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MSIX Hero 3.0

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MSIX Hero 3.0 is now available for download. This is a major release, with plenty of new features and internal changes.

Multilanguage support

MSIX Hero UI has been localized and translated to German and Polish. You can change the language in the Settings menu, and when starting for the first time MSIX Hero picks the best match from the list of supported languages (based on current system UI).

New card-based UI

The UI has been reworked – many settings, which were previously buried or hidden, are now available, often without any extra click. For example, this is the default view for a package:

Some other areas heavily affected by the new design principle are Event viewer and PSF content browser. Make sure to check them out!

App pinning

Installed apps can be now pinned and unpinned. To do it, simply press a star icon next to each installed app:

Shared Package Container

It is now possible to create XML files or directly deploy Shared Package Container. MSIX Hero GUI provides an easy way to set things up, including picking installed packages, reading from installable files, reordering etc. All these options are now also available in the CLI interface.

Certificate and timestamp validation

In every place where signature options are present, there is now a new button to validate the data.

The validation process ensures that end-to-end signing is working. It performs basic certificate check, timestamp server settings, trust status and much more.

Improved display of events

In the Event details section, typical win32 erros are now displayed in a humand friendly form, when possible with extra explanation. For example, the following is shown for an event, depicting a situation when an already existing package, albeit with a different content is being reinstalled.

The list of events has been reworked to show more information at glance:

Advanced options for appinstaller creation

A new tab was added in the Appinstaller dialog, allowing to circumvent a known-issue in MSIX / Delivery Optimization subsystem:

App attach dialog additions

It is now possible to edit junction point.

Settings for app attach have now also an experimental switch to revert back to a legacy (MSIX Hero 1.5) way of app attach creation. There is also a configuration for default value of junction points.

Other changes

  • In the Packages list, it is now possible to filter apps by their update capability (with app installer) and to switch between user/machine-wide installations.
  • In the Events list, new options for filtering were added: time span, log source and ability to filter verbose events.
  • In the System page, Sideloading and development features are now presented separately. Developer mode can be enabled with a switch control.
  • In the Package details view, sub-section Files, an information about file and registry virtualization is now shown (for packages supporting it).
  • In the Package details view, the displayed information for apps now shows more relevant information for PWA and hosted apps.
  • Toolbars are now more responsive and collapse properly if there is not enough horizontal space.

Full list of changes is available in GitHub Releases page.

Download

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

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MSIX Hero 2.3.0: Silent package editing and more

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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.

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MSIX Hero 2.2.34

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A new minor update is now available, it fixes a few visual glitches and improves the handling of build metadata when saving or signing MSIX packages.

Changelog

  • When signing or changing an existing MSIX package, the original build metadata will be now preserved (previous version were removing any custom attributes and/or pre-existing values) (#120)
  • Fixed visual glitches related to acrylic backgrounds on maximized screen (4fdc7a77)
  • Several internal changes and code improvements (2dfc024 and 2790978)

Download

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

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MSIX Hero 2.2.29

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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.

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

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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.

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MSIX Hero 2.1.0

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

Support for Modification-, optional and related packages when generating .appinstaller files

Two new tabs are present in the App Installer editor: Optional packages and Related packages. These packages can be used to modify the base app (like modifying settings) or to extend functionality (like adding plugins).

Control the animation level

MSIX Hero 2.0 has introduced a new, rich UI, which however could cause issues on low-end machines, virtual machines or remote sessions. In this version, the amount of animations, transparency and other effects can be controlled in the UI. The default value Automatic ensures, that the program sets the most appropriate setting when launching the app.


New dashboard view

The dashboard has been cleaned-up, and shows a better overview of available actions.

Other changes

  • In case of errors when installing packages, the message shown in the UI is more precise.
  • It is now possible to add multiple files at once in the Sign Package dialog.
  • Minor UI changes and improvements.
  • Package selector now supports the .msixbundle extension.
  • Improved parsing of packages.

Resolved issues

  • Fixed an error shown when installing bundle packages
  • Fixed an issue in the App Installer editor, where the value of the Main Package URL was not saved properly.
  • Fixed the command line view generator in the app attach dialog, which was not including the --directory parameter.
  • Fixed a problem with the Add Folder prompt, which did not support cancelling.

