Getting Started with Blazor: A Comprehensive Guide for Beginners
Amr Saafan
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Microsoft’s cutting-edge Blazor web framework has revolutionized the online development industry. Its ability to create web apps using C# and .NET has made it a well-liked option for developers. You’ve come to the correct place if you’re keen to learn about Blazor and are new to it. We’ll walk you through the fundamentals and set you up for success with Blazor in this extensive guide.
What is Blazor?
With Microsoft’s Blazor web framework, developers may create dynamic and interactive web apps with C# and .NET rather than largely requiring JavaScript. It makes client-side web application development possible for developers using the same language, tools, and libraries that are used for server-side development. Blazor offers developers of web applications freedom and choice by running on both the server (Blazor Server) and the browser (Blazor WebAssembly).
There are two primary hosting models in Blazor:
With the help of C# and Razor syntax, developers may construct reusable user interface components utilizing Blazor’s component-based architecture. Complex web apps may be constructed by combining these elements. Blazor components are an effective tool for developing complex, interactive web applications because they can manage user interactions, data binding, and UI rendering.
Key features and advantages of Blazor
Microsoft’s web framework Blazor has a number of important features and benefits that make it an appealing option for developing online applications. The following are some of Blazor’s primary attributes and benefits:
Blazor’s combination of C# development, integration with .NET, component-based architecture, and support for different hosting models makes it an attractive option for developers looking to build web applications with a modern, robust, and familiar toolset. Whether you are building a simple website or a complex enterprise application, Blazor offers flexibility and power in web development.
Prerequisites
To get started with Blazor, you’ll need a few prerequisites in terms of software and knowledge. Here’s a list of what you should have or familiarize yourself with before diving into Blazor development:
You’ll be ready to begin your Blazor development journey as soon as you’ve completed these requirements. It’s crucial to remember that Blazor development is open to developers of all expertise levels, allowing you to advance and learn as you work on your Blazor projects.
The Blazor Project Types
Blazor offers two primary hosting models, or project types, each with its own characteristics and use cases. When starting a Blazor project, you’ll need to choose one of these hosting models based on your application’s requirements and target platform. Here are the two main Blazor project types:
Take your project’s needs into account while deciding between Blazor Server and Blazor WebAssembly, including features that require real-time functionality, offline capabilities, and resource efficiency. You may choose the hosting model that most closely matches the objectives and requirements of your application from the two available options, each of which has distinct advantages and works well in various situations.
Creating Your First Blazor App
Creating your first Blazor WebAssembly application involves creating a simple “Hello World” app. Here, I’ll walk you through the steps with code examples:
Step 1: Set Up Your Development Environment
Before you begin, make sure you have the .NET SDK installed and Visual Studio Code with the C# extension.
Step 2: Create a New Blazor WebAssembly Project
Open your terminal and navigate to the directory where you want to create your Blazor project. Then, use the following command to create a new Blazor WebAssembly project:
dotnet new blazorwasm -n MyFirstBlazorApp
This command will create a new Blazor WebAssembly project named “MyFirstBlazorApp.”
Step 3: Explore the Project Structure
Open the project in Visual Studio Code. You’ll see a structure similar to this:
MyFirstBlazorApp/
├── Client/
├── Server/
├── Shared/
├── wwwroot/
Step 4: Create a “Hello World” Component
Let’s create a simple “Hello World” Blazor component. Inside the Client/Pages folder, create a new Razor component called HelloWorld.razor:
@page "/hello"
<h3>Hello, Blazor World!</h3>
<p>This is your first Blazor WebAssembly app.</p>
This code defines a simple component with a route to “/hello” and displays a “Hello, Blazor World!” message.
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Step 5: Update the Index Page
To link to your “Hello World” page, open the Client/Pages/Index.razor file and modify it as follows:
@page "/"
<h1>Welcome to My First Blazor App!</h1>
<p>Click below to see the Hello World page.</p>
<a href="/hello">Go to Hello World</a>
Step 6: Build and Run Your App
In the terminal, navigate to the project’s root folder and run the following commands:
dotnet build
dotnet run
Your Blazor WebAssembly app will start, and you can access it in your web browser at https://localhost:5001 (or https://localhost:5000).
Step 7: Explore Your First Blazor App
Upon opening your app browser, there will be the “Welcome to My First Blazor App” message with the link to “Hello world”.?Follow this link to reach “Hello World” page and view “Hello, Blazor World!”.
Congratulations!?Congratulations! You have built your first Blazor WebAssembly App with “Hello” World component and a simple hyperlink.?This way you will be able to create even more complicated and useful web applications based on C# and .NET with Blaze.
Building Your First Blazor Application
Building a complete Blazor application involves creating a functional web application with multiple pages, components, and features. In this guide, I’ll walk you through creating a more comprehensive Blazor WebAssembly application that includes multiple pages and navigation. We’ll create a simple app to manage a to-do list.
Prerequisites:
Step 1: Set Up Your Development Environment
Step 2: Create a New Blazor WebAssembly Project
dotnet new blazorwasm -n ToDoBlazorApp
This command creates a new Blazor WebAssembly project named “ToDoBlazorApp” in a directory with the same name.
Step 3: Explore the Project Structure
Open the project folder in Visual Studio Code and examine its structure:
Step 4: Build a To-Do List Application
In this step, you’ll create a to-do list application with multiple pages and components.
dotnet new razorcomponent -n ToDo
@page "/todos"
<h3>To-Do List</h3>
<ul>
@foreach (var item in todos)
{
<li>@item</li>
}
</ul>
@code {
private List<string> todos = new List<string> { "Buy groceries", "Walk the dog", "Read a book" };
}
This code defines a page to display a list of to-do items.
dotnet new razorcomponent -n AddToDo
@page "/addtodo"
<h3>Add a To-Do Item</h3>
<input @bind="newToDo" placeholder="Enter a new to-do item" />
<button @onclick="AddItem">Add</button>
@code {
private string newToDo;
private List<string> todos = new List<string> { "Buy groceries", "Walk the dog", "Read a book" };
private void AddItem()
{
if (!string.IsNullOrWhiteSpace(newToDo))
{
todos.Add(newToDo);
newToDo = string.Empty;
}
}
}
This code defines a page to add new to-do items.
Step 5: Update the Navigation
Open the Shared/NavMenu.razor file and update it to include links to the “To-Do List” and “Add To-Do” pages:
<li class="nav-item px-3">
<NavLink class="nav-link" href="todos">
<span class="oi oi-list-rich" aria-hidden="true"></span> To-Do List
</NavLink>
</li>
<li class="nav-item px-3">
<NavLink class="nav-link" href="addtodo">
<span class="oi oi-plus" aria-hidden="true"></span> Add To-Do
</NavLink>
</li>
Step 6: Build and Run Your Blazor App
cd ToDoBlazorApp
dotnet build
dotnet run
Step 7: Explore Your Full Blazor App
Your complete Blazor application is now running in the browser. You have a functional to-do list application with multiple pages and navigation. You can view the to-do list, add new to-do items, and navigate between pages.
Congratulations! You’ve successfully built your first full Blazor WebAssembly application. This is just the beginning of what you can do with Blazor, and you can continue to expand and improve your application with more features and components.