Kingdom Contacts (KC) is the 3rd iteration of my software for Jehovah’s Witness Elders, enhancing nearly all of the abilities provided earlier via JW Contacts and JW Contacts UD, along with some new features, such support for Service Groups Mapping and both light and dark modes.
Work began soon after Microsoft over two years ago started constructing a new cross-platform framework designated MAUI (Multiplatform Application User Interface), just this month in its 2nd official release, along with the simultaneous release of Microsoft’s programming framework .Net 8, upon which it depends. Along the way I have been striving to keep up with countless adjustments by the MAUI team, the .Net team, and supportive UI vendors.
MAUI’s (and KC’s) goal is to give users of many different devices access to basically the same feature set and presentation – if you know one version, you know them all. KC will gradually be released for Windows 64-bit (Windows 11 and late versions of Windows 10), for Android and iOS smart phones and tablets, and for Apple Mac computers (for the first time!).
Microsoft promises .Net 8 will have its long-term support, unlike most of 8’s already put-aside parents. Until this month I was doing most work (which was well-along) with .Net 7, but changing over to 8 has meant handling important breaking changes. Some UI controls that worked nicely with 7 are not yet doing so with 8. But that will improve! Maturity of development is nearing.
It took about a year to adapt the initial JW Contacts to a much more modern looking JW Contacts UD, which, however was always intended for Windows alone. Adapting UD’s code to that for KC was fairly straightforward and duplicates most all functionality, except for some advanced UI (graphical) features not yet supported by the vendors on whom I rely. For now there is no visible Spreadsheet and Document composing is pared down. Even so, the actual effort has easily been at least twice that required for UD. Remember, all code needs testing against four different device families, not just one.
KC actually is a hybrid based on a marriage of MAUI and a web browser-like technology Microsoft calls Blazor. Blazor controls usually operate within a browser and come in a huge number of offerings that far exceed those as yet offered for MAUI. However, MAUI provides Blazor controls a unique running window that removes inherent ordinary browser limitations and allows both disparate technologies to interact. Initially I included several Blazor controls, but as MAUI equivalents came on the scene they have largely been eliminated. I will include Blazor support until MAUI on its own provides everything needed.
The one big exception is the Reporting Engine for complex reports. Although equivalent to that used in UD, it is an entirely different product from the same vendor. Unfortunately, at this stage, it has problems with some MAUI platforms even though it is really a Blazor component. Right now it works OK in Windows and Android on .Net 7, but only in Windows on .Net 8. Consequently I am exploring alternatives – one of which has promised full eventual MAUI support.
Via this blog I will keep you posted as we approach KC submission to Microsoft Store. Meanwhile, if you have any suggestions or issues after using UD, or thoughts on what new features would work for you, please share them, using the feedback link on this web site. Thank you.
