Migrate version tracking data from a Xamarin.Forms app to a .NET MAUI app

Xamarin.Essentials and .NET Multi-platform App UI (.NET MAUI) both have a VersionTracking class that lets you check the app's version and build numbers, along with additional information such as if it's the first time the app was launched. However, in Xamarin.Essentials the version tracking data is stored in a platform-specific preferences container with a name of {your-app-package-id}.xamarinessentials.versiontracking, while in .NET MAUI the version tracking data is stored in a platform-specific preferences container with a name of {your-app-package-id}.microsoft.maui.essentials.versiontracking.

When migrating a Xamarin.Forms app that uses the VersionTracking class to .NET MAUI, you must deal with this preferences container naming difference to provide users with a smooth upgrade experience. This article describes how you can use the LegacyVersionTracking class and helper classes to deal with the preferences container. The LegacyVersionTracking class enables your .NET MAUI app on Android, iOS, and Windows, to read version tracking data that was created with a previous Xamarin.Forms version of your app.

Important

For the LegacyVersionTracking class to work correctly, your .NET MAUI app must have a higher version number than the version number of your Xamarin.Forms app. The version number can be set in your .NET MAUI app's project file with the $(ApplicationVersion) and $(ApplicationDisplayVersion) build properties.

For more information about the VersionTracking class in Xamarin.Essentials, see Xamarin.Essentials: Version tracking. For more information about the VersionTracking class in .NET MAUI, see Version tracking.

Access legacy version tracking data

The following code shows the LegacyVersionTracking class, which provides access to the version tracking data created by your Xamarin.Forms app:

Note

To use this code, add it to a class named LegacyVersionTracking in your .NET MAUI app project.

namespace MigrationHelpers;

public static class LegacyVersionTracking
{
    const string versionsKey = "VersionTracking.Versions";
    const string buildsKey = "VersionTracking.Builds";

    static readonly string sharedName = LegacyPreferences.GetPrivatePreferencesSharedName("versiontracking");

    static Dictionary<string, List<string>> versionTrail;
    static string LastInstalledVersion => versionTrail[versionsKey].LastOrDefault();
    static string LastInstalledBuild => versionTrail[buildsKey].LastOrDefault();

    public static string VersionsKey => versionsKey;
    public static string BuildsKey => buildsKey;
    public static string SharedName => sharedName;
    public static bool IsFirstLaunchEver { get; private set; }
    public static bool IsFirstLaunchForCurrentVersion { get; private set; }
    public static bool IsFirstLaunchForCurrentBuild { get; private set; }
    public static string CurrentVersion => AppInfo.VersionString;
    public static string CurrentBuild => AppInfo.BuildString;
    public static string PreviousVersion => GetPrevious(versionsKey);
    public static string PreviousBuild => GetPrevious(buildsKey);
    public static string FirstInstalledVersion => versionTrail[versionsKey].FirstOrDefault();
    public static string FirstInstalledBuild => versionTrail[buildsKey].FirstOrDefault();
    public static IEnumerable<string> VersionHistory => versionTrail[versionsKey].ToArray();
    public static IEnumerable<string> BuildHistory => versionTrail[buildsKey].ToArray();
    public static bool IsFirstLaunchForVersion(string version) => CurrentVersion == version && IsFirstLaunchForCurrentVersion;
    public static bool IsFirstLaunchForBuild(string build) => CurrentBuild == build && IsFirstLaunchForCurrentBuild;

    static LegacyVersionTracking()
    {
        InitVersionTracking();
    }

    internal static void InitVersionTracking()
    {
        IsFirstLaunchEver = !LegacyPreferences.ContainsKey(versionsKey, sharedName) || !LegacyPreferences.ContainsKey(buildsKey, sharedName);
        if (IsFirstLaunchEver)
        {
            versionTrail = new Dictionary<string, List<string>>
                {
                    { versionsKey, new List<string>() },
                    { buildsKey, new List<string>() }
                };
        }
        else
        {
            versionTrail = new Dictionary<string, List<string>>
                {
                    { versionsKey, ReadHistory(versionsKey).ToList() },
                    { buildsKey, ReadHistory(buildsKey).ToList() }
                };
        }

