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MSIX Hero 2.3.0: Silent package editing and more

MSIX Hero has been just updated to version 2.3.0. Make sure to have .NET 6.0 installed on your machine which is now required to start the program.

Command line package editing

Command line app msixherocli.exe has a new command which can be used for unattended editing of packages, especially for automation purposes.

The list of available operations is going to be extended in next releases, the following is currently supported:

  • Changing of package identity (name, publisher, version, processor architecture etc.) via msixherocli.exe edit <path> setIdentity ...
  • Setting properties like display names, publisher display name, logo etc. via msixherocli.exe edit <path> setProperties ...
  • Adding standard, restricted or custom capabilities via msixherocli.exe edit <path> addCapability ...
  • Setting build meta-data via msixherocli.exe edit <path> setBuildMetaData ...
  • Deleting files via msixherocli.exe edit <path> deleteFile ...
  • Adding or replacing files via msixherocli.exe edit <path> addFile ...
  • Setting registry keys via msixherocli.exe edit <path> setRegistryKey ...
  • Setting registry values via msixherocli.exe edit <path> setRegistryValue ...
  • Deleting registry keys via msixherocli.exe edit <path> deleteRegistryKey ...
  • Deleting registry values via msixherocli.exe edit <path> deleteRegistryValue ...
  • Importing registry keys from file or local registry via msixherocli.exe edit <path> importRegistry ...

These command may be executed in a single atomic operation via msixherocli.exe edit <path> list ..., where the list of commands is passed either via a file or command prompt.

Call msixherocli.exe edit <path> --help for extensive help for all options. The <path> in all above commands can be a manifest, MSIX or an unpacked package directory.

Support for dependencies in .appinstaller dialog

Appinstaller editor dialog now supports package dependencies.

Drop-down with timestamping authorities

Fields accepting timestamp URL have now a drop-down with suggested timestamping authorities

The list is maintained in the following gist.

Dialog to calculate publisher hash, package name and Package Family Name

In a newly added dialog (accessible from the Dashboard) it is easy to calculate the required properties and understand how they are built.

Other improvements

  • Ability to filter package list by publisher hash or raw name/publisher.
  • Ability to skip the validation during packing (in both UI and command-line).
  • Ability to remove unpacked folder after packing it to MSIX file.
  • Ability to remove MSIX file after unpacking it to a folder (in both UI and command-line).
  • Ability to copy package family name from the context menu.
  • Tim Mangan’s PsfTooling and RayPack Express are now recognized and shown in the System Summary screen.
  • New visual style of the tools dashboard.
  • Reworked running app indicator, which now works in real time and has some other improvements.
  • Better validation of package name, package version and resource ID in many UI dialogs.
  • Update impact dialog has now icons and better captions for duplicated files.

Resolved issues

  • Fixed sideloading and developer settings UI on Windows 10 (2004 and higher) and Windows 11.
  • Fixed handling of timestamp-related exceptions from signtool.exe.

Technical changes and SDK updates

  • Updated msixmgr (MSIX Core) to version 1.1.92.
  • Migrated MSIX Hero to .NET 6.0.
  • Reduced application size thanks to deprecation of older .NET Framework code.
  • Updated MSIX/Windows SDK to 10.0.22000.0.

Microsoft Store availability

MSIX Hero is now available in Microsoft Store. Bear in mind, that due to certification processes, the updates from both Winget and Microsoft Store may be lagging a few days behind. Also, be aware that the Store release uses a different package name, and due to another application data directory it may not see the settings, configured by MSIX Hero installed from MSIX/.appinstaller/winget.

Download

The new version can be downloaded from the Download page or from the GitHub Releases page.

MSIX Hero 2.2.29

New version of MSIX Hero is available. This release has the following changes:

  • It is now possible to pack a folder without a manifest
  • Windows 11 is now correctly recognized in the package properties dialog (0cd4f1b)
  • Ability to activate verbose logging + jump to logs folder (Settings screen)
  • Fixed App Attach generation with message ‘Successfully started the Shell Hardware Detection Service’ (#118)
  • Fixed NullReferenceException when searching the list and when certain packages are present on the system (#119)
  • General stability improvements

The new version can be downloaded from the Download page or from the GitHub Releases page.

MSIX Hero 2.2: Winget v1, app attach and productivity enhancements

New version of MSIX Hero is available. Below is the list of recent changes:

View directories, files, registry keys and values in your packages

Package properties have been redesigned to make space for two new tab: Files and Registry. They provide the overview of resources deployed by each package. For files, there is a button to show its content in a default editor.

