Enabling .NET Support in Yocto using Meta Mono Layer

Enabling .NET Support in Yocto using Meta Mono Layer

In this post, we will provide instructions on how to enable .NET support in yocto, specifically using the dotnet and mono frameworks. We will demonstrate some basic dotnet- and mono-based hello world examples using our Nitrogen8MP SMARC platform, but this support can be enabled across all of our i.MX8 platforms.

Build procedure

First, we can start off by following the steps in our latest Yocto Mickledore Release and build for the nitrogen8mp machine.

Next, we need to add the meta-mono repo as part of our yocto sources. Navigate to the sources directory:

~/mickledore$ cd sources
~/mickledore/sources$

Now we can clone the meta-mono repo:

~/mickledore/sources$ git clone https://git.yoctoproject.org/git/meta-mono -b mickledore

Secondly, we need to add this layer to bblayers.conf and it can be done from the top level of the build directory as follows:

~/mickledore/build$ echo 'BBLAYERS += "${BSPDIR}/sources/meta-mono"' >> conf/bblayers.conf 

Lastly, we need to enable the dotnet and mono recipes/packages in local.conf to be built into the yocto OS image and we can do that from the top level of the build directory as follows:

~/mickledore/build$ echo 'IMAGE_INSTALL:append = " mono mono-helloworld dotnet dotnet-helloworld"' >> conf/local.conf

Now you can rebuild and reflash the image onto the platform and have the proper packages installed.

dotnet Helloworld example

We can run a a basic dotnet hello-world example using the installed binary:

root@nitrogen8mp:~# dotnet /opt/dotnet-helloworld/dotnet-helloworld.dll
Hello, World!

mono helloworldform

We can display a window on top of weston using mono and the helloworldform example:

root@nitrogen8mp:~# export DISPLAY=:0
root@nitrogen8mp:~# helloworldform

mono helloworldgtk

We can also display a window on top of weston using mono and the helloworldgtk example:

root@nitrogen8mp:~# export DISPLAY=:0
root@nitrogen8mp:~# helloworldgtk

There you have it! You now have .NET support in yocto and instructions to get you started.

If you have any issues, please email support@boundarydevices.com