        IsFirstLaunchForCurrentVersion = !versionTrail[versionsKey].Contains(CurrentVersion) || CurrentVersion != LastInstalledVersion;
        if (IsFirstLaunchForCurrentVersion)
        {
            // Avoid duplicates and move current version to end of list if already present
            versionTrail[versionsKey].RemoveAll(v => v == CurrentVersion);
            versionTrail[versionsKey].Add(CurrentVersion);
        }

        IsFirstLaunchForCurrentBuild = !versionTrail[buildsKey].Contains(CurrentBuild) || CurrentBuild != LastInstalledBuild;
        if (IsFirstLaunchForCurrentBuild)
        {
            // Avoid duplicates and move current build to end of list if already present
            versionTrail[buildsKey].RemoveAll(b => b == CurrentBuild);
            versionTrail[buildsKey].Add(CurrentBuild);
        }
    }

    static string GetPrevious(string key)
    {
        var trail = versionTrail[key];
        return (trail.Count >= 2) ? trail[trail.Count - 2] : null;
    }

    static string[] ReadHistory(string key) => LegacyPreferences.Get(key, null, sharedName)?.Split(new[] { '|' }, StringSplitOptions.RemoveEmptyEntries) ?? new string[0];
}

The LegacyVersionTracking class uses the LegacyPreferences class, which provides access to version tracking data stored by the Xamarin.Essentials Preferences class from your Xamarin.Forms app:

Note

To use this code, add it to a class named LegacyPreferences in your .NET MAUI app project.

#if ANDROID || IOS || WINDOWS
namespace MigrationHelpers;

public static partial class LegacyPreferences
{
    internal static string GetPrivatePreferencesSharedName(string feature) => $"{AppInfo.PackageName}.xamarinessentials.{feature}";

    public static bool ContainsKey(string key, string sharedName) => PlatformContainsKey(key, sharedName);
    public static void Remove(string key, string sharedName) => PlatformRemove(key, sharedName);
    public static string Get(string key, string defaultValue, string sharedName) => PlatformGet<string>(key, defaultValue, sharedName);
}
#endif

The LegacyPreferences class is a partial class whose remaining implementation is platform-specific.

Android

On Android, the LegacyPreferences class provides the preferences container implementation that retrieves data from shared preferences. The following code shows the LegacyPreferences class:

Note

To use this code, add it to a class named LegacyPreferences in the Platforms\Android folder of your .NET MAUI app project.

using System.Globalization;
using Android.Content;
using Android.Preferences;
using Application = Android.App.Application;

namespace MigrationHelpers;

public static partial class LegacyPreferences
{
    static readonly object locker = new object();

    static bool PlatformContainsKey(string key, string sharedName)
    {
        lock (locker)
        {
            using (var sharedPreferences = GetSharedPreferences(sharedName))
            {
                return sharedPreferences.Contains(key);
            }
        }
    }

    static void PlatformRemove(string key, string sharedName)
    {
        lock (locker)
        {
            using (var sharedPreferences = GetSharedPreferences(sharedName))
            using (var editor = sharedPreferences.Edit())
            {
                editor.Remove(key).Apply();
            }
        }
    }

    static T PlatformGet<T>(string key, T defaultValue, string sharedName)
    {
        lock (locker)
        {
            object value = null;
            using (var sharedPreferences = GetSharedPreferences(sharedName))
            {
                if (defaultValue == null)
                {
                    value = sharedPreferences.GetString(key, null);
                }
                else
                {
                    switch (defaultValue)
                    {
                        case int i:
                            value = sharedPreferences.GetInt(key, i);
                            break;
                        case bool b:
                            value = sharedPreferences.GetBoolean(key, b);
                            break;
                        case long l:
                            value = sharedPreferences.GetLong(key, l);
                            break;
                        case double d:
                            var savedDouble = sharedPreferences.GetString(key, null);
                            if (string.IsNullOrWhiteSpace(savedDouble))
                            {
                                value = defaultValue;
                            }
                            else
                            {
                                if (!double.TryParse(savedDouble, NumberStyles.Number | NumberStyles.AllowExponent, CultureInfo.InvariantCulture, out var outDouble))
                                {
                                    var maxString = Convert.ToString(double.MaxValue, CultureInfo.InvariantCulture);
                                    outDouble = savedDouble.Equals(maxString) ? double.MaxValue : double.MinValue;
                                }

