Table of Contents

Running Sample Projects with Different .NET Target Frameworks

This document explains how to run the sample projects targeting different versions of .NET (8.0, 9.0, and 10.0).

Table of Contents

  1. Available Target Frameworks
  2. How to Select Framework Versions
  3. Running Different Project Types
  4. Understanding Multi-Targeted Projects
  5. Visual Studio UI Guide
  6. Prerequisites
  7. Common Issues and Solutions
  8. Package Versioning
  9. Testing and Validation

Available Target Frameworks

The sample projects in this solution support multi-targeting across the following frameworks:

Core Library Projects

  • Blazing.Mvvm: net8.0, net9.0, net10.0
  • Blazing.Mvvm.Base: net8.0, net9.0, net10.0

Blazor Web Sample Projects

  • Blazing.Mvvm.Sample.Wasm (WebAssembly): net8.0, net9.0, net10.0
  • Blazing.Mvvm.Sample.Server (Server-side): net8.0, net9.0, net10.0
  • Blazing.Mvvm.Sample.WebApp (Blazor Web App): net8.0, net9.0, net10.0
  • Blazing.SubpathHosting.Server (Subpath Hosting): net8.0, net9.0, net10.0

Desktop Hybrid Sample Projects

  • HybridSample.Wpf (WPF + Blazor): net8.0-windows, net9.0-windows, net10.0-windows
  • HybridSample.Avalonia (Avalonia + Blazor): net8.0-windows, net9.0-windows, net10.0-windows
  • HybridSample.WinForms (WinForms + Blazor): net8.0-windows, net9.0-windows, net10.0-windows

Supporting Libraries for Desktop Hybrid

  • HybridSample.Core: net8.0, net9.0, net10.0
  • HybridSample.Blazor.Core: net8.0, net9.0, net10.0
  • Blazing.Common: net8.0, net9.0, net10.0
  • Blazing.Lists: net8.0, net9.0, net10.0
  • Blazing.Tabs: net8.0, net9.0, net10.0
  • Baksteen.Avalonia.Blazor: net8.0-windows, net9.0-windows, net10.0-windows

MAUI Cross-Platform Sample Projects

  • Blazing.Mvvm.Sample.HybridMaui: Multiple targets including:
    • .NET 9.0: net9.0-android, net9.0-ios, net9.0-maccatalyst, net9.0-windows10.0.19041.0
    • .NET 10.0: net10.0-android, net10.0-ios, net10.0-maccatalyst, net10.0-windows10.0.19041.0
  • HybridSample.MAUI: Multi-platform hybrid sample including:
    • .NET 9.0: net9.0-android, net9.0-ios, net9.0-maccatalyst, net9.0-windows10.0.19041.0
    • .NET 10.0: net10.0-android, net10.0-ios, net10.0-maccatalyst, net10.0-windows10.0.19041.0

How to Select Framework Versions

Method 1: Using Visual Studio

Start With Debugging Dropdown Button

ALL projects in this solution are multi-targeted and build for multiple frameworks simultaneously. To select which specific framework to run:

  1. Right-click on the project you want to run in Solution Explorer
  2. Select "Set as Startup Project"
  3. Look for the Start With Debugging Dropdown Run Button (green solid) in the Visual Studio toolbar:
    • Location: Next to the Start Without Debugging Run (green hollow) button
  4. Select your desired target framework/platform from the dropdown
  5. Press F5 or click the Run button

Editing Target Framework Lists

To modify which frameworks a project builds for:

  1. Right-click on the project -> Properties -> Application tab
  2. Look for "Target frameworks" field (plural) - you can edit the semicolon-separated list here
  3. Or manually edit the .csproj file and modify the <TargetFrameworks> property
  4. Reload the project after making changes

Method 2: Using .NET CLI (Alternative Method)

You can specify the exact target framework when building or running projects using the -f or --framework parameter:

# Build for specific framework
dotnet build -f <target-framework>

# Run for specific framework
dotnet run -f <target-framework>

Common Framework Identifiers:

  • Standard .NET: net8.0, net9.0, net10.0
  • Windows-specific: net8.0-windows, net9.0-windows, net10.0-windows
  • Android: net8.0-android, net9.0-android, net10.0-android
  • iOS: net8.0-ios, net9.0-ios, net10.0-ios
  • macOS: net8.0-maccatalyst, net9.0-maccatalyst, net10.0-maccatalyst
  • Windows (MAUI): net8.0-windows10.0.19041.0, net9.0-windows10.0.19041.0, net10.0-windows10.0.19041.0

Running Different Project Types

Blazor Web Applications

Blazor web applications are the easiest to run and test across different .NET versions.

