.Net Maui Local Storage With Preferences Securestorage And Sqlite Complete Guide

Prerequisites

• Visual Studio 2022 (or later) with .NET MAUI workload installed.
• Basic understanding of C# and .NET MAUI.

Step 1: Create a New .NET MAUI Project

1. Open Visual Studio 2022 and click on "Create a new project".
2. In the "Create a new project" window, select the "MAUI App (.NET 6+)" template and click "Next".
3. Provide a name and location for your project and click "Create".
4. Optionally, customize your project settings by clicking "Next" and selecting your desired platforms. Then click "Create".

Step 2: Adding Required NuGet Packages

We'll need to add a couple of NuGet packages for SQLite:

1. Right-click on your project in the Solution Explorer and select "Manage NuGet Packages".
2. Search for SQLitePCLRaw.bundle_sqlcipher and install it.
3. Search for Microsoft.EntityFrameworkCore.Sqlite and install it.

Step 3: Setting Up Preferences

Preferences are used to store small non-sensitive data.

Step 3.1: Add a method to save data to Preferences

Open MauiProgram.cs and add the following using statement:

using Microsoft.Maui.Storage;

In your main page (MainPage.xaml.cs), add code to save and retrieve preferences:

public partial class MainPage : ContentPage
{
    public MainPage()
    {
        InitializeComponent();
    }

    private void SavePreference(object sender, EventArgs e)
    {
        var userInput = entryPreference.Text;
        Preferences.Set("UserInput", userInput);
        DisplayAlert("Success", "Preference saved.", "OK");
    }

    private void GetPreference(object sender, EventArgs e)
    {
        var retrievedValue = Preferences.Get("UserInput", "No value found");
        entryPreference.Text = retrievedValue;
        DisplayAlert("Success", $"Preference retrieved: {retrievedValue}", "OK");
    }
}

Step 3.2: Add UI for Preferences

Open MainPage.xaml and add the following code:

<ContentPage xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/dotnet/2021/maui"
             xmlns:x="http://schemas.microsoft.com/winfx/2009/xaml"
             x:Class="YourNamespace.MainPage"
             Title="Preferences Example">

    <StackLayout VerticalOptions="Center"
                 HorizontalOptions="CenterAndExpand"
                 Padding="15">

        <Entry x:Name="entryPreference"
               Placeholder="Enter your text here" />

        <Button Text="Save Preference"
                Clicked="SavePreference" />

        <Button Text="Get Preference"
                Clicked="GetPreference" />

    </StackLayout>
</ContentPage>

Step 4: Setting Up SecureStorage

SecureStorage is used to store sensitive information securely.

Step 4.1: Add a method to save data to SecureStorage

In MainPage.xaml.cs, add methods to save and retrieve secure data:

private async Task SaveSecureData(object sender, EventArgs e)
{
    var secureInput = entrySecure.Text;
    await SecureStorage.SetAsync("SecureInput", secureInput);
    await DisplayAlert("Success", "Secure data saved.", "OK");
}

private async Task GetSecureData(object sender, EventArgs e)
{
    var retrievedSecureValue = await SecureStorage.GetAsync("SecureInput");
    entrySecure.Text = retrievedSecureValue ?? "No secure value found";
    await DisplayAlert("Success", $"Secure data retrieved: {retrievedSecureValue}", "OK");
}

Step 4.2: Add UI for SecureStorage

In MainPage.xaml, add the following UI elements:

<Entry x:Name="entrySecure"
       Placeholder="Enter your secure text here" />

<Button Text="Save Secure Data"
        Clicked="SaveSecureData" />

<Button Text="Get Secure Data"
        Clicked="GetSecureData" />

Step 5: Setting Up SQLite

SQLite is used to store structured data.

Step 5.1: Create a Data Model

Create a new folder named Models in your project and add a class named Note.cs:

public class Note
{
    [PrimaryKey, AutoIncrement]
    public int Id { get; set; }
    public string Text { get; set; }
    public DateTime Date { get; set; }
}

Step 5.2: Create a Database Context

Create a new folder named Database and add a class named AppDbContext.cs:

using Microsoft.EntityFrameworkCore;

public class AppDbContext : DbContext
{
    public AppDbContext(DbContextOptions<AppDbContext> options) : base(options) { }

    public DbSet<Note> Notes { get; set; }
}

Step 5.3: Configure Database Context in MauiProgram.cs

Open MauiProgram.cs and modify the CreateBuilder method as follows:

public static MauiApp CreateMauiApp()
{
    var builder = MauiApp.CreateBuilder();
    builder
        .UseMauiApp<App>()
        .ConfigureFonts(fonts =>
        {
            fonts.AddFont("OpenSans-Regular.ttf", "OpenSansRegular");
        });

    // Sqlite connection string
    var dbPath = Path.Combine(FileSystem.Current.AppDataDirectory, "notes.db3");

    builder.Services.AddDbContext<AppDbContext>(options =>
    {
        options.UseSqlite($"Data Source={dbPath}");
    });

    return builder.Build();
}

Step 5.4: Add UI for SQLite

In MainPage.xaml, add the following UI elements:

<Entry x:Name="entrySQLite"
       Placeholder="Enter your SQLite text here" />

<Button Text="Save SQLite Data"
        Clicked="SaveSQLiteData" />

<Button Text="Get SQLite Data"
        Clicked="GetSQLiteData" />

<ListView x:Name="listViewSQLite" />

Step 5.5: Add Methods for SQLite Operations

In MainPage.xaml.cs, add code to save and retrieve SQLite data:

private async void SaveSQLiteData(object sender, EventArgs e)
{
    var sqLiteInput = entrySQLite.Text;
    var note = new Note { Text = sqLiteInput, Date = DateTime.Now };

    using (var context = new AppDbContext(App.Current.Handler.MauiContext.Services.CreateScope().ServiceProvider.GetRequiredService<DbContextOptions<AppDbContext>>()))
    {
        context.Notes.Add(note);
        await context.SaveChangesAsync();
    }

    await DisplayAlert("Success", "SQLite data saved.", "OK");
}

private async void GetSQLiteData(object sender, EventArgs e)
{
    using (var context = new AppDbContext(App.Current.Handler.MauiContext.Services.CreateScope().ServiceProvider.GetRequiredService<DbContextOptions<AppDbContext>>()))
    {
        var notes = await context.Notes.ToListAsync();
        listViewSQLite.ItemsSource = notes;
    }

    await DisplayAlert("Success", "SQLite data retrieved.", "OK");
}

Step 6: Run the Application

Run your application on your preferred platform (e.g., Android, iOS, Windows, etc.). You should be able to test the following features:

1. Saving and retrieving simple preferences.
2. Saving and retrieving secure storage data.
3. Saving and retrieving structured data using SQLite.

Summary