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Getting Started with .NET MAUI Navigation Drawer

11 Jun 202624 minutes to read

This section guides you through setting up and configuring a SfNavigationDrawer in your .NET MAUI application. Follow the steps below to add a basic Navigation Drawer to your project.

To quickly get started with the .NET MAUI Navigation Drawer, watch this video.

Prerequisites

Before proceeding, ensure the following are set up:

  1. Install .NET 9 SDK or later.
  2. Set up a .NET MAUI environment with Visual Studio 2022 v17.12 or later.

Step 1: Create a new .NET MAUI project

  1. Go to File > New > Project and choose the .NET MAUI App template.
  2. Name the project and choose a location. Then, click Next.
  3. Select the .NET framework version and click Create.

Step 2: Install the Syncfusion® MAUI Navigation Drawer NuGet package

  1. In Solution Explorer, right-click the project and choose Manage NuGet Packages.
  2. Search for Syncfusion.Maui.NavigationDrawer and install the latest version.
  3. Ensure the necessary dependencies are installed correctly, and the project is restored.

Step 3: Register the handler

The Syncfusion.Maui.Core NuGet is a dependent package for all Syncfusion® controls in .NET MAUI. In the MauiProgram.cs file, register the handler for Syncfusion® core.

  • C#
    • using Microsoft.Extensions.Logging;
using Syncfusion.Maui.Core.Hosting;

namespace NavigationDrawerGettingStarted
{
    public static class MauiProgram
    {
    public static MauiApp CreateMauiApp()
    {
        var builder = MauiApp.CreateBuilder();
        builder
        .UseMauiApp<App>()
        .ConfigureSyncfusionCore()
        .ConfigureFonts(fonts =>
        {
            fonts.AddFont("OpenSans-Regular.ttf", "OpenSansRegular");
        });

        return builder.Build();
        }      
    }
}

    Step 4: Add a basic Navigation Drawer

    1. To initialize the control, import the Navigation Drawer namespace into your code.

    2. Initialize SfNavigationDrawer.

    <ContentPage 
            ...
            xmlns:navigationDrawer="clr-namespace:Syncfusion.Maui.NavigationDrawer;assembly=Syncfusion.Maui.NavigationDrawer">
    <navigationDrawer:SfNavigationDrawer x:Name="navigationDrawer">
    <navigationDrawer:SfNavigationDrawer.ContentView>
        <Grid/>
    </navigationDrawer:SfNavigationDrawer.ContentView>
    </navigationDrawer:SfNavigationDrawer>
</ContentPage>
    using Syncfusion.Maui.NavigationDrawer;
    namespace NavigationDrawerGettingStarted
    {
        public partial class MainPage : ContentPage
        {
            public MainPage()
            {
                InitializeComponent();           
                SfNavigationDrawer navigationDrawer = new SfNavigationDrawer();
                Grid grid = new Grid();
                navigationDrawer.ContentView = grid;
                this.Content = navigationDrawer; 
            }
        }   
    }

    Prerequisites

    Before proceeding, ensure the following are set up:

    1. Install .NET 9 SDK or later.
    2. Set up a .NET MAUI environment with Visual Studio Code.
    3. Ensure that the .NET MAUI workloads are installed and configured as described here.

    Step 1: Create a new .NET MAUI project

    1. Open the command palette by pressing Ctrl+Shift+P and type .NET:New Project and enter.
    2. Choose the .NET MAUI App template.
    3. Select the project location, type the project name and press Enter.
    4. Then choose Create project.

    Step 2: Install the Syncfusion® MAUI Navigation Drawer NuGet package

    1. Press Ctrl + ` (backtick) to open the integrated terminal in Visual Studio Code.
    2. Ensure you’re in the project root directory where your .csproj file is located.
    3. Run the command dotnet add package Syncfusion.Maui.NavigationDrawer to install the Syncfusion® .NET MAUI Navigation Drawer package.
    4. To ensure all dependencies are installed, run dotnet restore.

    Step 3: Register the handler

    The Syncfusion.Maui.Core NuGet is a dependent package for all Syncfusion® controls of .NET MAUI. In the MauiProgram.cs file, register the handler for Syncfusion® core.

