Code signing Windows Store Apps

I can't get a very clear answer on the code signing requirement for deploying Windows Store Apps to the app store, even after searching the Internet for a couple of days. Specifically, my question is: are you required (not just recommended) to have a third
party Code Signing Certificate to publish to the Windows App Store?
I am not distributing the app to internal customers, but rather to external customers via the app store. If I'm missing this requirement documented in the documentation available on this site, can you point me to it?
Michael

All methods of deployment (Windows Store, PowerShell or System Center Configuration Manager) require the application to be signed using a certificate. The Windows Store channel requires a signing certificate
from a publicly trusted CA because, well, the testers in the approval process won't have access to your internal PKI.
Visual C++ MVP

Similar Messages

Convert Below Java code equivalent to c# windows store app.

Hi
please help me " To convert Below Java code equivalent to c# windows store app."
private String SecretKey = "enctsbqrm6hxyjfa";
    public byte[] encrypt(String text) throws Exception
       if(text == null || text.length() == 0)
            throw new Exception("Empty string");
       // convert key to bytes
       byte[] keyBytes = SecretKey.getBytes("UTF-8");
       // Use the first 16 bytes (or even less if key is shorter)
       byte[] keyBytes16 = new byte[16];
       System.arraycopy(keyBytes, 0, keyBytes16, 0, Math.min(keyBytes.length, 16));
       // convert plain text to bytes
       byte[] plainBytes = text.getBytes("UTF-8");
       // setup cipher
       SecretKeySpec skeySpec = new SecretKeySpec(keyBytes16, "AES");
       Cipher cipher = Cipher.getInstance("AES/ECB/PKCS7Padding");
       //byte[] iv = new byte[16]; // initialization vector with all 0
       cipher.init(Cipher.ENCRYPT_MODE, skeySpec);
       // encrypt
       byte[] encrypted = cipher.doFinal(plainBytes);
       return encrypted;
Thanks
Nitin

Hello Nitin,
Your current requirement is beyond the scope of our support for this fourm which is used to Discuss and ask questions about .NET Framework Base Classes (BCL) such as Collections, I/O, Regigistry, Globalization, Reflection.
If you want to know how to encrypt/decrypt in windows store app, I suggest that you could post a it to:
https://social.msdn.microsoft.com/Forums/windowsapps/en-US/home?forum=winappswithcsharp
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Windows Store App can't verify the server is trusted for your sign in address

I am aware this is (or was) an issue for the Lync 2013 client as well, as per
http://terenceluk.blogspot.ie/2013/04/signing-into-lync-2013-client-presents.html
This does seem to be fixed at this stage though, because after adding lyncdiscoverinternal.SIPdomain.com the Lync 2013 client does not prompt about the certificate.
However, the Windows Store app does prompt "Lync can't verify that the server is trusted for your sign-in address. Connect anyway?" This presumably boils down to the same issue where our Lync 2013 Frontend is lyncfrontend.internal.domain.com which
does not match the SIPdomain.com.
Is there a fix for this other than forcing lyncdiscoverinternal to the reverse proxy? The TrustModelData registry key only applies to the Lync 2013 full client so does not affect the Windows Store app.
Any suggestions would be welcome.

Hi wagenveld，
Create the DNS records as below:
Internal SIPdomain.com zone:
DNS A record：
lyncdiscoverinternal.SIPdomain.com-> sip.SIPdomain.com
DNS A record:
sip.SIPdomain.com-> IP address of Front End Server
For details, you can refer to the following blog:
http://blogs.technet.com/b/jenstr/archive/2011/02/10/lync-cannot-verify-that-the-server-is-trusted-for-your-sign-in-address.aspx
Best Regards,
Lisa
Lisa Zheng
TechNet Community Support

