June 28th, 2022
8 min
Tom BuschbeckCross Platform Development and User Interfaces
Which frameworks are suitable for your Project?
The first impression of a web or device application is absolutely critical to a positive user experience. It determines whether your users will find the application intuitive and easy to use, and most importantly whether they will continue to use it. Of course, the user interface (UI) has a big impact. Especially in cross-platform development, it is crucial that the UX design is implemented equally well on all devices. To support this, there are frameworks that facilitate the development of a cross-platform application.
In this article, we will discuss why cross-platform orientation is critical to the success of an app or software application, and how certain frameworks can help you achieve it.
If you are looking for a suitable solution to implement application software for various target systems, we will show you how frameworks for cross-platform development can directly support you. As experts, we will examine the most crucial factors and two of the most popular frameworks (Qt and .NET) that we have successfully used as a project solution on numerous occasions and that are of benefit to you as well.
What is a framework?
A framework is a structural framework for software development. At the same time, a framework is a collection of tools and applications with pre-built features in the form of code snippets and rules. They simplify development and provide a kind of basic framework that can help make software development projects more productive. These are often flexible templates in the form of defined project structures for specific application areas. Most frameworks are focused on a specific technology or established programming language (e.g. JavaScript in React Native).
What are the benefits of a framework solution?
Because many structures and elements are pre-built into the framework, recurring tasks can be completed more quickly. Once created, the pre-built elements can be easily reused or customized. In addition, the framework provides standardized interfaces that are compatible with various sources, making communication with the sources easier and more accurate. Developers can save time and effort by using existing structures and not rewriting certain elements repeatedly.
What are the disadvantages of framework solutions?
Using a platform-independent framework can also have disadvantages. The product quality of the software depends strongly on the quality of the framework. If there are changes in the native operating systems, these may need to be modified or adopted in the framework. There are also restrictions on the design freedom of the user interface. This is a disadvantage if you want to have a completely independent design. However, an individual design is still possible in a roundabout way.
What is cross-platform development?
Cross-platform development is the cross-platform creation of an application (device application or web application) for different operating systems. Web browsers are considered a separate system platform. Sometimes the term multiplatform development is also used.
Cross-platform capability thus describes software that runs on different platforms and operating systems, e.g. Android, iOS, Windows, etc. The software applications realized with this technology do not require separate platform coding. Instead, a single cross-platform code lays the foundation for the application to run as efficiently as possible on all systems. This is in contrast to native app development for custom applications. Native apps are applications on mobile devices that are designed and built specifically for that device's operating system.
Cross-platform frameworks, on the other hand, are the tools that developers use to create applications for different devices (and systems). Unlike native development, cross-platform frameworks allow developers to create software with one-time coding and run it on all operating systems. This requires only minor changes, which can save a lot of time and development costs.
Why are cross-platform applications so important?
It doesn't take much analysis to understand that every software vendor needs a larger user base to potentially generate more revenue. In today's rapidly evolving technology world, the best way to do this is with cross-platform software (app). The reason is simple: by developing a cross-platform app, your product can reach a larger audience in a cost-effective manner.
What are the most popular cross-platform frameworks and solutions?
There is now a proliferation of cross-platform development frameworks and tools, with the boundaries between technologies becoming increasingly blurred. Different frameworks tend to have different orientations and are suitable for specific application purposes. Examples include domain frameworks, application frameworks, test frameworks, and web frameworks.
There is much overlap here, with frameworks for cross-platform development in the area of application frameworks unifying and bringing together many things. We will take a closer look at two of the most popular, Qt and .NET.
Popular Cross-Platform Frameworks for Graphical User interfaces:
- wxWidgets
- React Native
- Avalonia
- NanoGUI
- Flutter
- Quasar
- JAVA Swing
- Kivy
- Tk
- Agar
- Haxe
Cross-Platform Development with the .NET Framework
At the end of last year, Microsoft released .NET 6, the latest version of its widely used framework and one of the largest rollouts in the company's history. The release completes the unification of the framework and its associated tools. The technology's very large ecosystem ensures high productivity and flexibility. This is coupled with a large user community with very comprehensive documentation and support for potential problems and solutions.
With the release of .NET 6, a unified platform and view for cloud-based, desktop, web, mobile, and IoT applications is emerging. This is a major step toward cross-platform functionality for the entire framework. The code you write can be used on all platforms without major changes.
.NET MAUI as a new tool for cross-platform development
The Multi-Platform App User Interface (MAUI) is one of the newest features in the .NET cosmos. It is based on Xamarin, formerly Microsoft's technology for mobile development. It enables the creation of cross-platform applications with a single source code. Abstractions to native platform APIs are handled in a platform-neutral way. Historically, C# has made it possible to develop applications for all operating systems, whether mobile operating systems such as iOS and Android, or Windows, macOS, and Linux. In addition, with .NET 6, all applications can be included in a single project. Projects no longer need to be created and configured individually.
Switching from Xamarin to MAUI is very easy for developers and UI designers because very little changes in their daily work. For example, UI and business logic can be transferred directly; only the platform renderers are different and need to be adapted. These are used to define the specifics of a UI component for a particular operating system.
With the associated framework solution Blazor, it will still be possible to develop web applications from the server to the client.
With the associated framework solution Blazor, it will still be possible to develop web applications from the server to the front-end - but now with .NET 6. This means that web developers are no longer far from being able to publish their applications on the desktop or in the app market. This is because the business logic written in C# and supported by the .NET 6 framework can be reused in MAUI in exactly the same fashion.
Qt 6: A versatile framework for cross-platform development
When it comes to cross-platform development and user interfaces, Qt is one of the most well-known and popular technologies. Qt is an application framework and GUI toolkit that enables cross-platform development of applications and graphical user interfaces. The framework is open source and multi-licensed. It provides users with database capabilities and XML support and runs on almost all operating systems and graphics platforms.
Because of these features, Qt also has a very large community (about 1.5 million users), and thanks to the ecosystem, there is always a tool, feature or module, as well as documentation for certain and specific software solutions.
Key benefits and core services of Qt:
- Applications on all desktop, mobile and even embedded platforms
- APIs, tools and documentation simplify application creation
- Stability and compatibility for very large codebases
- Scalability from low-end devices to high-end desktop applications
Because few Qt-based applications use the full range of features, the framework is divided into modules that can be freely combined. This gives developers a lot of flexibility. Qt-UI is one of the most important modules for the development of graphical user interfaces. Parallel to the development of user interfaces, many core components are available simultaneously. With QML, Qt has its own programming language as a framework. Its own markup language provides many simplifications in the development of user interfaces. Qt 6 is the latest version, with several updates already released.
Advice on cross-platform development and suitable frameworks for your projects
The appropriate framework for your development needs to be determined on a project-by-project basis. For example, if the application is going to use certain UI elements by default, has no custom menu animations or special design requirements, Qt, .NET, MAUI & Co. will save you a lot of effort. In some projects, where you want to keep full control over all aspects of the user interface, the detours with frameworks can sometimes be as long as writing native code. To find out if using a cross-platform framework is worthwhile for your project, contact our experts.