WebAssembly (Client-side Blazor)

Project: Blazing.Mvvm.Sample.Wasm Target Frameworks: net8.0, net9.0, net10.0

Visual Studio:
  1. Set Blazing.Mvvm.Sample.Wasm as startup project
  2. Select framework from Run with Debugging toolbar dropdown button: net8.0, net9.0, or net10.0
  3. Press F5 to run
CLI:
cd samples/Blazing.Mvvm.Sample.Wasm

# Run .NET 8.0
dotnet run -f net8.0

# Run .NET 9.0
dotnet run -f net9.0

# Run .NET 10.0
dotnet run -f net10.0

Server-side Blazor

Project: Blazing.Mvvm.Sample.Server Target Frameworks: net8.0, net9.0, net10.0

Visual Studio:
  1. Set Blazing.Mvvm.Sample.Server as startup project
  2. Select framework from Run with Debugging toolbar dropdown button: net8.0, net9.0, or net10.0
  3. Press F5 to run
CLI:
cd samples/Blazing.Mvvm.Sample.Server

# Run .NET 8.0
dotnet run -f net8.0

# Run .NET 9.0
dotnet run -f net9.0

# Run .NET 10.0
dotnet run -f net10.0

Blazor Web App (.NET 8+)

Project: Blazing.Mvvm.Sample.WebApp Target Frameworks: net8.0, net9.0, net10.0

Visual Studio:
  1. Set Blazing.Mvvm.Sample.WebApp as startup project
  2. Select framework from Run with Debugging toolbar dropdown button: net8.0, net9.0, or net10.0
  3. Press F5 to run
CLI:
cd samples/Blazing.Mvvm.Sample.WebApp/Blazing.Mvvm.Sample.WebApp

# Run .NET 8.0
dotnet run -f net8.0

# Run .NET 9.0
dotnet run -f net9.0

# Run .NET 10.0
dotnet run -f net10.0

Subpath Hosting Server

Project: Blazing.SubpathHosting.Server Target Frameworks: net8.0, net9.0, net10.0

Visual Studio:
  1. Set Blazing.SubpathHosting.Server as startup project
  2. Select framework from Run with Debugging toolbar dropdown button: net8.0, net9.0, or net10.0
  3. Press F5 to run
CLI:
cd samples/Blazing.SubpathHosting.Server

# Run .NET 8.0
dotnet run -f net8.0

# Run .NET 9.0
dotnet run -f net9.0

# Run .NET 10.0
dotnet run -f net10.0

Desktop Hybrid Applications

Desktop hybrid applications combine native desktop UI frameworks (WPF/Avalonia/WinForms) with Blazor components using WebView.

WPF + Blazor Hybrid

Project: HybridSample.Wpf Target Frameworks: net8.0-windows, net9.0-windows, net10.0-windows

Visual Studio:
  1. Set HybridSample.Wpf as startup project
  2. Select framework from Run with Debugging toolbar dropdown button: net8.0-windows, net9.0-windows, or net10.0-windows
  3. Press F5 to run
CLI:
cd samples/HybridSamples/HybridSample.Wpf

# Run .NET 8.0 on Windows
dotnet run -f net8.0-windows

# Run .NET 9.0 on Windows
dotnet run -f net9.0-windows

# Run .NET 10.0 on Windows
dotnet run -f net10.0-windows

Avalonia + Blazor Hybrid

Project: HybridSample.Avalonia Target Frameworks: net8.0-windows, net9.0-windows, net10.0-windows

Visual Studio:
  1. Set HybridSample.Avalonia as startup project
  2. Select framework from Run with Debugging toolbar dropdown button: net8.0-windows, net9.0-windows, or net10.0-windows
  3. Press F5 to run
CLI:
cd samples/HybridSamples/HybridSample.Avalonia

