maui-unit-testing

MAUI Unit Testing

Use this skill to make MAUI app logic testable without requiring every test to start a device or simulator. Keep UI framework dependencies at the edges.

Workflow

1. Identify what is being tested: ViewModel, service, navigation abstraction, storage wrapper, platform capability, or UI integration.
2. For ViewModels and services, create a normal xUnit test project.
3. Introduce interfaces around platform APIs such as geolocation, preferences, secure storage, media picker, file picker, and navigation.
4. Use fakes or mocks for those interfaces in unit tests.
5. Use device/integration tests only for behavior that requires handlers, platform permissions, native controls, or OS services.
6. If a test or tooling project must reference a MAUI app project, use the AppProjectReference support provided by Microsoft.Maui.Build.AppProjectReference instead of forcing the app project to behave like a normal class library.

Test Boundary Guide

Test target	Test type
ViewModel commands, validation, state transitions	Unit test
API/data service with fake handler	Unit test
Secure storage wrapper behavior with fake storage	Unit test
Shell route strings and navigation abstraction calls	Unit test
Handler rendering, native permissions, real pickers	Device/integration test
End-to-end UI flow in a running app	DevFlow/runtime automation

ViewModel Test Pattern

Always show at least a happy-path test AND an error/edge-case test. Use a mocking library (NSubstitute, Moq) or a hand-rolled fake — both are valid.

public sealed class ProductsViewModelTests
{
    [Fact]
    public async Task LoadAsync_ServiceReturnsProducts_PopulatesProducts()
    {
        var service = Substitute.For<IProductsService>();
        service.LoadAsync().Returns([new Product("Coffee")]);
        var viewModel = new ProductsViewModel(service);

        await viewModel.LoadAsync();

        Assert.Single(viewModel.Products);
        Assert.Equal("Coffee", viewModel.Products[0].Name);
    }

    [Fact]
    public async Task LoadAsync_ServiceThrows_SetsErrorState()
    {
        var service = Substitute.For<IProductsService>();
        service.LoadAsync().Returns(Task.FromException<IReadOnlyList<Product>>(
            new HttpRequestException("offline")));
        var viewModel = new ProductsViewModel(service);

        await viewModel.LoadAsync();

        Assert.Empty(viewModel.Products);
        Assert.NotNull(viewModel.ErrorMessage);
    }
}

Platform Abstraction Pattern

MAUI exposes injectable interfaces for many platform services. Prefer the built-in interface when it exists, such as IGeolocation, IFileSystem, IPreferences, IConnectivity, or ISecureStorage. Create a custom wrapper when the app needs to combine platform APIs, normalize errors, or expose an app-specific contract.

public interface ILocationService
{
    Task<Location?> GetLocationAsync(CancellationToken cancellationToken);
}

ViewModels depend on ILocationService, not Geolocation.Default directly. The production MAUI project registers the platform implementation; tests pass a fake implementation.

Anti-Patterns

• Do not call MauiProgram.CreateMauiApp() in ordinary ViewModel unit tests.
• Do not require a simulator for tests that only validate C# state transitions.
• Do not use static MAUI platform services directly from ViewModels if the logic needs deterministic unit tests.
• Do not call MainThread.BeginInvokeOnMainThread or Dispatcher.Dispatch inside synchronous ViewModel command logic; in plain xUnit hosts there may be no initialized platform dispatcher. Keep dispatching at the UI layer or behind an injectable dispatcher abstraction.
• Do not put UI automation expectations in unit tests; use DevFlow/runtime automation for running-app behavior.

Validation Checklist

• ViewModel tests run without a device.
• Platform APIs are behind interfaces or wrappers.
• Test project references follow the repo's package management conventions.
• Device-only behavior is explicitly separated from unit-testable logic.