  • C#
    • using Microsoft.Extensions.Logging;
using Syncfusion.Maui.Core.Hosting;

namespace NavigationDrawerGettingStarted
{
    public static class MauiProgram
    {
    public static MauiApp CreateMauiApp()
    {
        var builder = MauiApp.CreateBuilder();
        builder
        .UseMauiApp<App>()
        .ConfigureSyncfusionCore()
        .ConfigureFonts(fonts =>
        {
            fonts.AddFont("OpenSans-Regular.ttf", "OpenSansRegular");
        });

        return builder.Build();
        }      
    }
}

    Step 4: Add a basic Navigation Drawer

    1. To initialize the control, import the Navigation Drawer namespace into your code.

    2. Initialize SfNavigationDrawer.

    <ContentPage 
            ...
            xmlns:navigationDrawer="clr-namespace:Syncfusion.Maui.NavigationDrawer;assembly=Syncfusion.Maui.NavigationDrawer">
    <navigationDrawer:SfNavigationDrawer x:Name="navigationDrawer">
    <navigationDrawer:SfNavigationDrawer.ContentView>
        <Grid/>
    </navigationDrawer:SfNavigationDrawer.ContentView>
    </navigationDrawer:SfNavigationDrawer>
</ContentPage>
    using Syncfusion.Maui.NavigationDrawer;
    namespace NavigationDrawerGettingStarted
    {
        public partial class MainPage : ContentPage
        {
            public MainPage()
            {
                InitializeComponent();           
                SfNavigationDrawer navigationDrawer = new SfNavigationDrawer();
                Grid grid = new Grid();
                navigationDrawer.ContentView = grid;
                this.Content = navigationDrawer; 
            }
        }   
    }

    Prerequisites

    Before proceeding, ensure the following are set up:

    1. Install .NET 9 SDK or later.
    2. Set up a .NET MAUI environment with JetBrains Rider 2024.3 or later.
    3. Make sure the MAUI workloads are installed and configured as described here.

    Step 1: Create a new .NET MAUI project

    1. Go to File > New Solution, select .NET (C#) and choose the .NET MAUI App template.
    2. Enter the Project Name, Solution Name, and Location.
    3. Select the .NET framework version and click Create.

    Step 2: Install the Syncfusion® MAUI Navigation Drawer NuGet package

    1. In Solution Explorer, right-click the project and choose Manage NuGet Packages.
    2. Search for Syncfusion.Maui.NavigationDrawer and install the latest version.
    3. Ensure the necessary dependencies are installed correctly, and the project is restored. If not, open the Terminal in Rider and manually run: dotnet restore.

    Step 3: Register the handler

    The Syncfusion.Maui.Core NuGet is a dependent package for all Syncfusion® controls of .NET MAUI. In the MauiProgram.cs file, register the handler for Syncfusion® core.

  • C#
    • using Microsoft.Extensions.Logging;
using Syncfusion.Maui.Core.Hosting;

namespace NavigationDrawerGettingStarted
{
    public static class MauiProgram
    {
    public static MauiApp CreateMauiApp()
    {
        var builder = MauiApp.CreateBuilder();
        builder
        .UseMauiApp<App>()
        .ConfigureSyncfusionCore()
        .ConfigureFonts(fonts =>
        {
            fonts.AddFont("OpenSans-Regular.ttf", "OpenSansRegular");
        });

        return builder.Build();
        }      
    }
}

    Step 4: Add a basic Navigation Drawer

    1. To initialize the control, import the Navigation Drawer namespace into your code.

    2. Initialize SfNavigationDrawer.

    <ContentPage 
            ...
            xmlns:navigationDrawer="clr-namespace:Syncfusion.Maui.NavigationDrawer;assembly=Syncfusion.Maui.NavigationDrawer">
    <navigationDrawer:SfNavigationDrawer x:Name="navigationDrawer">
    <navigationDrawer:SfNavigationDrawer.ContentView>
        <Grid/>
    </navigationDrawer:SfNavigationDrawer.ContentView>
    </navigationDrawer:SfNavigationDrawer>
</ContentPage>
    using Syncfusion.Maui.NavigationDrawer;
    namespace NavigationDrawerGettingStarted
    {
        public partial class MainPage : ContentPage
        {
            public MainPage()
            {
                InitializeComponent();           
                SfNavigationDrawer navigationDrawer = new SfNavigationDrawer();
                Grid grid = new Grid();
                navigationDrawer.ContentView = grid;
                this.Content = navigationDrawer; 
            }
        }   
    }

    NOTE

    It is mandatory to set ContentView for SfNavigationDrawer upon initializing.