# Run .NET 8.0 on Windows
dotnet run -f net8.0-windows

# Run .NET 9.0 on Windows
dotnet run -f net9.0-windows

# Run .NET 10.0 on Windows
dotnet run -f net10.0-windows

WinForms + Blazor Hybrid

Project: HybridSample.WinForms Target Frameworks: net8.0-windows, net9.0-windows, net10.0-windows

Visual Studio:
  1. Set HybridSample.WinForms as startup project
  2. Select framework from Run with Debugging toolbar dropdown button: net8.0-windows, net9.0-windows, or net10.0-windows
  3. Press F5 to run
CLI:
cd samples/HybridSamples/HybridSample.WinForms

# Run .NET 8.0 on Windows
dotnet run -f net8.0-windows

# Run .NET 9.0 on Windows
dotnet run -f net9.0-windows

# Run .NET 10.0 on Windows
dotnet run -f net10.0-windows

MAUI Cross-Platform Applications

MAUI applications are the most complex as they target multiple platforms simultaneously.

MAUI Blazor Hybrid (Original Sample)

Project: Blazing.Mvvm.Sample.HybridMaui Target Frameworks:

  • .NET 9.0: net9.0-android, net9.0-ios, net9.0-maccatalyst, net9.0-windows10.0.19041.0
  • .NET 10.0: net10.0-android, net10.0-ios, net10.0-maccatalyst, net10.0-windows10.0.19041.0
Visual Studio:
  1. Set Blazing.Mvvm.Sample.HybridMaui as startup project
  2. Select platform and framework from toolbar dropdown:
    • Android: net9.0-android, net10.0-android
    • iOS: net9.0-ios, net10.0-ios (macOS only)
    • macOS: net9.0-maccatalyst, net10.0-maccatalyst (macOS only)
    • Windows: net9.0-windows10.0.19041.0, net10.0-windows10.0.19041.0
  3. Press F5 to run (will deploy to selected platform)
CLI:

Android:

cd samples/Blazing.Mvvm.Sample.HybridMaui

# Build for .NET 9.0 Android
dotnet build -f net9.0-android

# Build for .NET 10.0 Android
dotnet build -f net10.0-android

iOS (macOS only):

cd samples/Blazing.Mvvm.Sample.HybridMaui

# Build for .NET 9.0 iOS
dotnet build -f net9.0-ios

# Build for .NET 10.0 iOS
dotnet build -f net10.0-ios

macOS Catalyst (macOS only):

cd samples/Blazing.Mvvm.Sample.HybridMaui

# Build for .NET 9.0 macOS
dotnet build -f net9.0-maccatalyst

# Build for .NET 10.0 macOS
dotnet build -f net10.0-maccatalyst

Windows:

cd samples/Blazing.Mvvm.Sample.HybridMaui

# Run .NET 9.0 Windows
dotnet run -f net9.0-windows10.0.19041.0

# Run .NET 10.0 Windows
dotnet run -f net10.0-windows10.0.19041.0

MAUI Blazor Hybrid (HybridSample)

Project: HybridSample.MAUI Target Frameworks:

  • .NET 9.0: net9.0-android, net9.0-ios, net9.0-maccatalyst, net9.0-windows10.0.19041.0
  • .NET 10.0: net10.0-android, net10.0-ios, net10.0-maccatalyst, net10.0-windows10.0.19041.0
Visual Studio:
  1. Set HybridSample.MAUI as startup project
  2. Select platform and framework from toolbar dropdown:
    • Android: net9.0-android, net10.0-android
    • iOS: net9.0-ios, net10.0-ios (macOS only)
    • macOS: net9.0-maccatalyst, net10.0-maccatalyst (macOS only)
    • Windows: net9.0-windows10.0.19041.0, net10.0-windows10.0.19041.0
  3. Press F5 to run (will deploy to selected platform)
CLI:

Android:

cd samples/HybridSamples/HybridSample.MAUI

# Build for .NET 9.0 Android
dotnet build -f net9.0-android

# Build for .NET 10.0 Android
dotnet build -f net10.0-android

iOS (macOS only):

cd samples/HybridSamples/HybridSample.MAUI

# Build for .NET 9.0 iOS
dotnet build -f net9.0-ios

# Build for .NET 10.0 iOS
dotnet build -f net10.0-ios

macOS Catalyst (macOS only):

cd samples/HybridSamples/HybridSample.MAUI

# Build for .NET 9.0 macOS
dotnet build -f net9.0-maccatalyst

# Build for .NET 10.0 macOS
dotnet build -f net10.0-maccatalyst

Windows:

