Adding a Sideloading Windows App Bundle (.appxbundle | .msixbundle) to a Suite/Advanced UI Project
InstallShield 2020
Project:This information applies to Suite/Advanced UI.
Edition:The Advanced UI project type is available in the Professional edition of InstallShield. The Suite/Advanced UI project type is available in the Premier edition of InstallShield. For information about the differences between these two project types, see Advanced UI Projects vs. Suite/Advanced UI Projects.
Note:The ability to create and build a Suite/Advanced UI installation that includes a sideloading Windows App Bundle requires Windows 8 or later or Windows Server 2016 or later on the machine that has InstallShield or the Standalone Build.
InstallShield lets you add the sideloading Windows App Bundle (.msixbundle) to a Suite/Advanced UI project.
Sideloading an app bundle is the process of installing an app bundle without obtaining it through the Windows Store. This type of app bundle is sometimes distributed to enterprise environments. Following are requirements for sideloading app bundle:
| • | The target system must have Windows 10 or Windows Server 2019 or later. |
| • | The Allow all trusted applications to install group policy setting must be enabled on the target system. |
For additional requirements for sideloading and running these types of app bundles, see the Windows documentation on the MSDN Website.
To add a Windows App bundle (.msixbundle) to your Suite/Advanced UI project:
| 1. | In the View List under Organization, click Packages. |
| 2. | Right-click the Packages explorer and then click New UWP App Bundle (.appxbundle | .msixbundle). The Select the installation file for this package dialog box opens. |
| 3. | Select the Windows App Bundle that you want to add to your Suite/Advanced UI project, and then click Open. The Add Files for this package dialog box opens. |
| 4. | Specify whether to include additional folders and files with your package file. If so, whether you want to include dynamically linked files. Typically a Windows App Bundle is self-contained, and it requires only the Windows App bundle and possibly the certificate file (.cer). |
| 5. | InstallShield adds the bundle, plus any additional folders and files, in the Packages explorer. |
Note:When you add a sideloading app bundle to a Suite/Advanced UI project, InstallShield automatically adds an eligibility condition for that bundle to check for the presence of Windows 8 or later or Windows Server 2016 or later. This eligibility condition ensures that the Suite/Advanced UI installation does not attempt to add the package to systems that have earlier versions of Windows.
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