Using winapp CLI with .NET

This guide should work for most .NET projects types. The steps have been tested with both console and UI-based projects like WPF. For working examples, check out the dotnet-app (console) and wpf-app (WPF) samples in the samples folder.

This guide demonstrates how to use winappcli with a .NET application to debug with package identity and package your application as an MSIX.

Package identity is a core concept in the Windows app model. It allows your application to access specific Windows APIs (like Notifications, Security, AI APIs, etc), have a clean install/uninstall experience, and more.

A standard executable (like one created with dotnet build) does not have package identity. This guide shows how to add it for debugging and then package it for distribution.

Prerequisites

.NET SDK: Install the .NET SDK:

winget install Microsoft.DotNet.SDK.10 --source winget

winapp CLI: Install the winapp tool via winget:

winget install Microsoft.winappcli --source winget

1. Create a New .NET App

Start by creating a simple .NET console application:

dotnet new console -n dotnet-app
cd dotnet-app

Run it to make sure everything is working:

dotnet run

Output should be "Hello, World!"

2. Update Code to Check Identity

We'll update the app to check if it's running with package identity. We'll use the Windows Runtime API to access the Package APIs.

First, update your project file to target a specific Windows SDK version. Open dotnet-app.csproj and change the TargetFramework to include the Windows SDK version:

  <TargetFramework>net10.0-windows10.0.26100.0</TargetFramework>

This gives you access to Windows Runtime APIs without needing additional packages.

Now replace the contents of Program.cs with the following code. This code attempts to retrieve the current package identity using the Windows Runtime API. If it succeeds, it prints the Package Family Name; otherwise, it prints "Not packaged".

using Windows.ApplicationModel;

class Program
{
    static void Main(string[] args)
    {
        try
        {
            var package = Package.Current;
            var familyName = package.Id.FamilyName;
            Console.WriteLine($"Package Family Name: {familyName}");
        }
        catch (InvalidOperationException)
        {
            // Thrown when app doesn't have package identity
            Console.WriteLine("Not packaged");
        }
    }
}

3. Run Without Identity

Now, run the app as usual:

dotnet run

You should see the output "Not packaged". This confirms that the standard executable is running without any package identity.

4. Initialize Project with winapp CLI

The winapp init command sets up everything you need in one go: app manifest, assets, and development certificate.

Run the following command and follow the prompts:

winapp init

When prompted:

Package name: Press Enter to accept the default (dotnet-app)
Publisher name: Press Enter to accept the default or enter your name
Description: Press Enter to accept the default (Windows Application) or enter a description
Version: Press Enter to accept 1.0.0.0
Entry point: Press Enter to accept the default (dotnet-app.exe)
Setup SDKs: Select "Do not setup SDKs" - we'll add Windows App SDK via NuGet instead
Developer Mode": If you are prompted about "Developer Mode", you can turn it on if you would like, but be aware that it requires administrative privileges

This command will:

Create appxmanifest.xml and Assets folder for your app identity
Generate a development certificate (devcert.pfx) for signing

You can open appxmanifest.xml to further customize properties like the display name, publisher, and capabilities.

5. Debug with Identity

To test features that require identity (like Notifications) without fully packaging the app, you can use winapp create-debug-identity. This applies a temporary identity to your executable using the manifest we just generated.

Build the executable:
```
dotnet build -c Debug
```

Apply Debug Identity: Run the following command on your built executable:

winapp create-debug-identity .\bin\Debug\net10.0-windows10.0.26100.0\dotnet-app.exe

Run the Executable: Run the executable directly (do not use dotnet run as it might rebuild/overwrite the file):
```
.\bin\Debug\net10.0-windows10.0.26100.0\dotnet-app.exe
```

You should now see output similar to:

Package Family Name: dotnet-app_12345abcde

This confirms your app is running with a valid package identity!

Automating Debug Identity (Optional)

To streamline your development workflow, you can configure MSBuild to automatically apply debug identity after building in Debug configuration. Add this target to your .csproj file at the end, just before the closing </Project> tag:

  <!-- Automatically apply debug identity after Debug builds -->
  <Target Name="ApplyDebugIdentity" AfterTargets="Build" Condition="'$(Configuration)' == 'Debug'">
    <Exec Command="winapp create-debug-identity &quot;$(TargetDir)$(TargetName).exe&quot;" 
          WorkingDirectory="$(ProjectDir)" 
          IgnoreExitCode="false" />
  </Target>

With this configuration, simply running dotnet build or dotnet run will automatically apply the debug identity, and you can immediately run the executable with identity without the manual step.

6. Using Windows App SDK

If you want to use Windows App SDK APIs in your .NET application, add the Windows App SDK NuGet package to your project.

Add Windows App SDK Package

Add the WindowsAppSDK package to your project:

dotnet add package Microsoft.WindowsAppSDK

This will update your .csproj file to include the Windows App SDK package reference.