cd samples/HybridSamples/HybridSample.MAUI

# Run .NET 9.0 Windows
dotnet run -f net9.0-windows10.0.19041.0

# Run .NET 10.0 Windows
dotnet run -f net10.0-windows10.0.19041.0

Understanding Multi-Targeted Projects

All Projects in This Solution are Multi-Targeted

  • Project File Property: Uses <TargetFrameworks> (plural)
  • Behavior: Build for ALL target frameworks simultaneously
  • Visual Studio Running: Use Start With Debugging Dropdown Button in toolbar
  • Visual Studio Editing: Properties -> Application -> "Target frameworks" (plural) to modify the list
  • Examples:
    • Blazor: <TargetFrameworks>net8.0;net9.0;net10.0</TargetFrameworks>
    • WPF/Avalonia/WinForms: <TargetFrameworks>net8.0-windows;net9.0-windows;net10.0-windows</TargetFrameworks>
    • MAUI: <TargetFrameworks>net8.0-android;net8.0-ios;net9.0-android;net9.0-ios;net10.0-android;net10.0-ios</TargetFrameworks>
    • Core Libraries: <TargetFrameworks>net8.0;net9.0;net10.0</TargetFrameworks>

Visual Studio UI Guide

Start With Debugging Dropdown Button (Toolbar)

  • Location: Visual Studio toolbar, next to Start Without Debugging Run button button
  • Purpose: Select which framework to RUN from multi-targeted projects
  • Appears when: Multi-targeted project is set as startup project
  • Examples:
    • Blazor: net8.0, net9.0, net10.0
    • WPF/Avalonia/WinForms: net8.0-windows, net9.0-windows, net10.0-windows
    • MAUI: net8.0-android, net9.0-android, net9.0-windows10.0.19041.0, net10.0-android, net10.0-windows10.0.19041.0

"Target frameworks" (Properties)

  • Location: Project Properties -> Application tab
  • Purpose: Edit the semicolon-separated list of target frameworks the project builds for
  • Shows: Editable text field with frameworks like net8.0;net9.0;net10.0
  • Note: Shows "Target frameworks" (plural) for all projects in this solution

Quick Start Guide

To Run a Specific Framework Version:

  1. Set project as startup project (right-click -> "Set as Startup Project")
  2. Find the Start Without Debugging Run button in Visual Studio toolbar
  3. Select your desired framework (e.g., net8.0, net9.0, net10.0-android)
  4. Press F5 or click Run

To Change Which Frameworks a Project Targets:

  1. Right-click project -> Properties -> Application
  2. Edit "Target frameworks" field (semicolon-separated list)
  3. Reload project when prompted

Prerequisites

For .NET 8.0 Projects:

  • .NET 8 SDK installed
  • Visual Studio 2022 17.8+ or Visual Studio Code with C# extension

For .NET 9.0 Projects:

  • .NET 9 SDK installed
  • Visual Studio 2022 17.12+ or Visual Studio Code with C# extension

For .NET 10.0 Projects:

  • .NET 10 SDK installed
  • Visual Studio 2022 17.13+ or Visual Studio Code with C# extension

For Windows-specific projects (WPF, Avalonia, WinForms):

  • Windows 10 version 1809 or later
  • Windows SDK installed

For MAUI projects:

  • MAUI workload installed: 
    dotnet workload install maui
  • Platform-specific requirements:
    • Android: Android SDK 24.0+
    • iOS: Xcode (macOS only)
    • macOS: Xcode (macOS only)
    • Windows: Windows 10 version 19041.0+

Checking Your .NET Installation

To verify which .NET versions you have installed:

# List all installed .NET versions
dotnet --list-sdks

# Check current .NET version
dotnet --version

# List installed workloads
dotnet workload list

Common Issues and Solutions

Issue: "Can't see Start With Debugging Dropdown Button in toolbar"

Solution:

  • Confirm the project is multi-targeted (all projects in this solution are)
  • Set the project as startup project (right-click -> "Set as Startup Project")
  • Look next to the Run without Debugging dropdown Button

Issue: "Can't see Target framework dropdown in Properties"

Solution: All projects in this solution are multi-targeted, so you'll see "Target frameworks" (plural) as an editable text field instead of a dropdown. You can edit the semicolon-separated list directly.

