Microsoft has announced an updated version of the .NET Upgrade Assistant in Visual Studio. The new release brings on a series of enhancements designed to simplify the migration process for .NET MAUI. Notably, developers can now also upgrade project features without needing to change the existing .NET version.
The newest addition to the .NET Upgrade Assistant Extension in Visual Studio is based, as reported, on a very popular user and feedback request to enable conversion of the old style project file to the new SDK-style project file, but without changing the .NET framework version. From this version, when developers try to do the upgrade, two options will be available: Upgrade project to a newer .NET version and Upgrade project features.
(Source: Microsoft DevBlogs)
As reported, clicking on Upgrade project features reveals the available upgrades for the project, currently including transitioning to an SDK-style project file. The team also plans to add more upgrade types in the future based on user feedback. If your project file is already in SDK-style, developers will only see the .NET version upgrade option. Furthermore, you can now easily compare your project file before and after the upgrade. To contribute to the evolution of the feature, users are encouraged to provide feedback regarding their specific upgrade needs.
Another noteworthy inclusion involves improvements in the migration process to .NET MAUI. Developers who are working on macOS can now utilize the CLI version of the .NET Upgrade Assistant to upgrade their apps. The developers who are transitioning manually from Xamarin.Forms to .NET MAUI, an automatic code-fixing feature has been introduced.
This means that developers can easily paste Xamarin.Forms project files into a .NET MAUI project, and the new Upgrade Assistant C# analyzer will provide suggestions to ensure that the code aligns with .NET MAUI. Alongside these substantial additions, several bug fixes and improvements have been implemented, with a commitment to ongoing enhancements in the domain of .NET MAUI upgrades.
(Source: Microsoft DevBlogs)
Regarding the future of the tool, Olia Gavrysh, senior product manager, .NET, stated the following in the original blog post:
We will continue working on improving the quality of upgrades, adding more feature upgrades, improving migration for .NET MAUI and addressing your feedback.
In response to the user comment, the team has acknowledged interest in the Upgrading project features feature's availability in the CLI version. As reported, the feedback has been positive, and suggestions include expanding SDK conversion options and optimizing upgrades for legacy techniques. The team is actively considering these ideas for future updates. While the CLI version currently lacks these features, their inclusion depends on community demand.
Lastly, there's a survey available to gather feedback about the new feature for upgrading .NET projects in Visual Studio. Users are encouraged to take part in the survey to share their experiences and suggest improvements. Developers can also find more information and details about the .NET Upgrade Assistant on the official Microsoft dotnet website.