MSIX Installer for Desktop Applications - Packaging WPF, WinForms, and UWP Applications
Why Stack Overflow recommends it
Stack Overflow users link it as a step-by-step walkthrough for creating an MSIX installer for WPF and other desktop apps, especially when asking about or answering sideloading and auto-update problems.
Recommended by 3 people across 3 different months, 2020 to 2023.
What it is
A nearly hour-long tutorial from IAmTimCorey on packaging C# desktop apps (WPF, WinForms, UWP) with the MSIX installer instead of third-party tools like InstallShield. It shows how to create the MSIX package, add your project to it, and install and update the app on a client machine without the Microsoft Store.
What people said
Recommends J Weezy · 2021-04 · Stack Overflow · on “MSIX Installed WPF application that uses Azure SSO will not launch”
I am new to creating an MSIX installer and hosting it on Azure. Question: Why will a WPF application that is installed with an MSIX installer not launch? Details: I have a WPF application built on .NET 5 that logs users into our Azure SQL database with SSO. So, when the application launches, it will first open Chrome to allow the user to enter their AAD credentials. Once that step is complete, the application will launch. I followed Tim Corey's walkthrough on how to create an MSIX installer here: [this video] I am able to build the application and the MSIX installer. The MSIX package is created on my local and I am able to launch the application's executable from the release folder. I am able to
Recommends Lev Yastrebov · 2021-05 · Stack Overflow · on “How to automatically update an application without ClickOnce?”
These days you could use included in Windows 10 mechanism for app delivery called AppInstaller by packaging your app in MSIX bundle or package. With it, you don't have to think about an installer (if your app doesn't use a lot of dependencies), background updating, and all of that. It's much better than ClickOnce, command-line usage works like a charm thanks to aliases, updates are non-obtrusive and could be used for background apps too. The installation experience is much better too: a user just needs to click a button on HTML and Windows will install the app automatically. It's not super-simple, I'd say more complicated than ClickOnce, but not as hard as Wix. Official guide [LINK] doesn't
Recommends Marek Pio · 2023-04 · Stack Overflow · on “Visual Studio publish sideloading MSIX appinstaller for WPF, WinUI3, MAUI”
I found that there are little differences how to create an appinstaller for WPF, WinUi3 and MAUI. There is a short summary: WPF .NET (core) - works well - There is great tutorial MSIX Installer for Desktop Applications - Packaging WPF, WinForms, and UWP Applications [this video] that is usefull for all projects. WinUi 3 in Desktop - work well - RMB on the project > Package and Publish > Create App Packages... Template Studio for WinUi - work well - RMB on the project > Package and Publish > Create App Packages... MAUI - the Visual Assets and appinstaller is bugged - RMB on the project > Publish... If this is your first time that you create an installer it is a good idea to start from one of worki
Cites Jacob JA Shanks · 2020-06 · Stack Overflow · on “Unable to publish WPF in MSIX due to "AMD64" processor mismatch”
I'm currently having more issues with packaging using the Windows Application Packaging Project (WAPP). I desire to package my WPF app into an app bundle compatible with 32 and 64 bit systems. In my own app I added the WAPP and referenced it in accordance with this Microsoft Docs article [LINK] along with doing the initial setup in the projects properties and making x64 and x86 configurations using the Configuration Manager for my WPF project. Debugging the WAPP runs normally with no issues. When I move to publishing, I set it for sideloading, select the signature and choose to bundle the Release x64 and x86 configurations. During the publish process, the x86 build runs first with no issues,