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Using VS 2013 Update 4, Tools for Apache Cordova 3.0...

I'm preparing a package for upload to the windows phone store and could use help getting VS to write out the appx file so I can run the certification checks (and eventually upload it to the Store!)

I've done:

  • Project>Store>Associate App with the Store
  • Project>Store>Create App Packages
  • Do you want to build packages to upload to the Windows Phone Store? (yes)
  • Signed in to the Windows Phone Store
  • Selected the App name I've reserved, it currently has 'None" for Package Identity in the Windows Phone Store
  • Select and Configure Packages: defaults (Architecture: Neutral, Solution Configuration: Release (Windows Phone Universal).
  • click Create
  • A "Package Creation Completed" dialog box pops up saying that the Package that will be validated is: c:\Users\Me\\AppPackages\CordovaApp.Phone_0.0.0.3_AnyCPU.appxbundle
  • click Launch Windows App Certification Kit, allow to make changes
  • Windows App Certification Kit throws error "The specified AppX package file does not exist".

-- looking in Explorer, sure enough, there's nothing there!

The SYSTEM has full control of the AppPackages folder.

???

Tawpie
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  • I haven't done a Windows Phone app yet, but it might be same issue as with Android and iOS app builds. Is your "Attach..." dropdown selected to Device? For Android and iOS builds, it will not create the store package unless you select Device. – mharr Mar 28 '15 at 17:46
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    @mharr -- setting the device to device WORKED. Thank you... you should put that in as an answer so you get credit! Of note to others that use VS 2013u4 with Tools for Apache Cordova, you must build for the store from the native VS solution or it doesn't identify the project properly in the AppxManifest file. see http://stackoverflow.com/questions/27462133/appxmanifest-file-not-being-generated-correctly – Tawpie Mar 30 '15 at 16:01

2 Answers2

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I haven't done a Windows Phone app yet, but it might be same issue as with Android and iOS app builds. Is your "Attach..." dropdown selected to Device? For Android and iOS builds, it will not create the store package unless you select Device.

mharr
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Currently creating appx bundle from Create App Package wizard is not supported. As a workaround you can either open native project and use Create App Package wizard to create appx bundle or you can modify the jsproj file to add property to indicate msbuild that you want to create appx bundle always.

Workaround:

  1. Open native project -- after building the project, you will find native project under platforms\windows directory.
  2. In native project, you can use Create App Package wizard to specify that you want to create Bundle.

OR

1.) Another way to create appx bundle is to modify the jsproj (project file) by adding following properties and then building the project.

 <AppxBundle>Always</AppxBundle>
 <AppxBundlePlatforms>neutral</AppxBundlePlatforms>

like 

<PropertyGroup>
    <TargetPlatformIdentifier>Windows</TargetPlatformIdentifier>
    <TargetPlatformVersion>8.1</TargetPlatformVersion>
    <RequiredPlatformVersion>8.1</RequiredPlatformVersion>
    <MinimumVisualStudioVersion>12.0</MinimumVisualStudioVersion>
    <DefaultLanguage>en-US</DefaultLanguage>
    <PackageCertificateKeyFile>CordovaApp_TemporaryKey.pfx</PackageCertificateKeyFile>
    <AppxAutoIncrementPackageRevision>True</AppxAutoIncrementPackageRevision>
    <AppxBundle>Always</AppxBundle>
    <AppxBundlePlatforms>neutral</AppxBundlePlatforms>
  </PropertyGroup>
Abhishek - MSFT
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  • Saved my day! I'm curious, where are these properties documented? – Ohad Schneider Oct 14 '15 at 15:03
  • They aren't @OhadSchneider thats why so many people are lost when it comes to windows phone development. But in the same vein, Cordova fails here too because they don't document it well at all either. All in all it is a perfect storm of poor documentation via MSFT and Cordova. – Stephen Tetreault Dec 10 '15 at 16:12