Unsigning and signing a windows store app

Hi All,
We are targeting side loading scenario for our Windows Store app first and then deploying to Windows store.
I understand the two scenario of developer and enterprise sideloading.
Was just thinking of one developer sideloading scenario which can happen. Please let me know your thoughts on the feasiblity of this option.
I have created my app with a test certificate with publisher being set as CN="X".
Unpack the app with MakeApp.exe
Pack the app again MakeApp.exe
Produces an unsigned package ?
i Distribute the unsigned app pacakge.
End user gets the app package.
Signs with a certificate of which publisher is X.
App gets signed and installed.
Are the above set of steps possible ?.
Thanks and Regards,
Saurav

Hi Saurav,
Perhaps if the question at publishing Windows Store App forum can get more suggestions.
https://social.msdn.microsoft.com/Forums/windowsapps/en-US/home?forum=windowsstore
--James
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Login to WebApi (MVC + WebApi) with Microsoft Account from Windows Store App

Hi
How can I access a WebApi Controller (ASP.NET MVC+WebApi) that is secured with Microsoft Account from a Windows Store App?
I have no idea how to login. I tried the LiveSDK but this gives me only access to OneDrive, Callender and so on.
Could someone please point me in the right direction.
Thanks
Guenter

Hi Guenter,
To be clear, you are using Microsoft account as login and at same time you have your own REST service for other functionalities?
Let's say if you login with LiveSDk, you should be able to get some access token, see this for more information:
Signing users in, after that use the token to access your REST service, as I understand REST service is a kind of http request, we can use HTTPClient to request data from the address.
I'm afraid there is no existing sample here but the only thing I found is HTTPClient sample:
https://code.msdn.microsoft.com/windowsapps/HttpClient-sample-55700664, you can use POST to send your token information to the server.
--James
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How to create an unsigned appxbundle file for windows store app?

Hi,
Is it possible create an unsigned appxbundle file for windows store app and later sign it with my company certificate?
If yes, how can I achieve it?
Thanks

You would create your own appx pacakge using
MakeAppx.exe.
Matt Small - Microsoft Escalation Engineer - Forum Moderator
If my reply answers your question, please mark this post as answered.
NOTE: If I ask for code, please provide something that I can drop directly into a project and run (including XAML), or an actual application project. I'm trying to help a lot of people, so I don't have time to figure out weird snippets with undefined
objects and unknown namespaces.

Distributing multiple versions of an app within a single Windows Store app

The company I work for creates Point Of Sale (POS) software using Software As A Service (SAAS), so we host our clients' databases. We do not force all of our clients to all be on the same version of our software; i.e. some clients are on version 3,
others v4, others v5, etc. As you would expect, the database schema for each of these versions is different, so each of these clients also use a different version of our client-side app.
We are looking at making a Windows Store app that acts as a light-weight POS app that clients can use to sell their products. The problem is, we will require having multiple versions of our Windows Store app in production; the version of the app that
the client uses must correspond to their database version. We were initially hoping to have our Windows Store app detect which version of the app the client should be using, and then automatically update itself to the correct version, but
were told on this post that it violates the Windows Store certification criteria, so that's not an option.
It has been suggested that we put multiple apps into the Store; one for each version of our software. We really don't want to do this though, as when we upgrade a client's database from one version to the next it would require that they uninstall their current
app and install the newer versions app, causing them to lose all of their custom settings. We would like the updates to remain as transparent to the end users as possible; the store clerk shouldn't need to worry about which version their database is on so
they know which app to download from the Store.
As a possible workaround, is it ok for us to package all 3 versions of our app into a single Windows Store app, and then just have the app check at runtime which version it should run? I assume that this is alright, since we will not be downloading
any other code or installing any software/apps, as was the case with our original solution that violates the certification criteria. Essentially we would just have 3 different classes and determine at run-time which classes code we should run.
I know that this solution isn't ideal, as it means our app will be 3 times larger than it needs to be, and that an update to any one of the 3 versions of our software will require an update to the Store app (so potentially users may download a new version
of the Store app, even though it doesn't have any changes for the particular code version (i.e. class) that they will use), but it's one of the best alternatives we have come up with. I just want to check that this solution doesn't also violate any certification
criteria before we go down this road.
If this is not allowed then our only other alternative might be to go with sideloading (as
I discuss on this thread) and avoid using the Windows Store all together, but we would prefer to use the Store if possible as it eliminates a lot of overhead that we would have to deal with if we use sideloading.
Any insights or suggestions that you can give are appreciated. Thanks!
- Dan - "Can't never could do anything"

