Visualize Your Data with Charts in .NET MAUI

Introduction

This tutorial will guide you through visualizing data using charts in your .NET MAUI applications with the Microcharts library. Charts are essential for presenting data effectively in mobile apps, and Microcharts provides a beautiful and straightforward way to integrate them into your projects.

Step 1: Install the Microcharts.Maui NuGet Package

To get started, you need to install the Microcharts library for .NET MAUI. Follow these steps:

1. Open your .NET MAUI project in Visual Studio.
2. Go to the NuGet Package Manager by right-clicking on your project in the Solution Explorer and selecting Manage NuGet Packages.
3. Search for Microcharts.Maui in the Browse tab.
4. Click Install to add the package to your project.

Practical Tip

Ensure you are targeting the correct framework version compatible with Microcharts.

Step 2: Implement Charts in Your User Interface

Once the package is installed, you can start integrating charts into your UI. Follow these steps:

1. Open your main page (e.g., MainPage.xaml).
2. Add the required namespace for Microcharts at the top:

   xmlns:charts="clr-namespace:Microcharts.Forms;assembly=Microcharts.Forms"
   

3. Insert a chart control in your XAML. Here’s an example for a line chart:

   <charts:ChartView x:Name="chartView" HeightRequest="300" />
   

Practical Tip

Customize the height and other properties of your chart as needed to fit your design.

Step 3: Feed Data to Your Chart

To display data in your chart, you'll need to provide it with a data source. Here’s how:

1. In your code-behind file (e.g., MainPage.xaml.cs), prepare your data in a format that Microcharts understands:

   var entries = new List<ChartEntry>
   {
       new ChartEntry(200)
       {
           Label = "January",
           ValueLabel = "200",
           Color = SKColor.Parse("#266489")
       },
       new ChartEntry(400)
       {
           Label = "February",
           ValueLabel = "400",
           Color = SKColor.Parse("#68B9C0")
       }
   };
   

2. Assign this data to your chart view:

   chartView.Chart = new LineChart { Entries = entries };
   

Common Pitfall

Ensure that you import the necessary namespaces for ChartEntry and SKColor:

using Microcharts;
using SkiaSharp;

Step 4: Implement a Bar Chart

To create a bar chart, you can follow a similar process as with the line chart:

1. Define your bar chart data:

   var barEntries = new List<ChartEntry>
   {
       new ChartEntry(500)
       {
           Label = "March",
           ValueLabel = "500",
           Color = SKColor.Parse("#FF1943")
       },
       new ChartEntry(300)
       {
           Label = "April",
           ValueLabel = "300",
           Color = SKColor.Parse("#32D74B")
       }
   };
   

2. Assign the data to a bar chart:

   chartView.Chart = new BarChart { Entries = barEntries };
   

Step 5: Implement a Donut Chart

Creating a donut chart involves similar steps. Here's how to do it:

1. Prepare your data for the donut chart:

   var donutEntries = new List<ChartEntry>
   {
       new ChartEntry(60)
       {
           Label = "Completed",
           ValueLabel = "60%",
           Color = SKColor.Parse("#FFCC00")
       },
       new ChartEntry(40)
       {
           Label = "Pending",
           ValueLabel = "40%",
           Color = SKColor.Parse("#FF0000")
       }
   };
   

2. Set the data to the donut chart:

   chartView.Chart = new DonutChart { Entries = donutEntries };
   

Conclusion

You have now learned how to visualize data in your .NET MAUI applications using the Microcharts library. By following these steps, you can create line, bar, and donut charts to enhance your app's data representation.

Next Steps

• Explore additional chart types and customization options provided by Microcharts.
• Review the sample code provided in the Microcharts GitHub repository for more advanced examples.
• Consider joining the MAUIverse Discord server for community support and resources.