Update Program.cs

Let's update the app to use the Windows App Runtime API to get the runtime version:

using Windows.ApplicationModel;

class Program
{
    static void Main(string[] args)
    {
        try
        {
            var package = Package.Current;
            var familyName = package.Id.FamilyName;
            Console.WriteLine($"Package Family Name: {familyName}");
            
            // Get Windows App Runtime version using the API
            var runtimeVersion = Microsoft.Windows.ApplicationModel.WindowsAppRuntime.RuntimeInfo.AsString;
            Console.WriteLine($"Windows App Runtime Version: {runtimeVersion}");
        }
        catch (InvalidOperationException)
        {
            // Thrown when app doesn't have package identity
            Console.WriteLine("Not packaged");
        }
    }
}

Build and Run

Rebuild and run the application with Windows App SDK. Since we've added the WinAppSDK, we need to re-generate the debug identity, so winapp adds the runtime dependency to the WinAppSDK. If you updated the csproj to auto set debug identity, simply run dotnet run. Otherwise:

dotnet build -c Debug
winapp create-debug-identity .\bin\Debug\net10.0-windows10.0.26100.0\dotnet-app.exe
.\bin\Debug\net10.0-windows10.0.26100.0\dotnet-app.exe

You should now see output like:

Package Family Name: dotnet-app.debug_12345abcde
Windows App Runtime Version: 1.8-stable (1.8.0)

The Windows App SDK NuGet package includes all the necessary assemblies for accessing modern Windows APIs including:

Notifications and live tiles
Windowing and app lifecycle
Push notifications
And many more Windows App SDK components

For more advanced Windows App SDK usage, check out the Windows App SDK documentation.

7. Package with MSIX

Once you're ready to distribute your app, you can package it as an MSIX using the same manifest.

Build for Release

First, build your application in release mode for optimal performance:

dotnet build -c Release

Add Execution Alias (for console apps)

To allow users to run your app from the command line after installation (like dotnet-app), add an execution alias to the appxmanifest.xml. If you are building a WPF or WinForms app, this step is not necessary.

Open appxmanifest.xml and add the uap5 namespace to the <Package> tag if it's missing, and then add the extension inside <Applications><Application><Extensions>...:

<Package
  ...
  xmlns:uap10="http://schemas.microsoft.com/appx/manifest/uap/windows10/10"
  xmlns:uap5="http://schemas.microsoft.com/appx/manifest/uap/windows10/5"
  IgnorableNamespaces="uap uap2 uap3 rescap desktop desktop6 uap10">

  ...
  <Applications>
    <Application ...>
      ...

      <!-- Add this Extensions element in your manifest 
           along with the xmlns:uap5 namespace above -->
      <Extensions>
        <uap5:Extension Category="windows.appExecutionAlias">
          <uap5:AppExecutionAlias>
            <uap5:ExecutionAlias Alias="dotnet-app.exe" />
          </uap5:AppExecutionAlias>
        </uap5:Extension>
      </Extensions>

      ...
    </Application>
  </Applications>
</Package>

Sign and Pack

Since winapp init already generated the development certificate, you can proceed directly to packaging. Point the pack command to your build output folder:

# package and sign the app with the generated certificate
winapp pack .\bin\Release\net10.0-windows10.0.26100.0 --manifest .\appxmanifest.xml --cert .\devcert.pfx

Note: The pack command automatically uses the appxmanifest.xml from your current directory and copies it to the target folder before packaging. The generated .msix file will be in the current directory.

Install the Certificate

Before you can install the MSIX package, you need to install the development certificate. Run this command as administrator:

winapp cert install .\devcert.pfx

Install and Run

Install the package by double-clicking the generated *.msix file.

Now you can run your app from anywhere in the terminal by typing:

dotnet-app

You should see the "Package Family Name" output, confirming it's installed and running with identity.

Tips:

Once you are ready for distribution, you can sign your MSIX with a code signing certificate from a Certificate Authority so your users don't have to install a self-signed certificate.
The Microsoft Store will sign the MSIX for you, no need to sign before submission.
You might need to create multiple MSIX packages, one for each architecture you support (x64, Arm64). Use the -r flag with dotnet build to target specific architectures: dotnet build -c Release -r win-x64 or dotnet build -c Release -r win-arm64.

Automating MSIX Packaging (Optional)

To automate MSIX packaging as part of your Release builds, add this target to your .csproj file (you can add it alongside the debug identity target):

  <!-- Automatically package as MSIX after Release builds -->
  <Target Name="PackageMsix" AfterTargets="Build" Condition="'$(Configuration)' == 'Release'">
    <!-- Package and sign directly from build output -->
    <Exec Command="winapp pack &quot;$(TargetDir.TrimEnd('\'))&quot; --cert &quot;$(ProjectDir)devcert.pfx&quot;" 
          WorkingDirectory="$(ProjectDir)" 
          IgnoreExitCode="false" />
  </Target>

With this configuration:

Building in Release mode (dotnet build -c Release) will automatically create the MSIX package
The MSIX is packaged and signed with your development certificate
The final .msix file will be in the root of the project

You can also create a custom configuration (e.g., PackagedRelease) by modifying the condition to '$(Configuration)' == 'PackagedRelease'.

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Using winapp CLI with .NET

Prerequisites

1. Create a New .NET App

2. Update Code to Check Identity

3. Run Without Identity

4. Initialize Project with winapp CLI

5. Debug with Identity

Automating Debug Identity (Optional)

6. Using Windows App SDK

Add Windows App SDK Package

Update Program.cs

Build and Run

7. Package with MSIX

Build for Release

Add Execution Alias (for console apps)

Sign and Pack

Install the Certificate

Install and Run

Tips:

Automating MSIX Packaging (Optional)

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Using winapp CLI with .NET

Prerequisites

1. Create a New .NET App

2. Update Code to Check Identity

3. Run Without Identity

4. Initialize Project with winapp CLI

5. Debug with Identity

Automating Debug Identity (Optional)

6. Using Windows App SDK

Add Windows App SDK Package

Update Program.cs

Build and Run

7. Package with MSIX

Build for Release

Add Execution Alias (for console apps)

Sign and Pack

Install the Certificate

Install and Run

Tips:

Automating MSIX Packaging (Optional)