Hey Mr_bigworlds, thanks for the reply. The moderator on this post actually told me that this
would be a better forum for my inquiries. I agree that there may be another forum better suited for this question (there are so many that I don't know about), but since this relates to Windows Store certification criteria, I don't think the Windows Desktop
Development forums are the place for it.
- Dan - "Can't never could do anything"

TelemetryClient.TrackException Does Not Include Method Name Or Call Stack (Windows Store App)

We are attempting to use Application Insights (v0.12.0-build17386) for our Windows Store App. When we use TelemetryClient.TrackException, no details appear in the azure portal. The Failed Method is "Could Not Parse" and the Call Stack
is empty. If we click on the "..." it gives more details but still no method name or call stack information to help us determine where the exception was thrown. Is this by design, not implemented, or did we miss something obvious? The
code is very simple:
public static void LogException(Exception exception)
TelemetryClient telemetryClient = new TelemetryClient();
telemetryClient.TrackException(exception);

This is a known limitation of this version. It is in the backlog to fix. Note though that 0.13 is out already and fix should be included in the next version (0.14)
Anastasia

How to display the PPT, PDF, XL, DOC files with in the Windows store app?

Hi,
I would like to display the PPT, PDF, XL, DOC files with in the Windows store app? is there any controls provided by Microsoft to view these files with in the app?
Or
Any workaround to achieve the desired functionality?
Kindly provide your inputs if any one has.
Regards
Prasad

Hi Prasad,
As I know currently there is no in-build functionality to display the PPT, XLS or DOC file directly on the Windows Store App, but you can always open these files by
Launcher class
However a good news is we can display PDF on Windows Store App by
Windows.Data.Pdf class, see this for more information:
https://code.msdn.microsoft.com/windowsapps/PDF-viewer-showcase-sample-39ced1e8/
--James
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Tabbed page in a Windows Store App

I am creating a Windows 8.1 app (Windows Store App) and I need to have a tab-based page in this app. As an example, for adding a new contact, I need to group the new contact details in tabs which can be switched from the left side
menu items.
I tried to use a FlipView for this purpose but I don't want the users to be able to switch between pages by flipping. I want to create a page similar to
[Add a recipe] page in Microsoft Food & Drink app.
How can I do this?

You can create a Page that contains a
Frame and switch out the frame as each menu item is clicked.
Matt Small - Microsoft Escalation Engineer - Forum Moderator
If my reply answers your question, please mark this post as answered.
NOTE: If I ask for code, please provide something that I can drop directly into a project and run (including XAML), or an actual application project. I'm trying to help a lot of people, so I don't have time to figure out weird snippets with undefined
objects and unknown namespaces.

System.ExecutionEngineException in a Windows Store App? - Why?

Hoping for some help from the powers that be or other resident experts, as I think this is one tricky problem.
I'm getting some seemingly random System.ExecutionEngineException events in my Windows Store app. Even though the error message itself is less than useless, when enabling native code debugging there does seem to be a connection to the use of streams and
possibly thread blocking. The call stack almost always contains a reference to SHCreateStreamOnFileW or similar stream-related functions (although that particular call is unsupported in WinRT, I'm assuming the kernel is calling it under the hood; I certainly
am not). In my own code, I do indeed utilize CreateStreamOverRandomAccessStream though so there's an obvious possible connection there.
I cut back on what was probably overly conservative use of EnterCriticalSection calls and that seems to have eliminated *almost* - but not all - of these insidious errors. Therefore I'm wondering if there's a connection between these errors and possible
thread blocking or competing locks? They also definitely seem to occur only when disk access is sluggish. So again, I'm thinking some issue with thread blocking while waiting for the disk. But just a guess.
What's particularly confusing is that the docs say this exception is obsolete, so I don't understand why I'd be getting it in a Windows store app.
Any insight would be appreciated!
Thanks,
Peter