Known issues

The format of winget manifests has changed recently. This build is not compatible with the new format yet. There is some work in a separate branch where the support is already covered, but there are some missing bits before it gets to the build (see issue Make winget editor compatible with v1 manifest format · Issue #110)

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

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MSIX Hero 2.0.68

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New version of MSIX Hero is now available. This is a bug-fix release, which resolves a few issues reported since the last build 2.0.64. A detailed list of changes can be viewed on GitHub release page: https://github.com/marcinotorowski/MSIX-Hero/releases/tag/v2.0.68

Improvements

  • Better UI messages for winget CLI validation (#97)

Bug fixes

  • Fix wrong owner of various message boxes (#96)
  • Fix wrong checking for winget presence (#97)
  • Fix “Parameter set cannot be resolved” when calling cert-related functions interoping with PS (#98)

The new version can be downloaded from the Download page.

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MSIX Hero 2.0.64: Improved Update Impact with CLI support

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New version 2.0.64 is now available for download. Detailed information about changes and included commits can be found in GitHub Releases page: https://github.com/marcinotorowski/MSIX-Hero/releases/tag/v2.0.64

The biggest change in this release (compared to previous version 2.0.46) is the overhaul of the Update Impact dialog, which received several new features and improvements:

Changes

  • Rewritten Update Impact analyzer
    • Added duplication and bar layout views
    • Added CLI support via updateImpact verb
    • Improved performance, especially for big packages
    • Ability to export to XML and start a new comparison
  • Added context menu item to open the Change Volume dialog for the selected package
  • Minor UI changes
    • Changed colors of invalid input fields from red to yellow
    • Validation icons are consistent (tab items, input texts, dialogs, the settings view)
    • Tab items have now bigger padding
    • Added extra help with tooltip in the Modification Package section, checkbox Copy to VFS

Bug fixes

  • Fixed a problem with the partition drop-down, which was not showing any value in the Change Volume dialog
  • Fixed a problem with invisible text on Windows 10 with dark mode enabled
  • Fixed broken CLI verb dependencies
  • Fixed a problem with file overview in the Update impact dialog, which was not correct for packages having uncompressed Appx blocks (for example ZIP files)
  • Fixed a regression in Winget editor, where the dialog would crash with “Invalid filter” exception
  • Fixed a problem with Modification Package dialog, where the checkbox “Copy to VFS” was not reacting to changes of other controls

The new version can be downloaded from the Download page.

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MSIX Hero 2.0 – new features + UI + open source

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After around 3 months of development, the newest version of MSIX Hero 2.0 goes public.

This release has four big changes:

  • New license model – code is now open-sourced on GitHub, and the application is licensed under GNU GPL v3.
  • New UI
  • Several new or improved features
  • The app is now requiring .NET 5.0 runtime (previously .NET Core 3.1 was required)
Download MSIX Hero 2.0 with autoupdates
See other download options

The code is now open-sourced

The full source code is available on GitHub:
https://github.com/marcinotorowski/msix-hero

GitHub releases page contains technical release notes and compiled binaries. You can use Discussions or Issues to report ideas and bugs. Also, contributions via pull request are welcome.

The builds available for the download on this page use the same codebase and build routines as the code from GitHub, with the only exception of digital signing for which the keys are not public.

New UI

After starting the app, the first and arguably the most visible change is the new UI. Classic ribbon has been deprecated in favor of a fresh and lightweight UI, which takes less screen space and thanks to the principles of Fluent Design better exposes available functions and places of interest.

The basic navigation patterns are the same – use the left menu with icons to change between Dashboard, Packages, Volumes, Events and System. Use the search bar to perform quick as-you-type filtering of the currently displayed list (if applicable). The most important options have dedicated buttons on the top bar, all functions can be also accessed from the context menu. You can toggle between USER and MACHINE packages by pressing the blue badge next to the search bar. Sorting, filtering and grouping is also available – to open the panel simply press the filter icon located over the package list.

Some less-frequently used options are available in drop-down menu, which can be access from the toggle button on the right.

