Jegadesh Blog: May 2015

Thursday, 28 May 2015

How to call local host WCF service in Xamarin Android - Step by Step

1. Create WCF service. Sample
WCF service can be read from this link

2. Create solution from Xamarin.
3. Add the WCF service as Web reference in the solution.
My WCF service reference name is n192_168_50_233
4. Create one activity and place the controls in the below format,

<TextView> <EditText>
<Button>
<ListView>

Sample UI code:

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<RelativeLayout xmlns:android="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res/android"
android:layout_width="fill_parent"
android:layout_height="fill_parent">
<TextView
android:text="Search"
android:id="@+id/txtView"
android:layout_width="wrap_content"
android:layout_height="wrap_content"
android:layout_margin="10dp" />
<EditText
android:id="@+id/txtPatentType"
android:layout_width="fill_parent"
android:layout_height="wrap_content"
android:background="#ffe4e9f0"
android:layout_toRightOf="@+id/txtView"
android:layout_margin="10dp" />
<Button
android:id="@+id/btnSearch"
android:layout_width="wrap_content"
android:layout_height="wrap_content"
android:text="@string/btnText"
android:layout_below="@+id/txtView"
android:layout_alignParentRight="true"
android:layout_marginRight="10dp" />
<ListView
android:minWidth="25px"
android:minHeight="25px"
android:layout_width="wrap_content"
android:layout_height="wrap_content"
android:id="@+id/FeedsCollection"
android:layout_below="@+id/btnSearch"
android:layout_margin="10dp" />
<TextView
android:text=""
android:layout_width="wrap_content"
android:layout_height="wrap_content"
android:id="@+id/textView1"
android:layout_below="@+id/txtView"
android:layout_toLeftOf="@+id/btnSearch"
android:layout_alignParentLeft="true"
android:layout_marginLeft="10dp"
android:layout_marginTop="10dp" />
</RelativeLayout>

5. Write the below code in Activity.cs file.

using System;
using System.Collections.Generic;
using System.Linq;
using System.Text;

using Android.App;
using Android.Content;
using Android.OS;
using Android.Runtime;
using Android.Views;
using Android.Widget;

using System.ServiceModel;
using System.Threading;

namespace PatentDetails
{
[Activity (Label = "Patent Feeds", MainLauncher=true, Icon = "@drawable/icon")]
public class GetPatentFeedActivity : Activity
{

private Button search;
private EditText patentType;
private ListView feedsCollection;
protected override void OnCreate (Bundle bundle)
{

base.OnCreate (bundle);
SetContentView (Resource.Layout.GetPatentFeed);

search = FindViewById<Button> (Resource.Id.btnSearch);
patentType = FindViewById<EditText> (Resource.Id.txtPatentType);
feedsCollection = FindViewById<ListView> (Resource.Id.FeedsCollection);
search.Click += SearchPatentType;

}

public void SearchPatentType(object sender, EventArgs args){

feedsCollection.Adapter = null;
var feedProgress = ProgressDialog.Show (this, "", "Contacting server. Please wait..", true);
n192_168_50_233.Service1 service = new PatentDetails.n192_168_50_233.Service1 ();
new Thread (new ThreadStart (delegate {
RunOnUiThread(()=>{
feedProgress.Show();
IAsyncResult asyncResult=service.BeginGetPatentList (patentType.Text, patentFeeds => { },null);
var patent = service.EndGetPatentList (asyncResult);

Toast.MakeText (this,"Feeds count " + patent.Length,ToastLength.Long).Show();

//Load Feeds in CustomFeedsLayout
feedsCollection.Adapter =new FeedsAdapter(this,patent);} );
RunOnUiThread(()=>feedProgress.Hide());
})).Start ();

}
}

}

6. Write the below code in FeedsAdapter.cs

using System;

using Android.Widget;

using PatentDetails.n192_168_50_233;

using Android.App;

using Android.Views;

namespace PatentDetails

{

public class FeedsAdapter : BaseAdapter<PatentModel>

{

PatentModel[] patentList;

Activity activity;

public FeedsAdapter(Activity _activity, PatentModel[] _patentList):base(){

activity = _activity;

patentList = _patentList;

}

#region implemented abstract members of BaseAdapter

public override PatentModel this [int index] {

get {

return patentList [index];

}

public override long GetItemId (int position)

{

return position;

}

public override Android.Views.View GetView (int position, Android.Views.View convertView, Android.Views.ViewGroup parent)

{

var patentItem = patentList [position];

