Xamarin Evolve is the largest cross-platform mobile event in the world, where over 1,500 developers, industry leaders, and Xamarin experts converge to advance the state of the art, discuss mobile strategy, and define the future of apps.
Hyatt RegencyOrlando, FL, April 24–28, 2016
Xamarin includes many awesome features in next release. These are some quick notes:
1. Xamarin introduces the iOS simulator for visual studio developer on Windows OS. From now, Visual studio's fan can develop full mobile platforms: Android, iOS, Windows phone on Windows machine without a Mac to simulate an iOS device.
2. Some important update for Xamarin forms:
- Xamarin form design preview: help developers view the UI forms design side by side with code. Hopefully, there will be drag and drop feature here in the future :).
- Xamarin workbook: No need to create new project to experience new code of Xamarin, Workbook will help you all: Write code on the left and view the result immediately on the right side. Similar with playground of iOS but more powerful: It supports write and view UI code.
3. Xamarin UI test recording: Support record UI actions and translate to code then replay to test. This will help save the effort to write the UI automation testing code. This feature is also introduced for OSX, iOS developer by Apple in latest WWDC.
4. Full integrate with Microsoft Azure service: Data entity mapping, offline mode...
5. Support Source control, Test cloud, CI with Visual studio team service
- Test cloud live: Remote debug with many devices on Microsoft test cloud. This feature is great but I wonder about the responding time and what happen if the connection is not stable.
- Hockey app: Allow the distributed tester can download and test the application, the owner can views and analysis the test result. This is the same with Apple Testflight.
...
Now, we can use these features in the Alpha channel of Xamarin Studio
Xamarin -> Check for update -> Update channel -> Alpha
I'm trying with it but Xamarin studio often freeze (on Mac). Hope it'll be fixed soon.
Watch live here: https://evolve.xamarin.com/
Summary here: https://blog.xamarin.com/
