Microsoft Community Toolkit > UWP Community Toolkit

[WilliamABradley]

I'm submitting a...

[ ] Regression (a behavior that used to work and stopped working in a new release)
[ ] Bug report  <!-- Please search GitHub for a similar issue or PR before submitting -->
[ ] Feature request <!-- Please file a UserVoice request and include the link below https://wpdev.uservoice.com/forums/110705-universal-windows-platform/category/193402-uwp-community-toolkit -->
[ ] Sample app request
[x] Documentation issue or request
[ ] Question of Support request => Please do not submit support request here, instead see https://github.com/Microsoft/UWPCommunityToolkit/blob/master/contributing.md#question

This is probably a big topic to discuss.

Don't you think it would be time to evaluate whether this should become the Microsoft Community Toolkit?

This project already contains a considerable amount of .NET Standard projects (I'm even working on Microsoft.Toolkit.Parsers in #1650), that work anywhere on .NET anyways, the Naming structure of Projects and NuGet packages already start with Microsoft.Toolkit....

The connotations of this name change are some things to consider,
Do we begin creating and allowing support for other .NET Platforms, e.g. Microsoft.Toolkit.Xamarin, Microsoft.Toolkit.Xamarin.Android, etc.

This might get out of hand if any .NET platform can be added to this toolkit, things could get unwieldy and huge.

Although, I am writing a MarkdownTextView for Xamarin.Android, which is based off of the MarkDown Parser in Microsoft.Toolkit.Parsers, which I think would be a great contribution to this Toolkit.

---

Another idea is that we could move all of the Microsoft.Toolkit Projects out of the UWP Community Toolkit, into the Microsoft Community Toolkit (A whole new Git Project). Then that can open up the possibility of adding new Microsoft Community Toolkits in their own Git, such as a possible Xamarin Community Toolkit, etc. Then these projects would have a dependency on the Microsoft Community Toolkit Git.

An issue with this idea, is that it would be trickier to time the releases, and keep each Community Toolkit up to date.

I have already started an extremely basic Android Sample app for the MarkdownTextView.

---

And discuss.... :)

[Vijay-Nirmal]

In my opinion, We can change the name to Microsoft Community Toolkit and support .NET Standard and XAML Standard (after its release). All the new and existing features will be moved to Microsoft.Toolkit.Standard or simply Microsoft.Toolkit if it supports .NET Standard and XAML Standard, if not we can keep it in Microsoft.Toolkit.Uwp.

[hermitdave]

@WilliamABradley The Xamarin support using .NET Standard is very limited. I don't think we should rush with this renaming. Not just yet. @Vijay-Nirmal what would XAML standard bring to the table ? Are we going to support Xamarin Forms controls ? I don't think any time soon.

[Vijay-Nirmal]

@hermitdave

I don't think any time soon

Then why are we moving existing features to .NET Standard?
The answer for this question is my answer for your question regarding XAML standard

[hermitdave]

@Vijay-Nirmal there is a big difference between services and controls. Services are simpler and not platform specific unless you want it to be that way.

Controls are platform specific. Xaml standard enables xaml sharing. Xaml in controls is one of the smaller things.

Having said that you should look into what it entails to create Xamarin Forms control. Native renderers isn't xaml .. It requires knowledge of those supported platforms. This is a UWP toolkit not Xamarin Forms Toolkit

[WilliamABradley]

@hermitdave what is your thoughts on my second idea, where we separate the .NET standard parts into a new Git, then can create new Gits for other community toolkits?

[WilliamABradley]

That way we could have a UWP community toolkit, a Xamarin Community Toolkit (or toolkits), an Asp.net community toolkit, a [insert Microsoft technology] toolkit, etc.

Then all these toolkits can depend on the Microsoft Community Toolkit based on .NET standard.

[WilliamABradley]

Ping @nmetulev

[hermitdave]

I would leave it to the day someone adds a dependency in the base toolkit / services and creates new toolkit. Sorry @WilliamABradley but then I'm only a minion 🙄

[nmetulev]

Hey @WilliamABradley, biggest questions that we should ask ourselves before creating a [platform] community toolkit is if there is demand and a gap that can be filled and if there is support from the community and the platform team to support it long term. For Xamarin, there are already two community toolkits ( xamarin.forms-toolkit and and FormCommunityToolkit) and I'd encourage anyone to contribute there.

On why we are moving some things to .NET Standard, the simple answer (that was already answered by @hermitdave ) is because we can and it's easy, but more importantly, this enables developers to share code across UWP and other platforms. As the .NET Standard bits grow, I'd imagine eventually we'd take them out of this repo in their own repo, but for now it just makes it easier to manage everything in one place.

[WilliamABradley]

So I can make this MarkdownTextView it's own project with a dependency on Microsoft.Toolkit.Parsers, which one day could end up in a Xamarin Android or a Xamarin Native Community Toolkit?

Sounds good to me.

[hermitdave]

If you move code into Standard lib which I believe is being done, it can be used anywhere. Standard lib is standard. UWP in it's name doesn't make it incompatible

[nmetulev]

And eventually you (or someone else) can create a Xamarin.Forms control in the Forms Community Toolkit and you only will need to do the iOS implementation (since you will already have the Android version and the toolkit has the UWP version) :)

[WilliamABradley]

Then we would need a central place to put all these great Controls, like some sort of Toolkit! :P

[hermitdave]

Yes like Xamarin Community Toolkit for one

[WilliamABradley]

Its super preliminary, but I have created WilliamABradley/XamarinCommunityToolkit for the MarkdownTextView, which depends on Microsoft.Toolkit.Parsers from #1650. It has namespaces that are currently Toolkit.Droid.UI.Controls, so it wouldn't be difficult to be picked up by Microsoft in the future :)

I can then create a Markdown Control for IOS, then a Forms control, controls for other platforms, etc.