How to use Spotlight Xamarin.Android Library in Xamarin.Forms Pages

Question

I wanted to install a library to Spotlight the First Page for the first time when users opens the app. For that I found this amazing library called AndroidSpotlight, but the problem is that I can't install that in Xamarin.Forms project as it's only for Xamarin.Android.

When I try to install it for Xamarin.Forms project, it gives me this error.

Package Android.Spotlight 2019.11.14.1 is not compatible with netstandard2.1 (.NETStandard,Version=v2.1). Package Android.Spotlight 2019.11.14.1 supports: monoandroid10 (MonoAndroid,Version=v1.0)

But the first page is in Xamarin.Forms, so how could I use this library their?

Views/IntroPage.xml (I want to highlight the ImageButton)

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<ContentPage xmlns="http://xamarin.com/schemas/2014/forms"
             xmlns:x="http://schemas.microsoft.com/winfx/2009/xaml"
             x:Class="Mobile.App.Views.IntroPage"
             xmlns:local="clr-namespace:Mobile.App.Control"
             NavigationPage.HasNavigationBar="False">

    <ContentPage.Content>
        <StackLayout>
            <StackLayout VerticalOptions="Start">
                <Grid>
                    <Grid.RowDefinitions>
                        <RowDefinition Height="30" />
                    </Grid.RowDefinitions>

                    <Grid Grid.Row="0">
                        <ImageButton x:Name="SettingsButton"
                                     Source="drawable/icon.png"
                                     WidthRequest="20"
                                     HeightRequest="20"
                                     HorizontalOptions="StartAndExpand"
                                     VerticalOptions="CenterAndExpand"
                                     Command="{Binding SettingsButtonCommand}">
                        </ImageButton>
                    </Grid>
                </Grid>
            </StackLayout>

            <StackLayout HorizontalOptions="CenterAndExpand"
                         VerticalOptions="CenterAndExpand">
                // Code
            </StackLayout>
        </StackLayout>
    </ContentPage.Content>
</ContentPage>

UPDATE

@Jason recommended to use DependencyService.

It is working fine, but now their is a problem with Spotlight Code. In Control\SpotLightService.cs, the Target() required a Parameter called view. When I use the Xamarin.Forms.View view, it says Cannot convert form 'Xamarin.Forms.ImageButton' to 'Android.Views.View'.

But when I use Android.View, in Views/IntroPage.xml.cs I can't access SettingsButton, which I want to Spotlight.

Views/IntroPage.xml.cs

public partial class IntroPage : ContentPage
{
    public IntroPage()
    {
        DependencyService.Get<ISpotLight>().ShowIntro(SettingsButton, "settings");
    
        InitializeComponent();
    }
}

Services\ISpotLight.cs

using Xamarin.Forms;

namespace Mobile.App.Services
{
    public interface ISpotLight
    {
        void ShowIntro(View view, string usageId);
    }
}

Control\SpotLightService.cs

using code from AndroidSpotlight

[assembly: Xamarin.Forms.Dependency(typeof(SpotLightService))]
namespace Mobile.App.Droid.Control
{
    public class SpotLightService : ISpotLight
    {
        private bool isRevealEnabled = true;
        private SpotlightView spotLight;

        public void ShowIntro(Xamarin.Forms.View view, string usageId)
        {
            spotLight = new SpotlightView.Builder((Activity)Application.Context)
                .IntroAnimationDuration(400)
                .EnableRevealAnimation(isRevealEnabled)
                .PerformClick(true)
                .FadeinTextDuration(400)
                .HeadingTvColor(Color.ParseColor("#eb273f"))
                .HeadingTvSize(32)
                .HeadingTvText("Love")
                .SubHeadingTvColor(Color.ParseColor("#ffffff"))
                .SubHeadingTvSize(16)
                .SubHeadingTvText("Like the picture?\nLet others know.")
                .MaskColor(Color.ParseColor("#dc000000"))
                .Target(view)
                .LineAnimDuration(400)
                .LineAndArcColor(Color.ParseColor("#eb273f"))
                .DismissOnTouch(true)
                .DismissOnBackPress(true)
                .EnableDismissAfterShown(true)
                .UsageId(usageId)
                .ShowTargetArc(true)
                .Show();
        }
    }
}

Answer 1

• Convert Xamarin.Forms.View to Android.Views.View , you can try the following code .

   public View ConvertFormsToNative(Xamarin.Forms.View view)
   {
         var vRenderer = Platform.CreateRendererWithContext(view, MainActivity.Instance);
         var Androidview = vRenderer.View;
         vRenderer.Tracker.UpdateLayout();
  
         var size = view.Bounds;
         var layoutParams = new ViewGroup.LayoutParams((int)size.Width, (int)size.Height);
         Androidview.LayoutParameters = layoutParams;
         view.Layout(size);
         Androidview.Layout(0, 0, (int)view.WidthRequest, (int)view.HeightRequest);
         Androidview.SetBackgroundColor(Color.Red);
         return Androidview;
    }
  

  and the target should be set as .Target(ConvertFormsToNative(view))

• Change new SpotlightView.Builder((Activity)Application.Context) to new SpotlightView.Builder(MainActivity.Instance) .

  Instance is a field defined in MainActivity .

     public static MainActivity Instance;
     protected override void OnCreate(Bundle savedInstanceState)
     {
         base.OnCreate(savedInstanceState);
  
         Xamarin.Essentials.Platform.Init(this, savedInstanceState);
         global::Xamarin.Forms.Forms.Init(this, savedInstanceState);
  
         Instance = this;
  

• Move the call of Dependency service from constructor to LayoutChanged event.

     public Page1()
     {
  
         InitializeComponent();
  
         this.LayoutChanged += Page1_LayoutChanged;
  
     }
  
     bool isShown = false;
     private void Page1_LayoutChanged(object sender, EventArgs e)
     {
         if (!isShown)
         {
             DependencyService.Get<ISpotLight>().ShowIntro(SettingsButton, "settings");
             isShown = true;
         }
     }