1. Home
  2. Docs
  3. Guides
  4. Using Pretext in Any SkiaSharp Host

Using Pretext in Any SkiaSharp Host

The core Pretext package does not depend on Uno or a specific renderer. In a generic SkiaSharp host, add Pretext.SkiaSharp so the engine can discover the first-party SkiaSharp measurement backend automatically.

dotnet add package Pretext
dotnet add package Pretext.SkiaSharp

Generic host pattern

  1. Prepare text when content or font changes.
  2. Keep the prepared object in control or view-model state.
  3. Re-run layout when available width changes.
  4. Draw the resulting lines with your host's SkiaSharp surface.

If the same application also references native backends, call PretextLayout.SetTextMeasurerFactory(new SkiaSharpTextMeasurerFactory()) when the SkiaSharp backend should remain the source of truth.

Minimal drawing example

using Pretext;
using SkiaSharp;

var prepared = PretextLayout.PrepareWithSegments(
    "Hello soft\u00ADwrapped world",
    "16px Inter");

var lines = PretextLayout.LayoutWithLines(prepared, maxWidth: 220, lineHeight: 22);

using var paint = new SKPaint
{
    Typeface = SKTypeface.FromFamilyName("Inter"),
    TextSize = 16,
    IsAntialias = true
};

var y = 24f;
foreach (var line in lines.Lines)
{
    canvas.DrawText(line.Text, 0, y, paint);
    y += 22f;
}

Important host decisions

Pretext gives you line text and widths, but your host still decides:

  • baseline position
  • clipping and scrolling
  • selection and hit testing
  • antialiasing and paint configuration
  • line spacing beyond the supplied lineHeight

When to prefer streamed layout

Use LayoutNextLine instead of LayoutWithLines when:

  • you may stop early
  • lines flow into changing slots or obstacles
  • you want to avoid materializing every line string up front

Typical non-Uno uses

  • custom SKCanvasView or SKGLView controls
  • desktop editors or note surfaces built directly on SkiaSharp
  • design tools that need repeated text measurement during resize
  • reporting or export pipelines that place text into rectangles manually