                                value = outDouble;
                            }
                            break;
                        case float f:
                            value = sharedPreferences.GetFloat(key, f);
                            break;
                        case string s:
                            // the case when the string is not null
                            value = sharedPreferences.GetString(key, s);
                            break;
                    }
                }
            }

            return (T)value;
        }
    }

    static ISharedPreferences GetSharedPreferences(string sharedName)
    {
        var context = Application.Context;

        return string.IsNullOrWhiteSpace(sharedName) ?
#pragma warning disable CS0618 // Type or member is obsolete
            PreferenceManager.GetDefaultSharedPreferences(context) :
#pragma warning restore CS0618 // Type or member is obsolete
                context.GetSharedPreferences(sharedName, FileCreationMode.Private);
    }
}

iOS

On iOS, the LegacyPreferences class provides the preferences container implementation that retrieves data from NSUserDefaults. The following code shows the LegacyPreferences class:

Note

To use this code, add it to a class named LegacyPreferences in the Platforms\iOS folder of your .NET MAUI app project.

using Foundation;
using System.Globalization;

namespace MigrationHelpers;

public static partial class LegacyPreferences
{
    static readonly object locker = new object();

    static bool PlatformContainsKey(string key, string sharedName)
    {
        lock (locker)
        {
            return GetUserDefaults(sharedName)[key] != null;
        }
    }

    static void PlatformRemove(string key, string sharedName)
    {
        lock (locker)
        {
            using (var userDefaults = GetUserDefaults(sharedName))
            {
                if (userDefaults[key] != null)
                    userDefaults.RemoveObject(key);
            }
        }
    }

    static T PlatformGet<T>(string key, T defaultValue, string sharedName)
    {
        object value = null;

        lock (locker)
        {
            using (var userDefaults = GetUserDefaults(sharedName))
            {
                if (userDefaults[key] == null)
                    return defaultValue;

                switch (defaultValue)
                {
                    case int i:
                        value = (int)(nint)userDefaults.IntForKey(key);
                        break;
                    case bool b:
                        value = userDefaults.BoolForKey(key);
                        break;
                    case long l:
                        var savedLong = userDefaults.StringForKey(key);
                        value = Convert.ToInt64(savedLong, CultureInfo.InvariantCulture);
                        break;
                    case double d:
                        value = userDefaults.DoubleForKey(key);
                        break;
                    case float f:
                        value = userDefaults.FloatForKey(key);
                        break;
                    case string s:
                        // the case when the string is not null
                        value = userDefaults.StringForKey(key);
                        break;
                    default:
                        // the case when the string is null
                        if (typeof(T) == typeof(string))
                            value = userDefaults.StringForKey(key);
                        break;
                }
            }
        }

        return (T)value;
    }

    static NSUserDefaults GetUserDefaults(string sharedName)
    {
        if (!string.IsNullOrWhiteSpace(sharedName))
            return new NSUserDefaults(sharedName, NSUserDefaultsType.SuiteName);
        else
            return NSUserDefaults.StandardUserDefaults;
    }
}

Windows

On Windows, the LegacyVersionTracking class provides the preferences container implementation that retrieves data from ApplicationDataContainer. The following code shows the LegacyPreferences class:

Note

To use this code, add it to a class named LegacyPreferences in the Platforms\Windows folder of your .NET MAUI app project.