    Step 5: Add hamburger menu for toggling drawer

    Create an ImageButton and set the required image to the Source property. Ensure the image is placed in the Resources/Images directory. Subscribe to the Clicked event of the button and invoke the ToggleDrawer() method to toggle the drawer. Properly align the layout of ContentView to position the hamburger icon at the top left, as demonstrated in the following code.

    <navigationDrawer:SfNavigationDrawer x:Name="navigationDrawer">
    <navigationDrawer:SfNavigationDrawer.DrawerSettings>
        <navigationDrawer:DrawerSettings DrawerWidth="250"/>
    </navigationDrawer:SfNavigationDrawer.DrawerSettings>
    <navigationDrawer:SfNavigationDrawer.ContentView>
        <Grid x:Name="mainContentView" RowDefinitions="Auto,*">
            <HorizontalStackLayout>
                <ImageButton x:Name="hamburgerButton"
                             Source="hamburgericon.png"
                             Clicked="hamburgerButton_Clicked"/>
                <Label x:Name="headerLabel"  
                   Text="Home" FontSize="16" 
                   BackgroundColor="#6750A4"/>
            </HorizontalStackLayout>
            <Label Grid.Row="1" 
              x:Name="contentLabel" 
              Text="Content View" />
        </Grid>
    </navigationDrawer:SfNavigationDrawer.ContentView>
</navigationDrawer:SfNavigationDrawer>
    namespace NavigationDrawerGettingStarted;

public partial class MainPage : ContentPage
{
    SfNavigationDrawer navigationDrawer;
    Label contentLabel;
	public MainPage()
	{
		InitializeComponent();
        navigationDrawer = new SfNavigationDrawer();
        Grid grid = new Grid()
        {
            RowDefinitions =
            {
                new RowDefinition {Height=new GridLength(1,GridUnitType.Auto)},
                new RowDefinition(),
            },
        };

        HorizontalStackLayout layout = new HorizontalStackLayout()
        { 
            Spacing = 10,
            Padding = new Thickness(5,0,0,0),
        };

        var hamburgerButton = new ImageButton
        {
            Source = "hamburgericon.png",
        };
        hamburgerButton.Clicked += hamburgerButton_Clicked;

        var label = new Label
        {
            Text = "Home",
            FontSize = 16,
            BackgroundColor = Color.FromArgb("#6750A4")
        };
        layout.Children.Add(hamburgerButton);
        layout.Children.Add(label);

        contentLabel = new Label
        {
            Text = "Content View",
        };

        grid.SetRow(layout, 0);
        grid.SetRow(contentLabel, 1);
        grid.Children.Add(layout);
        grid.Children.Add(contentLabel);
        navigationDrawer.ContentView = grid;

        navigationDrawer.DrawerSettings = new DrawerSettings()
        {
            DrawerWidth = 250,
        };
        this.Content = navigationDrawer;
    }
}
    private void hamburgerButton_Clicked(object sender, EventArgs e)
    {
        navigationDrawer.ToggleDrawer();
    }

    CustomView

    Step 6: Add DrawerContentView

    Create a CollectionView with items and set it as DrawerContentView.

