- Visual Studio For Mac Extension
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- Crossover Mac Visual Studio 2017
- The C# Editor in Visual Studio for Mac is Completely New. Roslyn, the.NET compiler platform, is.
- Jan 28, 2021 CrossOver can get your Windows productivity applications and PC games up and running on your Mac quickly and easily. CrossOver runs the Windows software that you need on Mac at home, in the office, or at school without purchasing a Windows license, without rebooting your computer, and without having to use a virtual machine.
For information about connecting Visual Studio to a Mac build host, see Pair to Mac for Xamarin.iOS development. Installing the Uno Platform Solution Templates with Visual Studio. Launch Visual Studio, then click Continue without code. Click Extensions- Manage Extensions from the Menu Bar. To update, go to Visual Studio Preferences Projects SDK Locations Apple and select Xcode 12 or higher. Restart Visual Studio. If you did not get presented a list of options to create the project, as of Visual Studio for Mac 8.8, the Uno Platform template contains WPF projects that prevent NuGet restore to work properly. Navigate to CodeWeavers and download CrossOver. Go to your Downloads folder and locate the Zip file you downloaded. Double Click it to open it. Archive Utility will Open it up and decompress the contents of the archive.
-->This guide describes how to use Pair to Mac to connect Visual Studio 2019to a Mac build host. The same instructions apply to Visual Studio 2017.
Overview
Building native iOS applications requires access to Apple's build tools,which only run on a Mac. Because of this, Visual Studio 2019 must connect toa network-accessible Mac to build Xamarin.iOS applications.
Visual Studio 2019's Pair to Mac feature discovers, connects to,authenticates with, and remembers Mac build hosts so that Windows-basediOS developers can work productively.
Pair to Mac enables the following development workflow:
Developers can write Xamarin.iOS code in Visual Studio 2019.
Visual Studio 2019 opens a network connection to a Mac build host anduses the build tools on that machine to compile and sign the iOS app.
There is no need to run a separate application on the Mac – VisualStudio 2019 invokes Mac builds securely over SSH.
Visual Studio 2019 is notified of changes as soon as they happen. Forexample, when an iOS device is plugged in to the Mac or becomes availableon the network, the iOS Toolbar updates instantly.
Multiple instances of Visual Studio 2019 can connect to the Macsimultaneously.
It's possible to use the Windows command-line to build iOS applications.
Note
Before following the instructions in this guide, complete the following steps:
- On a Windows machine, install Visual Studio 2019
- On a Mac, install Xcode and Visual Studio for Mac
- You must manually open Xcode after installing so that it can add any additional components.
If you would prefer not to install Visual Studio for Mac, Visual Studio 2019can automatically configure the Mac build host with Xamarin.iOS and Mono.You must still install and run Xcode.For more information, see Automatic Mac provisioning.
Enable remote login on the Mac
To set up the Mac build host, first enable remote login:
On the Mac, open System Preferences and go to the Sharing pane.
Check Remote Login in the Service list.
Make sure that it is configured to allow access for All users, orthat your Mac username or group is included in the list of allowedusers.
If prompted, configure the macOS firewall.
If you have set the macOS firewall to block incoming connections, youmay need to allow
mono-sgento receive incoming connections. An alertappears to prompt you if this is the case.If it is on the same network as the Windows machine, the Mac shouldnow be discoverable by Visual Studio 2019. If the Mac is still notdiscoverable, try manually adding a Mac or takea look at the troubleshooting guide.
Connect to the Mac from Visual Studio 2019
Now that remote login is enabled, connect Visual Studio 2019 to the Mac.
In Visual Studio 2019, open an existing iOS project or create a new oneby choosing File > New > Project and then selecting an iOS projecttemplate.
Open the Pair to Mac dialog.
Use the Pair to Mac button iOS toolbar:
Or, select Tools > iOS > Pair to Mac.
The Pair to Mac dialog displays a list of all previously-connectedand currently-available Mac build hosts:
Select a Mac in the list. Click Connect.
Enter your username and password.
The first time you connect to any particular Mac, you areprompted to enter your username and password for that machine:
Tip
When logging in, use your system username rather than full name.
Pair to Mac uses these credentials to create a new SSH connectionto the Mac. If it succeeds, a key is added to the authorized_keysfile on the Mac. Subsequent connections to the same Mac will loginautomatically.
Pair to Mac automatically configures the Mac.
Starting with Visual Studio 2019 version15.6,Visual Studio 2019 installs or updates Mono and Xamarin.iOS on aconnected Mac build host as needed (note that Xcode must still beinstalled manually). See Automatic Macprovisioning for more details.
Look for the connection status icon.
When Visual Studio 2019 is connected to a Mac, that Mac's itemin the Pair to Mac dialog displays an icon indicating thatit is currently connected:
There can be only one connected Mac at a time.