View view = convertView;

if (view == null)

view = activity.LayoutInflater.Inflate (Resource.Layout.CustomFeedsLayout, null);

view.FindViewById<TextView> (Resource.Id.textViewTitle).Text = patentItem.Title;

view.FindViewById<TextView> (Resource.Id.textViewLink).Text = patentItem.Link;

view.FindViewById<TextView> (Resource.Id.textViewDescription).Text = patentItem.Description;

view.FindViewById<TextView> (Resource.Id.textViewPublishedDate).Text = patentItem.PublishedDate;

return view;

}

public override int Count {

get {

return patentList.Length;

}

#endregion

}

7. Create One Layout file in the name of CustomFeedsLayout.XAML

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>

<LinearLayout xmlns:android="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res/android"

android:orientation="vertical"

android:layout_width="fill_parent"

android:layout_height="fill_parent">

<TextView

android:text="Text"

android:layout_width="match_parent"

android:layout_height="wrap_content"

android:id="@+id/textViewTitle"

android:textColor="#ffec9f10" />

<TextView

android:text="Text"

android:layout_width="match_parent"

android:layout_height="wrap_content"

android:id="@+id/textViewLink"

android:textColor="#ff577ae8" />

<TextView

android:text="Text"

android:layout_width="match_parent"

android:layout_height="wrap_content"

android:id="@+id/textViewDescription"

android:textColor="#ffe20ddf" />

<TextView

android:text="Text"

android:layout_width="match_parent"

android:layout_height="wrap_content"

android:id="@+id/textViewPublishedDate"

android:textColor="#ff38d6d6" />

</LinearLayout>

8. Xamarin with WCF service consume project is ready..

9. Happy coding.

Simple WCF - Service

1. Create Interface like,

using System;
using System.Collections.Generic;
using System.Linq;
using System.Runtime.Serialization;
using System.ServiceModel;
using System.ServiceModel.Web;
using System.Text;

namespace PatentService
{
// NOTE: You can use the "Rename" command on the "Refactor" menu to change the interface name "IService1" in both code and config file together.
[ServiceContract]
public interface IService1
{

List<PatentModel> GetPatentList(string PatentType);

}

[DataContract]
public class PatentModel
{
[DataMember]
public string Title { get; set; }
[DataMember]
public string Link { get; set; }
[DataMember]
public string Description { get; set; }
[DataMember]
public string PublishedDate { get; set; }
}
}

2. In the SVC.cs file.

using PatentService.Models;

using System;

using System.Collections.Generic;

using System.Linq;

using System.Net;

using System.Runtime.Serialization;

using System.ServiceModel;

using System.ServiceModel.Web;

using System.Text;

using System.Web;

using System.Xml.Linq;

namespace PatentService

{

// NOTE: You can use the "Rename" command on the "Refactor" menu to change the class name "Service1" in code, svc and config file together.

// NOTE: In order to launch WCF Test Client for testing this service, please select Service1.svc or Service1.svc.cs at the Solution Explorer and start debugging.

public class Service1 : IService1

{

public List<PatentModel> GetPatentList(string PatentType)

{

try

{

List<PatentModel> patentList = new List<PatentModel>();

PatentModel patentInfo = new PatentModel() { Description = "No patents available" };

XDocument xDocument = XDocument.Load(HttpContext.Current.Server.MapPath(@"~\Files\PatentTypeList.xml"));

var FeedList = xDocument.Element("Feeds").Elements();

if (FeedList.Count() > 0)

{

List<PatentTypeModel> availablePatentList = FeedList.Select(p => new PatentTypeModel

{

Category = p.Element("Category").Value,

FeedURL = p.Element("FeedURL").Value,

Type = p.Element("Type").Value

}).ToList();

PatentTypeModel selectedPatent = availablePatentList.Find(p => p.Type.ToLower() == PatentType.ToLower());

if (selectedPatent != null)

{

string feedSource = new WebClient().DownloadString(selectedPatent.FeedURL);

XDocument feedDocument = XDocument.Parse(feedSource);

var feeds = feedDocument.Descendants("channel").Elements("item");

if (feeds.Count() > 0)

{

patentList = feeds.Select(f => new PatentModel

{

Title = f.Element("title").Value,

Description = f.Element("description").Value,

Link = f.Element("link").Value,

PublishedDate = f.Element("pubDate").Value

}).ToList();

return patentList;

}

else

{

patentList.Add(patentInfo);

return patentList;

}

else

{

patentList.Add(patentInfo);

return patentList;

}

else

{

patentList.Add(patentInfo);

return patentList;

}

catch (Exception ex)

{

throw;

}

3. Create XML file in Files\ folder

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8" ?>

<Feeds>

<Feed>