This feature has been implemented for both installed packages and for compressed packages (MSIX) opened directly.

Winget Editor now supports v1 schema

Winget has moved on and has now more mature and feature-packed schema in version 1.0. MSIX Hero can now open and create files using the new schema (note: since the old schema has become obsolete, there is a little breaking change that the old formats cannot be opened or saved anymore).

New schema defines several new fields, which are now also supported directly from the GUI.

BTW: MSIX Hero support for Winget is not limited to MSIX – other setup types are also supported!


MSIX app attach – multiple files conversion + support for VHDX and CIM

MSIX app attach conversion dialog now supports multiple input files (similarly to how Package Signing handles them) and supports further output formats: VHDX and CIM (next to the already supported VHD). Note: Support for CIM is currently experimental.

By the way: App attach files can be also generated using MSIX Hero Command Line Interface.

New navigation structure for package properties

Package properties have been reorganized:

  • Capabilities are now in the Properties tab (previously they were in Content)
  • Optional content is now in the Installation tab (previously in Content)
  • PSF is now a sub-item of the Content tab (renamed to Package Support Framework) – previously, it was a root tab.
  • New tabs for files and registry have been added in the Content tab.
  • Second level of tabs is now vertical and uses icons instead of texts.

Other changes

  • The option to mount a registry has been removed – the new Registry control makes it obsolete (9eb4961c).
  • Improved parsing of errors reported by makeappx.exe (a02b4ac9).
  • Windows 10 21H1 is now correctly recognized by its marketing name (May 2021 Update) in various places (52b44688).
  • Minor UI improvements.

Resolved issues

  • Fixed incorrect first-time validation of package signing settings, where the information about missing PFX files was shown (ca38766f).
  • Fixed UTF-8 handling in saved files (a02b4ac9).
  • Fixed the button to open Store page that was available for non-store apps (bb7ef0f3).
  • Fixed NullReferenceException when copying install or user-profile path from the OPEN flyout (2f7bdf98).

The new version can be downloaded from the Download page or from the GitHub Releases page.

MSIX Hero 0.7.0 lets you manage APPX volumes

A new version of MSIX Hero is there. The big highlight feature of this build is the support for AppxVolumes, but there are also a few smaller improvements and bug fixes, making this a highly recommended update.

Volume manager

By default, all APPX/MSIX installations happen in C:\Program Files\WindowsApps. This directory actually corresponds to the default volume configured on the target machine. The management of volumes is now implemented in MSIX Hero. Version 0.7 can list, add, remove volumes and also mount/dismount them. You can also set the default volume so that your apps will be always installed where you expect them to be present.

All of these new functions are present in a new tab which has been added in the sidebar (the first one being for packages, and the third one containing the system overview, as desribed in the release notes for version 0.6).

All currently available APPX volumes are visible (both mounted and dismounted). On most of machines, there is just one entry by default (the one marked with a green checkmark).

The ribbon for volumes has a new button which opens the New volume dialog:

You can select the target drive and optionally an absolute folder path (standard is \WindowsApps, but this can be changed to whatever you like). Additionally, there is a checkbox for marking the new volume as the default one. Bear in mind, that every partition/disk can the host of maximum one volume, and this is why some disk letters may not be available in this dialog.

The context menu and the contextual ribbon for every volume has the following options:

The availability of them depends on the volume state, for example you cannot remove or dismount a volume that is currently your default one.

Moving packages between volumes

Setting up the default volume ensures that all future package installations will be automatically saved there. What about changing the installation path of an already installed app?

To move an app, go to the Packages tab and select the package to be moved. Its contextual tab should have a new button Change volume…

Pressing it opens another dialog, where the desired volume can be changed.

Note: On a standard machine with no extra options, there is usually just a single volume available. At least one additional volume has to be created in order to move any package.

Package integrity settings

For packages that support it, the integrity settings are now parsed and displayed in the package sidebar / window:

More information about Package Integrity Enforcement: https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/msix/package/signing-package-overview#package-integrity-enforcement

Other changes

  • There is now an extra confirmation window shown before removing a package. The dialog can be disabled in MSIX Hero settings in order to bring back the old behavior (immediate removal).
  • Minor changes in the ordering of buttons in contextual Manage tab for the packages – the button to run the package has been moved and is now shown at the first position.
  • There was a typo in the name of the Home and work networks. The issue is now fixed.
  • The link to open a new folder after creating a modifiction package stub was broken. This issue is now fixed.

Download

The app will be updated automatically in few hours if you installed it from app installer file. New users can download MSIX Hero from the Download page.

Your feedback is important, let me which other features you would like to see in MSIX Hero.