Pakage and Deploy of Metro App in Windows 8 Tablet

Question

Hi Friends,

Usually my company develops Applications for Windows Platform.

Recently we got a requirement that one of our desktop application has to give support for Windows 8 Tablet PC / Metro Style App. For this we have started developing Metro App using Visual Studio 11.

Till now we are using Application packagers (InstallShield/MSI technology) to package (MSI/Setup.exe) and deploy our application. Recently I came to know that MSI technology would not support to package and deploy a Metro Style App in Widows 8 Tablet.

My doubt is how to package and deploy a metro style app for Windows 8 tablet?

What are the tools are available in market for package a metro style app?  

What are the files we get or hold to deploy a metro style app?

Is there any difference between deploying a metro app in a Windows 8 desktop (Metro) / Tablet PC?

How to deploy an application without using Windows store? Is it good procedure or possible doing this?

From the KB of MSDN / Build, somehow I understood that we can package metro app using MakeAppx.exe / Store in Visual Studio. But my team is not interested in this package.

Is there any other process or information regarding Metro App Package and Deploy for Windows 8 tablet?

Kindly let me know is there any wrongs in this post.

Please share me any form of information for my knowledge / clarifications….

Thanks in Advance.

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Answer 1

Hi ARK_SSDI,

The following link, should be of some use to you, and should answer some of your questions.

Thanks

Answer 2

Hi,

Using Visual Studio, you can package a metro style app by right-clicking on the project and select Store -> Create App Package. Note that this option is only avaliable if the project is created from a metro-style project template. This will launch a wizard that guides you through the process of creating a package for the metro app. If you're interested in building a package via the command line through MSBuild, see this post: http://social.msdn.microsoft.com/Forums/en-US/toolsforwinapps/thread/4727e1e3-50f1-4835-8c09-131066963474

You may install the package via the Add-AppxDevPackage.bat which is located in the output folder of the package. You can use the .bat file to install the package locally.

Hope this helps.

Answer 3

Hi All,

Thank you for valuable information.

Hence i found it, that i should package a metro app using either visualstudio or command line.

No third party tools cannot work for me such as installshield.

Thanks

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Ramakrishna

Answer 4

Hi,

Using Visual Studio, you can package a metro style app by right-clicking on the project and select Store -> Create App Package. Note that this option is only avaliable if the project is created from a metro-style project template. This will launch a wizard that guides you through the process of creating a package for the metro app. If you're interested in building a package via the command line through MSBuild, see this post: http://social.msdn.microsoft.com/Forums/en-US/toolsforwinapps/thread/4727e1e3-50f1-4835-8c09-131066963474

You may install the package via the Add-AppxDevPackage.bat which is located in the output folder of the package. You can use the .bat file to install the package locally.

Hope this helps.

What if there's no batch file created in the folder ?  Absolutely no .bat in there !
If I hit Deploy.  There's no icon on the START SCREEN so I don't know how to install my app locally only

I tried right clicking my project and using STORE than Create app package and selecting No to upload to Windows Store
Once the package is done,  it gives me a link to the folder which I have a file appxupload and a folder and in the folder everything is there except a batch file !

Can't wait to see my app running on my own pc having my logo tile in Start screen.
Thank you for any hints on what's going wrong for me

Windows 8 RP Build 8400

Answer 5

This changed between the Consumer Preview / VS 11 beta and the Release Preview / VS 2012 RC. It now creates a PowerShell file (Add-AppDevPackage.ps1) rather than a .bat file.

--Rob

Answer 6

Good but this doesn't tell me what I have to do with it and how I finally install this app from the package

Right clicking on it I see the option to open it with Power shell which starts a dos like app and asking me question about policy but that ends there.
Thank you to clarify !

 

Answer 7

Hi ARK_SSDI,

You may find this video helpfull to understand how WinRT Apps are packed by Visual Studio and installed by the Store:

Under the hood: installation and updates for Metro style apps

http://channel9.msdn.com/Events/BUILD/BUILD2011/PLAT-905C

Celso

Answer 8

You need to authorize powershell to execute scripts, that's what the policy prompt is for. Did you manage to get passed it?