Tip
Right-clicking any Mac in the Pair to Mac list brings up a contextmenu that allows you to Connect..., Forget this Mac, orDisconnect:
If you choose Forget this Mac, your credentials for the selectedMac will be forgotten. To reconnect to that Mac, you will need to re-enteryour username and password.
If you have successfully paired to a Mac build host, you are ready to buildXamarin.iOS apps in Visual Studio 2019. Take a look at theIntroduction to Xamarin.iOS for Visual Studioguide.
If you have not been able to pair a Mac, try manually adding aMac or take a look at the troubleshootingguide.
Manually add a Mac
If you do not see a particular Mac listed in the Pair to Mac dialog,add it manually:
Locate your Mac’s IP address.
Open System Preferences > Sharing > Remote Login on your Mac:
Alternatively, use the command line. In Terminal, issue this command:
Depending on your network configuration, you may need to use aninterface name other than
en0. For example:en1,en2, etc.
In Visual Studio 2019's Pair to Mac dialog, select Add Mac...:
Enter the Mac's IP address and click Add:
Enter your username and password for the Mac:
Tip
When logging in, use your system username rather than full name.
Click Login to connect Visual Studio 2019 to the Mac over SSH and addit to the list of known machines.
Automatic Mac provisioning
Starting with Visual Studio 2019 version 15.6,Pair to Mac automatically provisions a Mac with software necessary forbuilding Xamarin.iOS applications: Mono, Xamarin.iOS (the softwareframework, not the Visual Studio for Mac IDE), and various Xcode-relatedtools (but not Xcode itself).
Important
- Pair to Mac cannot install Xcode; you must manually install it on theMac build host. It is required for Xamarin.iOS development.
- Automatic Mac provisioning requires that remote login isenabled on the Mac, and the Mac must be network-accessible to the Windowsmachine. See Enabling remote login on the Macfor more details.
- Automatic Mac provisioning requires 3GB of free space on the Mac to install Xamarin.iOS.
Pair to Mac performs necessary software installations/updates when VisualStudio 2019 is connecting to theMac.
Mono
Pair to Mac will check to make sure that Mono is installed. If it is notinstalled, Pair to Mac will download and install the latest stable versionof Mono on the Mac.
Progress is indicated by various prompts, as shown by the followingscreenshots (click to zoom):
| Mono | Install Check | Downloading | Installing |
|---|
Xamarin.iOS
Pair to Mac upgrades Xamarin.iOS on the Mac to match the versioninstalled on the Windows machine.
Important
Pair to Mac will not downgrade Xamarin.iOS on the Mac from alpha/betato stable. If you have Visual Studio for Mac installed, set yourrelease channel asfollows:
- If you use Visual Studio 2019, select the Stable updates channel inVisual Studio for Mac.
- If you use Visual Studio 2019 Preview, select the Alpha updateschannel in Visual Studio for Mac.
Progress is indicated by various prompts, as shown by the followingscreenshots (click to zoom):
| Xamarin.iOS | Install Check | Downloading | Installing |
|---|
Xcode tools and license
Pair to Mac will also check to determine whether Xcode has been installedand its license accepted. While Pair to Mac does not install Xcode, itdoes prompt for license acceptance, as shown in the following screenshots(click to zoom):
| Xcode | Install Check | License Acceptance |
|---|
Additionally, Pair to Mac will install or update various packagesdistributed with Xcode. For example:
- MobileDeviceDevelopment.pkg
- XcodeExtensionSupport.pkg
- MobileDevice.pkg
- XcodeSystemResources.pkg
The installation of these packages happens quickly and without a prompt.
Note
These tools are distinct from the Xcode Command Line Tools, whichas of macOS 10.9 areinstalled with Xcode.
Troubleshooting automatic Mac provisioning
If you encounter any trouble using automatic Mac provisioning, take a lookat the Visual Studio 2019 IDE logs, stored in%LOCALAPPDATA%XamarinLogs16.0. These logs may contain error messagesto help you better diagnose the failure or get support.
Build iOS apps from the Windows command-line
Pair to Mac supports building Xamarin.iOS applications from the commandline. For example:
The parameters passed to msbuild in the above example are:
ServerAddress– The IP address of the Mac build host.ServerUser– The username to use when logging in to the Mac build host.Use your system username rather than your full name.ServerPassword– The password to use when logging in to the Mac build host.
Note
Visual Studio 2019 stores msbuild in the following directory:C:Program Files (x86)Microsoft Visual Studio2019<Version>MSBuildCurrentBin
The first time Pair to Mac logs in to a particular Mac build host fromeither Visual Studio 2019 or the command-line, it sets up SSH keys. With thesekeys, future logins will not require a username or password. Newlycreated keys are stored in %LOCALAPPDATA%XamarinMonoTouch.
If the ServerPassword parameter is omitted from a command-line buildinvocation, Pair to Mac attempts to log in to the Mac build hostusing the saved SSH keys.
