Grial UI Kit provides XAML templates, custom controls, helpers and resources that accelerate the creation of Xamarin.Forms apps.
In this article, I’ll be exploring the Grial UI Kit, talking about how to use it, pricing and some personal feedback, etc.
Let’s start
To start using the Grial UI Kit, you need to get a license. Then, you will get an email with the Admin portal URL.
After clicking on it you will be able to create a new app by using a setup wizard to set project name, project screens, themes, etc.
In the screens step, you will select the screens you want to be added to the project.
Also, you will be able to select the theme for your project or choose a custom color.
After completing all the steps click on Finish and Download. It will give you two options: download a full Grial solution with all the screens they have or download a starter solution just with screens you selected.
After you pick one, you will get a .Zip file with your project. When opening the project on visual studio, you need to make sure to add the Grial NuGet package source.
The result:
Working with an existing project
If you have an existing project and you just want to add Grial it, then you have to do all the steps I mentioned before and move the classes/packages to your new project. For additional information, you can check here.
Exploring the code
After opening the project you will see an MVVM solution which contains Views, ViewModels, Helpers, Controls, Styles, etc
Also, the project uses these packages dependencies:
What do I like about it?
Adaptive UI
The UI is very adaptive, if I run the UI on different devices it will look just great.
You can modify the UI based on your needs
You have full access to the XAML, so you are able to customize the elements as needed.
It is great for new projects
If you are starting a new project it is great, since it generates a full project solution with all the UI you need.
Great for non-technical clients
If you are not much familiar with Xamarin Forms code, it is a great option since you can choose the screens/styles from a website following a step by step wizard.
Custom UI Design service
If you want a custom design for your project, they offer a custom UI design service, where they can design a new solution for your specific project needs. Check more info here.
Theme options
I love that they provide a very easy way to change your App Theme/Colors.
Pricing
The price of the license goes from $299 USD to $2,199 USD. No annual renewal needed. For more information, you can check here.
Final thoughts
Grial UI Kit is a powerful UI Kit with tons of beautiful screens. If you are starting a new app and you don’t want to spend money on a designer, I think this is an easy/cheap way to do the UI.
Also since you choose the page/configs/themes from an admin portal is easy for a non-technical person to choose the UI they want, click on generate and just send the project to the developers to get started.
The only thing I think can be improved is related to the UX of using Grial in an existing project since you have to move the UI from the existing project to the new one project, It would be awesome to have a visual studio extension that can add all that code for you. (I heard they are working already in a solution).
Besides that I really recommend it, also I think the price is pretty reasonable compared to other UI libraries and the documentation/support is great.
That’s all for now. If you want to explore the screens they have you can check their website, or download the demo apps for Android and iOS.