By the way, several less-used menu items are now less prominently exposed, but still available by pressing the three dots menu on the right:

Dashboard

MSIX Hero 1.x had several useful tools for various purposes, but they were difficult to discover due to being effectively scattered over several places, ribbons and tabs. In this version, there is now a single place to see them:

Ability to start any entry point

In MSIX Hero 1.x it was possible to “start” an application. MSIX Hero would choose the most appropriate entry point and have it started. This might have been not quite what the user wanted in case of apps with many entry points. In version 2.0, things have been improved by the introduction of the new Start menu. To access it, select any app and click on the Start toggle button in the top action bar:

This menu consolidates several other menus from MSIX Hero 1.x. You have an option to pick any entry point (and the badge next to it shows the type of the app – whether it is a classic Win32 EXE, UWP or maybe even a Progressive Web App). The bottom part of the new menu shows the commands which can be executed in the package context. As always, you can customize the commands by visiting the Settings dialog.

Command-line generator

MSIX Hero has a command line interface which covers most of operations available through dialogs. In this build, some of dialogs support a new switch that shows the equivalent of the current settings with the use of silent command line interface. In the dialogs that already support this functionality, tick the following checkbox:

to reveal a command line textbox. You can continue to change the options and preferences, and the command line will be automatically recreated. For example, this is how signing command line can be automated:

If you prefer to first test the settings out, simply execute the action and wait for the confirmation screen to be shown. The command will be shown there:

Sorting and grouping by the installation date

In the main package list, MSIX Hero 2.0 displays installation dates instead of package architecture.

Additional sorting, filtering and grouping options have been added to change the view regarding each app’s installation date. To access the menu, locate the filter icon in the top right corner and press it to show all options:

New Event Viewer

The complete Event Viewer tab has been redesigned from scratch. It has now a common master-detail layout, and shows much more interesting information for each event. One benefit of using this list over a system viewer is that MSIX Hero extracts the names of affected packages, so that you can quickly locate events affecting particular products. Also in version 2.0, error codes (if any present) are extracted from the description and shown directly in the list:

Improved dependency analyzer

The dependency view uses now an improved algorithm, and due to several changes in captions and the new legend the relations are now much clearer.

Consolidated import and export of certificates from files

Actions like importing of a certificate file (.cer), trusting package publishers and exporting certificates from packages are now available from a single dialog (in MSIX Hero 1.x, these were available either separately or only from a command line). In this new dialog, the input file can be either a signed package or a certificate file – the choice of available actions depends on the input format. For example, when opening a signed package, the user can either extract the certificate or import it directly to the Trusted People store.

Other changes in 2.0

  • Improved performance and faster initial start.
  • Added toast notifications displayed after installing or removing an app.
  • It is possible to select the default screen that is opened when MSIX Hero starts (default is the Packages screen).
  • Many other minor fixes and optimizations.
Download MSIX Hero 2.0 with autoupdates
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MSIX Hero 2.0.39 (beta)

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A new version of MSIX Hero 2.x is available. The 2.0 milestone is now complete, as all items planned for 2.0 release are now in place. Just as in case of the last build, this version must be downloaded separately, and it installs side-by-side with 1.x release. Continue reading to find out what has changed and how to get started.

In case you upgrade from 1.x, here is the overview of what version 2.x has already changed.

Changes since 2.0.0 (alpha):

Breaking changes

  • MSIX Hero migrated from .NET Core 3.1 to .NET 5.0 (#74)
  • Device Guard version 1 signing is not available anymore (#72)

Improvements

  • Raw package name / publisher name is now shown instead of blanks if the translation from PRI failed (#82)
  • “Copy to clipboard” button now available for event logs (#79)
  • Compacted header in the package view (#73)
  • Make it possible to drop a project onto the main window and have it opened (#73)
  • Restored buttons and key bindings to open MSIX packages in a new dialog (1.x functionality) (#73)
  • Certificate selectors now display icons (3c33658)
  • Improved dialog for import/extract of certificates (4dfcd7b)

Resolved issues

  • Broken deserialization of YAML files (#81)
  • Broken certificate validation in the settings screen for default values (98cc77d)
  • Crash to desktop when trying to copy an item in the Packages screen (5498e2d)
  • Progress bar in Package Signing dialog was not stacked for multiple packages (#71)
  • Missing scrollbar in event viewer (7b9e216)
  • Fix transparent background during loading (280a2d6)
Download MSIX Hero 2.0.39-beta

Known issues:

  • MSIX Version is still 2.0.0 (#83)
  • Filtering by installation date crashes to desktop (#84)

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