A cross-platform mobile and desktop application built with .NET MAUI for a packaging film manufacturer's delivery confirmation workflow, enabling warehouse and customer-side staff to receive, verify, and track incoming shipments against live enterprise data.
The app connects directly to an existing production SQL Server database — one that already served as the system of record for dispatch and logistics operations — and layers a receiving/confirmation workflow on top of it without modifying the underlying schema owned by other systems. Each customer organization logs in and sees only its own shipments, with real-time status tracking as orders move from pending to received.
Architecture & Navigation. Built on .NET MAUI Shell, using a hybrid navigation model combining flyout-based primary navigation (Pending/All Orders) with programmatically-routed detail views. Implemented IQueryAttributable for reliable cross-page parameter passing, working around Shell's page lifecycle timing inconsistencies with the more commonly-used QueryProperty attribute. Session-scoped state management is handled through a lightweight service layer, since MAUI lacks the built-in per-request scoping conventions of web frameworks.
Data Layer. Used Entity Framework Core with a Database-First approach, reverse-engineered against a pre-existing multi-table production schema not designed for this application. Discovered and resolved a data integrity mismatch between a formally-defined but unpopulated foreign key relationship and the actual dispatch-number-based linking convention used by the real production data, requiring live-data validation rather than relying solely on declared schema constraints. Designed and integrated a supplementary tracking table for customer receipt confirmations alongside the existing schema, maintaining referential integrity without altering tables owned by upstream systems. Implemented multi-tenant data scoping so queries are filtered by authenticated customer identity, enforcing isolation between organizations sharing the same database.
Connectivity & Security. Diagnosed and resolved SQL Server remote connectivity across authentication modes (Windows Integrated vs. SQL Authentication), TCP/IP configuration, and firewall rules for both same-machine and cross-device network access. Implemented Android network security configuration to support encrypted and unencrypted connection scenarios across development and production database targets. Built with a migration path toward cloud-hosted SQL infrastructure, including Azure SQL-compatible connection handling and encrypted transport.
UI/UX. Created a custom design system through centralized XAML resource dictionaries covering typography, color palette, and spacing for consistent theming across views. Implemented data-driven conditional styling with XAML DataTriggers for pending/received status states without code-behind logic. Integrated Font Awesome for cross-platform iconography and built responsive card-based interfaces using Border, Shadow, and CollectionView with compiled data bindings (x:DataType) for type safety and performance. Added a branded splash screen and persistent header/footer branding throughout the application shell.
Deployment. Configured dual-platform builds for Android and Windows from a single codebase. Supported physical device deployment and debugging over USB with live network diagnostics. The application follows an APK-based distribution model appropriate for internal enterprise tooling, avoiding the need for public app-store distribution.