using Windows.Storage;

namespace MigrationHelpers;

public static partial class LegacyPreferences
{
    static readonly object locker = new object();

    static bool PlatformContainsKey(string key, string sharedName)
    {
        lock (locker)
        {
            var appDataContainer = GetApplicationDataContainer(sharedName);
            return appDataContainer.Values.ContainsKey(key);
        }
    }

    static void PlatformRemove(string key, string sharedName)
    {
        lock (locker)
        {
            var appDataContainer = GetApplicationDataContainer(sharedName);
            if (appDataContainer.Values.ContainsKey(key))
                appDataContainer.Values.Remove(key);
        }
    }

    static T PlatformGet<T>(string key, T defaultValue, string sharedName)
    {
        lock (locker)
        {
            var appDataContainer = GetApplicationDataContainer(sharedName);
            if (appDataContainer.Values.ContainsKey(key))
            {
                var tempValue = appDataContainer.Values[key];
                if (tempValue != null)
                    return (T)tempValue;
            }
        }

        return defaultValue;
    }

    static ApplicationDataContainer GetApplicationDataContainer(string sharedName)
    {
        var localSettings = ApplicationData.Current.LocalSettings;
        if (string.IsNullOrWhiteSpace(sharedName))
            return localSettings;

        if (!localSettings.Containers.ContainsKey(sharedName))
            localSettings.CreateContainer(sharedName, ApplicationDataCreateDisposition.Always);

        return localSettings.Containers[sharedName];
    }
}

Consume legacy version tracking data

The LegacyVersionTracking class can be used to retrieve version tracking data on Android, iOS, and Windows that was created with a previous Xamarin.Forms version of your app:

#if ANDROID || IOS || WINDOWS
using MigrationHelpers;
...

string isFirstLaunchEver = LegacyVersionTracking.IsFirstLaunchEver.ToString();
string currentVersionIsFirst = LegacyVersionTracking.IsFirstLaunchForCurrentVersion.ToString();
string currentBuildIsFirst = LegacyVersionTracking.IsFirstLaunchForCurrentBuild.ToString();
string currentVersion = LegacyVersionTracking.CurrentVersion.ToString();
string currentBuild = LegacyVersionTracking.CurrentBuild.ToString();
string firstInstalledVer = LegacyVersionTracking.FirstInstalledVersion.ToString();
string firstInstalledBuild = LegacyVersionTracking.FirstInstalledBuild.ToString();
string versionHistory = String.Join(',', LegacyVersionTracking.VersionHistory);
string buildHistory = String.Join(',', LegacyVersionTracking.BuildHistory);
string previousVersion = LegacyVersionTracking.PreviousVersion?.ToString() ?? "none";
string previousBuild = LegacyVersionTracking.PreviousBuild?.ToString() ?? "none";
#endif

This example shows using the LegacyVersionTracking class to read legacy version tracking data. However, this data can't be assigned to .NET MAUI's VersionTracking class, because its properties can't be set. Instead, the data can be written to .NET MAUI preferences with the WriteHistory method:

void WriteHistory(string key, IEnumerable<string> history)
{
    Preferences.Default.Set(key, string.Join("|", history), $"{AppInfo.Current.PackageName}.microsoft.maui.essentials.versiontracking");
}

#if ANDROID || IOS || WINDOWS
WriteHistory(LegacyVersionTracking.VersionsKey, LegacyVersionTracking.VersionHistory);
WriteHistory(LegacyVersionTracking.BuildsKey, LegacyVersionTracking.BuildHistory);
#endif

Once the legacy version tracking data has been written to .NET MAUI preferences, it can be consumed by .NET MAUI's VersionTracking class:

var mauiVersionHistory = VersionTracking.Default.VersionHistory;
var mauiBuildHistory = VersionTracking.Default.BuildHistory;

The legacy version tracking data can then be removed from the device:

#if ANDROID || IOS || WINDOWS
LegacyPreferences.Remove(LegacyVersionTracking.VersionsKey, LegacyVersionTracking.SharedName);
LegacyPreferences.Remove(LegacyVersionTracking.BuildsKey, LegacyVersionTracking.SharedName);
#endif