Exciting news! The latest update to the open-source alternative for Microsoft Silverlight is here, and it’s bringing some big upgrades, including support for .NET 10 and C# 14!
Userware has just dropped OpenSilver 3.3, a fantastic update to their open-source framework that helps you build awesome cross-platform apps with C# and XAML. What’s really cool is that OpenSilver 3.3 now allows Blazor components, typically used for web development, to run smoothly right inside your XAML applications, making development much simpler!
Userware officially announced OpenSilver 3.3 on January 27th – you can check out all the details on their announcement page. If you’re eager to get started, you can grab the OpenSilver SDKs for both Microsoft Visual Studio and Visual Studio Code directly from opensilver.net.
Thanks to this incredible Blazor enhancement in OpenSilver 3.3, Blazor components now seamlessly integrate directly into an XAML visual tree, sharing the same Document Object Model (DOM) and runtime environment. This means developers can effortlessly incorporate powerful Blazor components like a MudBlazor data grid or a DevExpress rich text editor right into their XAML applications – no tricky JavaScript bridges or interop wrappers needed! And here’s the best part: because OpenSilver leverages WebAssembly for web browsers and .NET MAUI Hybrid for native applications, your single codebase can be deployed across a wide range of platforms: Web, iOS, Android, Windows, macOS, and Linux.
Just a heads-up from the company: if you embed Razor code directly within XAML, you might see some design-time errors. Don’t worry, though – it will still compile and run perfectly! For now, some clever workarounds include wrapping your Razor code in CDATA blocks, using dedicated .razor files, or simply filtering your error list to show only “Build Only” errors.
For context, the open-source OpenSilver project serves as a modern alternative to Microsoft Silverlight, that rich internet application framework which was officially retired and no longer supported as of 2021. This Blazor integration is a fantastic opportunity for developers who are still maintaining older Silverlight or Windows Presentation Foundation applications. It offers a smooth path to gradually modernize their existing apps. You can pinpoint outdated controls, like an old data grid or a simple text editor, and easily swap them out for more contemporary Blazor counterparts.
