SkiaSharp native libraries

System Dependencies

Ubuntu/Debian:

sudo apt-get install libx11-dev libxrandr-dev libxcursor-dev libxi-dev libgl1-mesa-dev libfontconfig1-dev

Fedora:

sudo dnf install libX11-devel libXrandr-devel libXcursor-devel libXi-devel mesa-libGL-devel fontconfig-devel

Documentation

• Getting Started Guide
• FAQ - Visual Studio Integration
• API Reference
• Contributing Guide

Sample Applications

Full sample applications are available in the maui-linux-samples repository:

Sample	Description
TodoApp	Task manager with NavigationPage, XAML data binding, CollectionView
ShellDemo	Control showcase with Shell navigation and flyout menu

Quick Example

using OpenMaui.Platform.Linux;

var app = new LinuxApplication();

app.MainPage = new ContentPage
{
    Content = new VerticalStackLayout
    {
        Spacing = 10,
        Children =
        {
            new Label
            {
                Text = "Welcome to MAUI on Linux!",
                FontSize = 24
            },
            new Button
            {
                Text = "Click Me"
            },
            new Entry
            {
                Placeholder = "Enter your name"
            }
        }
    }
};

app.Run();

Building from Source

git clone https://git.marketally.com/open-maui/maui-linux.git
cd maui-linux
dotnet build
dotnet test

Contributing

We welcome contributions! Please see our Contributing Guide for details.

Architecture

┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│                  .NET MAUI                       │
│              (Virtual Views)                     │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│                  Handlers                        │
│         (Platform Abstraction)                   │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│              Skia Views                          │
│        (SkiaButton, SkiaLabel, etc.)            │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│           SkiaSharp Rendering                    │
│         (Hardware Accelerated)                   │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│              X11 / Wayland                       │
│          (Display Server)                        │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

Styling and Data Binding

OpenMaui supports the full MAUI styling and data binding infrastructure:

XAML Styles

<ContentPage.Resources>
    <ResourceDictionary>
        <Color x:Key="PrimaryColor">#5C6BC0</Color>
        <Style TargetType="Button">
            <Setter Property="BackgroundColor" Value="{StaticResource PrimaryColor}" />
            <Setter Property="TextColor" Value="White" />
        </Style>
    </ResourceDictionary>
</ContentPage.Resources>

Data Binding

<Label Text="{Binding Title}" />
<Entry Text="{Binding Username, Mode=TwoWay}" />
<Button Command="{Binding SaveCommand}" IsEnabled="{Binding CanSave}" />

Visual State Manager

All interactive controls support VSM states: Normal, PointerOver, Pressed, Focused, Disabled.

<Button Text="Hover Me">
    <VisualStateManager.VisualStateGroups>
        <VisualStateGroup x:Name="CommonStates">
            <VisualState x:Name="Normal">
                <VisualState.Setters>
                    <Setter Property="BackgroundColor" Value="#2196F3"/>
                </VisualState.Setters>
            </VisualState>
            <VisualState x:Name="PointerOver">
                <VisualState.Setters>
                    <Setter Property="BackgroundColor" Value="#42A5F5"/>
                </VisualState.Setters>
            </VisualState>
        </VisualStateGroup>
    </VisualStateManager.VisualStateGroups>
</Button>

Roadmap

• Core control library (35+ controls)
• Platform services integration
• Accessibility (AT-SPI2)
• Input method support (IBus/XIM)
• High DPI support
• Drag and drop
• Global hotkeys
• BindableProperty for all controls
• Visual State Manager integration
• XAML styles and StaticResource
• Data binding (OneWay, TwoWay, IValueConverter)
• Complete Wayland support
• Hardware video acceleration
• GTK4 interop layer

License

Copyright (c) 2025-2026 MarketAlly Pte Ltd. Licensed under the MIT License - see the LICENSE file for details.

Acknowledgments

• MarketAlly Pte Ltd - Project development and maintenance
• SkiaSharp - 2D graphics library
• .NET MAUI - Cross-platform UI framework
• The .NET community