    <navigationDrawer:SfNavigationDrawer x:Name="navigationDrawer">
    <navigationDrawer:SfNavigationDrawer.DrawerSettings>
        <navigationDrawer:DrawerSettings DrawerWidth="250"
                                 DrawerHeaderHeight="160">
            <navigationDrawer:DrawerSettings.DrawerHeaderView>
                <Grid BackgroundColor="#6750A4" RowDefinitions="120,40">
                    <Image Source="user.png"/>
                    <Label Text="James Pollock" Grid.Row="1"/>
                </Grid>
            </navigationDrawer:DrawerSettings.DrawerHeaderView>
            <navigationDrawer:DrawerSettings.DrawerContentView>
                <CollectionView x:Name="collectionView" SelectionMode="Single"
                  SelectionChanged="collectionView_SelectionChanged">
                    <CollectionView.ItemsSource>
                        <x:Array Type="{x:Type x:String}">
                            <x:String>Home</x:String>
                            <x:String>Profile</x:String>
                            ...
                        </x:Array>
                    </CollectionView.ItemsSource>
                    <CollectionView.ItemTemplate>
                        <!--Load your Data Template -->
                    </CollectionView.ItemTemplate>
                </CollectionView>
            </navigationDrawer:DrawerSettings.DrawerContentView>
        </navigationDrawer:DrawerSettings>
    </navigationDrawer:SfNavigationDrawer.DrawerSettings>
    <navigationDrawer:SfNavigationDrawer.ContentView>
        <Grid x:Name="mainContentView" RowDefinitions="Auto,*">
            <HorizontalStackLayout BackgroundColor="#6750A4" Spacing="10" Padding="5,0,0,0">
                <ImageButton x:Name="hamburgerButton" Clicked="hamburgerButton_Clicked"/>
                <Label x:Name="headerLabel" />
            </HorizontalStackLayout>
            <Label Grid.Row="1" x:Name="contentLabel" />
        </Grid>
    </navigationDrawer:SfNavigationDrawer.ContentView>
</navigationDrawer:SfNavigationDrawer>
    namespace NavigationDrawerGettingStarted;

public partial class MainPage : ContentPage
{
    SfNavigationDrawer navigationDrawer;
    CollectionView collectionView;
    Label headerLabel, contentLabel;

    public MainPage()
    {
        navigationDrawer = new SfNavigationDrawer();
        var drawerSettings = new DrawerSettings
        {
            DrawerWidth = 250,
            DrawerHeaderHeight = 160
        };

        var headerGrid = new Grid
        {
            BackgroundColor = Color.FromArgb("#6750A4"),
            RowDefinitions =
            {
                new RowDefinition { Height = 120 },
                new RowDefinition { Height = 40 }
            }
        };

        var userImage = new Image { Source = "user.png" };
        var userLabel = new Label { Text = "James Pollock" };
        Grid.SetRow(userLabel, 1);

        headerGrid.Children.Add(userImage);
        headerGrid.Children.Add(userLabel);

        drawerSettings.DrawerHeaderView = headerGrid;
        collectionView = new CollectionView
        {
            SelectionMode = SelectionMode.Single,
            ItemsSource = new List<string>
            {
                "Home",
                "Profile",
                "Settings",
                "About"
            }
        };
        collectionView.SelectionChanged += CollectionView_SelectionChanged;

        drawerSettings.DrawerContentView = collectionView;

        navigationDrawer.DrawerSettings = drawerSettings;
        var mainGrid = new Grid
        {
            RowDefinitions =
            {
                new RowDefinition { Height = GridLength.Auto },
                new RowDefinition { Height = GridLength.Star }
            }
        };

        var topBar = new HorizontalStackLayout
        {
            BackgroundColor = Color.FromArgb("#6750A4"),
            Spacing = 10,
            Padding = new Thickness(5, 0, 0, 0)
        };

        var hamburgerButton = new ImageButton();
        hamburgerButton.Clicked += HamburgerButton_Clicked;

        headerLabel = new Label();

        topBar.Children.Add(hamburgerButton);
        topBar.Children.Add(headerLabel);
        contentLabel = new Label();
        Grid.SetRow(contentLabel, 1);

        mainGrid.Children.Add(topBar);
        mainGrid.Children.Add(contentLabel);

        navigationDrawer.ContentView = mainGrid;

        Content = navigationDrawer;
    }
}
    private void hamburgerButton_Clicked(object sender, EventArgs e)
        {
            navigationDrawer.ToggleDrawer();
        }

        private void collectionView_SelectionChanged(object sender, SelectionChangedEventArgs e)
        {
            if (e.CurrentSelection.FirstOrDefault() is string selectedItem)
            {
                headerLabel.Text = selectedItem;
                contentLabel.Text = $"{selectedItem} Content";
                navigationDrawer.ToggleDrawer();
            }
        }

    .NET MAUI Navigation Drawer

    You can find the getting started sample from the GitHub link.