NetForms.Convert 0.1.0-preview.6

NetForms — Windows Forms for Windows and Linux

NetForms is System.Windows.Forms and System.Drawing for .NET 10 that runs the same on Windows and Linux. Same namespaces, same Program.cs → Application.Run(new MainForm()), same MainForm.cs + MainForm.Designer.cs with InitializeComponent(). Your WinForms code compiles against it without changes.

Controls are painted by NetForms itself with SkiaSharp. Avalonia 12 is used only to reach the OS (windows, input, IME, clipboard, native dialogs, DPI). Avalonia types never appear in the API.

Use it

Replace UseWindowsForms in your project file with a package reference:

<Project Sdk="Microsoft.NET.Sdk">
  <PropertyGroup>
    <OutputType>WinExe</OutputType>
    <TargetFramework>net10.0</TargetFramework>   
    <ImplicitUsings>enable</ImplicitUsings>
  </PropertyGroup>
  <ItemGroup>
    <PackageReference Include="NetForms" Version="0.1.0-preview.6" />
    <Using Include="System.Drawing" />
    <Using Include="System.Windows.Forms" />
  </ItemGroup>
</Project>

Or let the converter do it and tell you what will not carry over:

dotnet tool install -g NetForms.Convert --prerelease
netforms-convert MyApp.csproj            # report only
netforms-convert MyApp.csproj --apply    # rewrite the project (the original is kept as .winforms.bak)

New project from a template:

dotnet new install NetForms.Templates::0.1.0-preview.6
dotnet new netforms -n MyApp

Packages

Requirements

• .NET 10 SDK. The target framework is net10.0 (not net10.0-windows).
• Windows 10+ (x64, arm64) or Linux with X11 or XWayland (x64, arm64). macOS is not a goal of this release.
• .NET Framework projects (old .csproj format, packages.config) are rewritten to SDK style by netforms-convert itself.
• Third-party WinForms control packages from NuGet do not work yet (they compile against the real, strong-named System.Windows.Forms).

Documentation

Website and documentation (English and Russian): https://go-forms.github.io/.NetForms/. Installing on Windows and each Linux family: https://go-forms.github.io/.NetForms/docs/install.html.

The API is the WinForms API, documented by Microsoft at https://learn.microsoft.com/dotnet/desktop/winforms/ and https://learn.microsoft.com/dotnet/api/system.windows.forms. What NetForms implements, what it does not yet, and where it differs on purpose: https://go-forms.github.io/.NetForms/docs/compatibility.html.

MIT licensed. Source, issues and the visual designer for VS Code: https://github.com/Go-Forms/.NetForms.