Issue: "The specified framework is not available"

Solution: Install the required .NET SDK version:

# Download from: https://dotnet.microsoft.com/download

Issue: Build errors with WebView components (Desktop Hybrid)

Solution: Ensure you have the correct Windows SDK and WebView2 runtime installed:

  • Install Visual Studio with "Windows application development" workload
  • WebView2 runtime is usually installed automatically with Windows 11 or can be downloaded from Microsoft

Issue: WinForms project won't run

Solution: Ensure you have the Windows Forms workload installed:

  • Install Visual Studio with ".NET desktop development" workload
  • Make sure UseWindowsForms is set to true in the project file

Issue: MAUI project won't run

Solution: Install MAUI workload and ensure correct platform SDKs:

dotnet workload install maui
dotnet workload restore

Issue: Android build fails (MAUI)

Solution: Ensure Android SDK is properly configured:

# Check Android SDK path in Visual Studio or set ANDROID_HOME environment variable
# Install Android SDK 24.0 or higher

Issue: iOS/macOS build fails (MAUI - macOS only)

Solution: Ensure Xcode is installed and up to date:

# Install Xcode from Mac App Store
# Accept Xcode license: sudo xcodebuild -license accept

Package Versioning

The project uses Central Package Management with conditional versioning:

  • For .NET 8.0: Uses v8.x packages
  • For .NET 9.0: Uses v9.x packages
  • For .NET 10.0: Uses v10.x packages

This is configured in the Directory.Packages.props file at the solution root.

MAUI-Specific Packages:

  • Microsoft.Maui.Controls: Automatically versioned based on target framework
  • Microsoft.AspNetCore.Components.WebView.Maui: Matches .NET version
  • Microsoft.Extensions.Logging.Debug: Matches .NET version

Blazor-Specific Packages:

  • Microsoft.AspNetCore.Components.WebAssembly: Framework-specific versions
  • Microsoft.AspNetCore.Components.Web: Framework-specific versions

Desktop Hybrid-Specific Packages:

  • Microsoft.AspNetCore.Components.WebView.Wpf: Framework-specific versions for WPF
  • Microsoft.AspNetCore.Components.WebView.WindowsForms: Framework-specific versions for WinForms
  • Custom Avalonia WebView: Uses Baksteen.Avalonia.Blazor library for Avalonia integration

Testing and Validation

Testing Multi-Target Builds

To ensure all target frameworks build correctly:

# Build entire solution for all target frameworks
dotnet build

# Build specific project for all its target frameworks
dotnet build samples/HybridSamples/HybridSample.Wpf
dotnet build samples/HybridSamples/HybridSample.WinForms
dotnet build samples/HybridSamples/HybridSample.MAUI

# Build MAUI project for all platforms
dotnet build samples/Blazing.Mvvm.Sample.HybridMaui
dotnet build samples/HybridSamples/HybridSample.MAUI

# Restore packages for all frameworks
dotnet restore

Running MAUI Apps on Different Platforms

Android Emulator:

# Build and deploy to Android (Original Sample)
dotnet build samples/Blazing.Mvvm.Sample.HybridMaui -f net9.0-android

# Build and deploy to Android (HybridSample)
dotnet build samples/HybridSamples/HybridSample.MAUI -f net9.0-android
dotnet build samples/HybridSamples/HybridSample.MAUI -f net10.0-android

# Deploy to emulator or device via Visual Studio

Windows:

# Run on Windows (Original Sample)
dotnet run --project samples/Blazing.Mvvm.Sample.HybridMaui -f net9.0-windows10.0.19041.0

# Run on Windows (HybridSample)
dotnet run --project samples/HybridSamples/HybridSample.MAUI -f net9.0-windows10.0.19041.0
dotnet run --project samples/HybridSamples/HybridSample.MAUI -f net10.0-windows10.0.19041.0

iOS Simulator (macOS only):

# Build for iOS (Original Sample)
dotnet build samples/Blazing.Mvvm.Sample.HybridMaui -f net9.0-ios

# Build for iOS (HybridSample)
dotnet build samples/HybridSamples/HybridSample.MAUI -f net9.0-ios
dotnet build samples/HybridSamples/HybridSample.MAUI -f net10.0-ios

# Deploy via Visual Studio for Mac or Xcode
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