OpenMaui.Controls.Linux 1.0.0-rc.1

OpenMaui Linux Platform

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

Developed by MarketAlly LLC 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 --prerelease

XAML Support

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

<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

Platform Services

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:

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 MarketAlly LLC. Licensed under the MIT License - see the LICENSE file for details.

Acknowledgments

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