General Tab for MSIX Release

Use the Settings view on the General tab to specify core settings that impact the build process such as including desktop extensions or server extensions and signing details.

Describes the architecture of the code contained in the package. A package that includes executable code must include this attribute.

The available codes are given below:

Choose whether to include "full trust" apps and other Desktop Bridge extensions as part of the core UWP app package format. If you want to enable your desktop apps to start leveraging Universal Windows Platform (UWP) APIs, you should enable desktop extensions.

If you select,

Important • When using InstallShield to create a UWP app package, choose to include either desktop extensions or server extensions, but not both. Although a UWP app package can contain both desktop and server extensions, targeting one set over the other is a more likely scenario.

Optionally, specify the app's maximum supported tested Windows version number. If you leave this blank, this setting defaults to match the Minimum Version (or the minimum version number of Windows 10 Anniversary Update if nothing is specified for Minimum Version).

The version must contain only numbers and it requires four parts using the following format (with values in each part ranging from 0 to 65535): majorversion.minorversion.buildnumber.revisionnumber such as:

Use as few characters as possible. For example, do not use unnecessary leading zeros; instead of entering 14.00.25.1, enter the following:

Optionally, specify the app's minimum supported Windows Server operating system. If you leave this blank, the minimum version number of Windows Server 2016 is assumed.

The version must contain only numbers and it requires four parts using the following format (with values in each part ranging from 0 to 65535): majorversion.minorversion.buildnumber.revisionnumber, such as:

Use as few characters as possible. For example, do not use unnecessary leading zeros; instead of entering 14.00.25.1, enter the following:

Select the retail or debug build of the C++ runtime that matches the one used in your product.

Important • This setting does not cause the dependency packages to be installed in sideloading scenarios. For those scenarios, the dependency may have to be delivered manually. Also, the debug versions of the of the C++ runtime are only useful for internal testing and cannot be uploaded to the Windows Store. For local testing or sideloading, you may also have to deploy the framework package that is included in the Windows 10 SDK.

To customize the Framework Dependencies,

You can use the Msix.xml file, which is installed to the following location:

InstallShield Program Files folder\System

An example is given below:

<VC140 Name="Microsoft.VCLibs.140.00.UWPDesktop" MinVersion="14.0.24217.0" Publisher="CN=Microsoft Corporation, O=Microsoft Corporation, L=Redmond, S=Washington, C=US">Microsoft Visual C++ 2015 Runtime</VC140>

Specify whether or not you want to sign msix package.

To specify the digital certificate that you want to use to sign your release, click the ellipsis button (...) in this setting. The Certificate Selection dialog box opens, enabling you to specify either the location of the .pfx file, or information about the certificate store that contains the certificate.

This read-only setting displays the certificate's issuer information.

If the .pfx file that you are using has a password, enter it. InstallShield encrypts the password and stores it in your project file (.isl).

At build time, InstallShield uses the password to sign files with a .pfx file. If your certificate is protected by a password but you do not enter it in this setting, signing with a .pfx file fails.

Important • If you configure your project to use a certificate that was imported with password protection into a store, Windows prompts for the password at build time when InstallShield is attempting to sign your project's files. The strong key protection that Windows uses does not permit InstallShield to provide the password to the cryptographic provider.

Use the Package Identity Overrides area on the General tab to uniquely identify a package to Windows. These fields are typically not shown to an end user.

To override the actual value of the certificate if one is specified on the General tab, specify the Subject name (name of the owner) of the certificate that will be used to sign the package. For example:

CN=Flexera Software LLC, O=Flexera Software LLC, L=Itasca, S=Illinois, C=US

If a package will be distributed through the Windows Store, it doesn't need to be signed before it's uploaded to Microsoft, in which case a signing certificate may be skipped. If a package will be sideloaded, it may or may not need to be signed, depending on how your customers expect to handle the package:

The following settings on the General tab of the Releases view also influence the built package by controlling whether and how the UWP app package is signed: