JohnCoffin
Posts: 6
Joined: Wed Apr 21, 2021 11:55 pm

Troubles Creating MSIX Package from Scratch

Tue Aug 24, 2021 6:07 pm

We're trying to evaluate the latest Advanced Installer as a solution for our MSIX packages. We were initially unable to get MSIX packages to work with 15.8.

We watched this fantastic video in which an MSIX package is built from scratch in 67 seconds (the same instructions can be found in Create an MSIX package). After following these steps, we have an MSIX package that deploys something and runs. As it turns out, it doesn’t deploy our product, and the application that runs is an empty screen.

We then assumed that there may have been "one or two" steps left out. So we tried adding in things we thought might be missing after reading through Professional Installation. As it turns out, we now have the same problems that we had with 15.8. When we try to run the application, we get the same error:
a.png
a.png (7KiB)Viewed 39650 times
This error message is symptomatic of trying to launch our UWP app directly and not as a deployed app package.

We're pretty sure that this is something simple that we've missed. We unfortunately cannot figure it out. We've looked through community posts and community samples but did not find anything that addressed this issue. We've also looked through the FAQ/User guide and for an instructional video that addressed this.

We'd appreciate anyone who points us in the right direction.

Kind regards,

John

JohnCoffin
Posts: 6
Joined: Wed Apr 21, 2021 11:55 pm

Re: Troubles Creating MSIX Package from Scratch

Tue Aug 24, 2021 6:59 pm

Here's the AIP from following the instructions without any extra steps.
Attachments
Your Application.aip
(19.62KiB)Downloaded 516 times

JohnCoffin
Posts: 6
Joined: Wed Apr 21, 2021 11:55 pm

Re: Troubles Creating MSIX Package from Scratch

Wed Aug 25, 2021 12:37 am

We got a little further by changing the App entry point, filling in the "Universal Windows" section, and filling in the application folder in install parameters for "Build_MSIX_App" (i.e. there is a dropdown at the top, and one can specify install parameters for each build).

We're now at a point where the package is deployed but when launched, a blank screened app appears, disappears, and reappears a few times before giving up. Maybe a crash?

We've simplified this by going through the same process with a simple app (i.e. VS Xamarin UWP template). Same deail. We have a feeling that it is one of the parameters we go wrong, so we're going to compare the app manifest XML to one from the MSBuild publish (which installs and runs).

Fingers crossed.

Bogdan
Posts: 2791
Joined: Tue Jul 07, 2009 7:34 am
Contact:  Website

Re: Troubles Creating MSIX Package from Scratch

Wed Aug 25, 2021 9:42 am

Hi John,

The AIP file you attached is empty, other than a reference to your certificate it does not contain any other configurations, besides our defaults.

Can you attach an updated version of your test project? Or zip it all together (binaries included) if it's just for testing purposes.

Also, is your application running correctly when packaged as an MSI/EXE? (i assume you are using the same AIP project file to generate the MSI/EXE).

Some application behave differently or fail when packaged as MSIX because of the constraints imposed by the MSIX contaier. If you have access to your application code (which it seems to be the case from your details) you should be able to correct these issues. (for example, you can't write to the installation folder, etc...)

To get more details about what is failing, you can try to use our AppCompat tracing capability. The log generated should help point out some if not all of the problems. However, since you have access to the code, please make the fixes directly into your code and do not use the PSF fixups included. The PSF fixups are meant for IT professionals which manage apps for which they don't have access to the source code (usually these are old legacy apps).

Regards,
Bogdan
Bogdan Mitrache - Advanced Installer Team
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