Setting Up the Project
Before we dive into the implementation, let’s first set up a new Xamarin Forms project. We will create a new project using Visual Studio 2019. To create a new project, select File > New > Project from the menu. In the New Project dialog, select the Cross-platform category, and then select the Mobile App (Xamarin.Forms) template. Name the project “EmailSeparator” and choose a location for the project. Finally, select the platforms you want to target (we will select Android and iOS for this example), and then click the Create button.
Creating the User Interface
Once the project is set up, we can start creating the user interface. We will create a simple user interface that consists of a label, a text box, and a button. The label will display the instruction to the user, the text box will be used to enter the email addresses, and the button will be used to trigger the email separator functionality.
To create the user interface, open the MainPage.xaml file located in the EmailSeparator/EmailSeparator/EmailSeparator folder. Replace the existing code with the following XAML code:
<ContentPage xmlns=”http://xamarin.com/schemas/2014/forms”
xmlns:x=”http://schemas.microsoft.com/winfx/2009/xaml”
x:Class=”EmailSeparator.MainPage”>
<StackLayout Padding=”10″>
<Label Text=”Enter email addresses separated by commas:” />
<Entry x:Name=”EmailEntry” />
<Button Text=”Separate” Clicked=”OnSeparateClicked” />
</StackLayout>
</ContentPage>
This XAML code defines a ContentPage with a StackLayout. The StackLayout contains a Label, an Entry, and a Button. The Label displays the instruction to the user, the Entry is used to enter the email addresses, and the Button triggers the email separator functionality.
Implementing the Email Separator Functionality
Now that we have created the user interface, we can implement the email separator functionality. When the user clicks the button, we will separate the email addresses and display them in a list.
To implement the email separator functionality, open the MainPage.xaml.cs file located in the EmailSeparator/EmailSeparator/EmailSeparator folder. Add the following using statements at the top of the file:
using System.Collections.Generic;
using System.Linq;
These using statements allow us to use the List and LINQ functionalities.
Next, add the following code to the MainPage class:
private void OnSeparateClicked(object sender, EventArgs e)
{
string[] emailAddresses = EmailEntry.Text.Split(‘,’);
List<string> separatedEmailAddresses = new List<string>();
foreach (string emailAddress in emailAddresses)
{
string trimmedEmailAddress = emailAddress.Trim();
if (!string.IsNullOrEmpty(trimmedEmailAddress))
{
separatedEmailAddresses.Add(trimmedEmailAddress);
}
}
DisplayAlert(“Separated Email Addresses”, string.Join(“\n”, separatedEmailAddresses), “OK”);
}
This code defines the OnSeparateClicked method, which is called when the user clicks the button. The method first splits the email addresses entered in the text box using the comma delimiter. It then creates a List to store the separated email addresses.
Next, the code iterates through each email address, trims any leading or trailing white space from previous answer, and adds the email address to the list if it is not null or empty. Finally, the method displays an alert dialog that shows the separated email addresses.
Testing the Application
Now that we have implemented the email separator functionality, we can test the application. To test the application, run the project on an Android or iOS emulator. Once the application is running, enter a few email addresses separated by commas into the text box and click the “Separate” button. The application should display an alert dialog that shows the separated email addresses.
Conclusion
In this article, we explored how to implement an email separator feature using Xamarin Forms. We created a simple user interface that consisted of a label, a text box, and a button. We then implemented the email separator functionality by splitting the email addresses entered in the text box using the comma delimiter, trimming any leading or trailing white space, and adding the email address to a list if it is not null or empty. Finally, we displayed an alert dialog that showed the separated email addresses. By following these steps, you can easily implement an email separator feature in your Xamarin Forms application.