Visual Studio For Mac Extension
Summary
This article described how to use Pair to Mac to connect Visual Studio 2019 to aMac build host, enabling Visual Studio 2019 developers to build native iOSapplications with Xamarin.iOS.
Next steps
Visual Studio has not always been as user-friendly on the Mac as it is on a Windows machine. Lately, however, the stable release of VS for Mac is really starting to feel like a simple, but luxurious cousin to Visual Studio 2019. Different, but related. Installation on a Mac is quick, simple, and allows you to get into coding right away - whether you are already familiar or an Apple-only dev getting into something new like Xamarin.
Visual Studio for Mac bears a striking similarity to xCode’s solution navigation feel, but brings the power of VS intellisense and an ability to focus on your code in a much cleaner looking environment. In my opinion, this brings the best of both worlds together. But don’t take my word for it: here are five reasons to give Visual Studio for Mac another go!
1. The C# Editor in Visual Studio for Mac is Completely New
Roslyn, the .NET compiler platform, is now in the Visual Studio for Mac editor - making your intellisense as powerful as its big brother on Windows. Marrying the functionality ported over from the Roslyn compiler with the (frankly, beautiful looking) simplicity of a native-feeling Mac UI editing experience gives this girl all the feels. It has full support for third-party Nuget packages for .NET Core (utilizing .NET Standard) along with Unity, Xamarin and Cocoa apps.
I didn’t notice a big difference gating my progress of a .NET Core app. At this point, I don’t know why I would switch over to a windows VM in order to build a microservice API in .NET Core at all!
Finally, I’m loving that VS for Mac now includes “Go to implementation” as an option in the latest release. Exciting! The C# experience is pretty great now.
2. CLI Developers Can Open .NET Core Projects in Terminal
Ah, the command line. Many developers love using it for .NET Core instead of the “visual” click and drag aspect of the Visual Studio IDE. At first, the use of command line programming with ASP.NET Core was the only way you could build those apps. Over time, and especially with the release of Visual Studio 2019, the File > New Project templates for ASP.NET Core apps have been baked into the install bringing a truly visual experience to that build.
For a while, it was unclear if the same command line net new project CLI functionality would be available on Mac, but I am happy to report that it is and it works beautifully! The use of the Terminal app brings that experience to you harcore command line devs.
3. Improved Build Time for Xamarin
Remember those build and deploy coffee breaks? Well say goodbye (unless you don’t want to of course). On one of my Xamarin projects I saw a super impressive 30% faster incremental build time. That’s not an insignificant improvement.
This metric is also supported by the April 2019 press release from the VS for Mac team. I used to design my development process in such a way that I could multitask to stay efficient and productive. I’m happy to report those days are gone with much improved build speeds, making the Xamarin app building process something I can say I truly enjoy.
4. .NET Core 3 Support Available Right Out of the Gate
Does Visual Studio 2019 have .NET Core 3 support? Yes, but that’s no reason to jump over to your Windows machine! You can use all the same, wonderful new stuff on your Apple machine, too.
In fact, I’d argue that Visual Studio for Mac is an excellent place to start learning how to build apps for .NET Core 3. With fewer small windows everywhere like it’s Windows-based cousin, VS for Mac allows for a more-focused process.
5. Robust Source Control Options
This is where some “same but different” comes into play. I find that developers coming over from Swift or Objective C development enjoy the experience of source control within Visual Studio for Mac. While there IS a difference in the process for Windows users, I don’t find it particularly difficult. Visual Studio for Mac supports Git and Subversion built into the IDE, as well as TFS with a little more effort.
I have used the Github Desktop app for source control of my folders without much issue. This is also my source control workflow for VS Code, and while it is not integrated into the IDE of VS for Mac, it’s also not a bad option. For the hardcore command line peeps, you can alternatively use Git inside the CLI tool Terminal, which is native to Apple OS. There is no learning curve here at all for developers who use command line.
Who Should Use Visual Studio for Mac?
Visual Studio for Mac is a strong choice for many developers and many use cases. Here are a few that come to mind:
.NET users building Xamarin mobile apps that require IOS builds will benefit tremendously from having all their development on a single machine.
Developers working with .NET Core, who love working on a Mac, and currently use a virtual machine or Bootcamp to run Visual Studio in a windows environment will benefit from not having to switch over from the Apple operating system constantly.
Unity game developers will find VS for Mac be very intuitive option.
The last group to come over will be .NET Framework developers who have worked with Visual Studio on Windows as their only option for .NET 4.7.2 for example. Sadly no, .NET Framework cannot run on VS for Mac. However, once you are ready to start building your apps or microservices in .NET Core - check it out!
New functionality, extensions and templates are all coming this next year to Visual Studio for Mac that make living in harmony with Apple + Microsoft a real joy.
Learn More About .NET Core, Xamarin, Apple & OAuth
If you’d like to learn more about ASP.NET, Xamarin, or Apple, we’ve also published a number of posts that might interest you:
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