You know what? I was just telling one of my testers today that I've only ever had an issue on my one laptop and no other machines. And he's never experienced it. (Outside the dev environment if just manifests as a random app crash and he hasn't reported
anything like that). Thing is the laptop is basically fine otherwise. Certainly no random app crashes except my own app. A few other data points. It only manifests in release mode so far. I've never seen it in debug mode. (Maybe code optimization could be
contributing?) I am using a fair amount of C#/C++ interop and a lot of multithreadimg. When the crashes do occur they are always when the app is doing things that use the C++ modules and specifically they utilize COM streams (which I implement
in C# to wrap .net streams) and synchronous disk read ops. IStream specifically. But the modules are always called from worker threads. They never block the UI thread. So that shouldn't be the issue. Even if it is my environment there should be a graceful
way to handle the error. As I said other apps don't just crash. Trying to think of what other relevant information I can give without getting into gory and irrelevant detail. Again any other insights appreciated. I'll try to grab a stack history next time
it happens (I have to be in native mode debugging to get any useful info). that will reveal more. Thanks so much. Peter

[Forum FAQ] Go to Start Screen/Desktop when closing Windows Store App

After install Windows 8.1 Update 1, you will notice these things set by default even on touchscreen laptops and desktops:
Windows 8.1 now boots directly to the desktop.
Closing Windows Store Apps and go to desktop instead of Start Screen.
Besides option “When I sign in or close all apps on a screen, go to the desktop instead of Start” since Windows 8, another new option in Taskbar Properties “Show Windows Store app on taskbar” is used to control closing app behavior.
Features of "Show Windows Store app on taskbar"
When the setting is checked, all of the Windows Store apps that are currently running will display on taskbar. You can easily switch between Windows Store apps and your desktop and its applications through the taskbar. For mouse users,
you can also access the taskbar within a Windows Store app. Just move the mouse cursor to the button of the screen, the taskbar pops up.
When the setting is unchecked,
Windows Store apps have no minimize button, only Close button
Windows Store apps that are open are not visible on Taskbar
Windows Store apps can still be pinned to the taskbar
How do these two options work for closing app behavior?
Modern app and Taskbar setting
OFF
ON
Boot to desktop setting
OFF
Close goes to Start
Close reveals the app that was previously used, and eventually dead ends at the Desktop
ON
Close goes to desktop
Close reveals the app that was previously used, and eventually dead ends at the Desktop
Know why “When I sign in or close all apps on a screen, go to the desktop instead of Start” does not work when “Show Windows Store app on taskbar” is checked on
As MironV mentioned in the
thread, Windows 8.1 Update is designed to introduce a number of changes for mouse and keyboard users that would help them use and switch between Windows Store apps alongside their familiar desktop applications. A lot of these changes only made sense when
combined together, so they are toggled by one setting, which is “Show Windows Store apps on the taskbar.” This is usually enabled together with the first setting as a complimentary set of improvements for desktop users. When the setting is enabled, Windows
Store apps are intended to feel more like regular maximized applications living on the desktop, though they are full screen only. For example, when you launch apps from Start, they appear on the taskbar until they are closed. You can also minimize them or
switch between them by invoking the taskbar.
Please understand that unchecking the “When I sign in or close all apps on a screen, go to the desktop instead of Start" setting has no effect on close and minimize behavior when the “Show Windows Store apps on the taskbar” setting is checked, since
they are controlling two independent things. If you tend to use only one Windows Store app at a given time, it may seem like we’re not respecting the setting by going to the desktop.
Please click to vote if the post helps you. This can be beneficial to other community members reading the thread.

I don't know if I'm the only one, but on my desktop (using mouse and keyboard only) I like to have my Start screen as my main screen. To ensure this I made sure to uncheck the "When I sign in or close all apps on a screen, go to the desktop" box and
check the "Show Start on the display I'm using when I press the Windows Logo key" box. I also really like having the task bar appear at the bottom even when I'm using a modern app. Based on the settings I've chosen (i.e., boxes I've checked or not checked),
I would expect to be taken back to the start screen and not the desktop whenever I close an app. From what I've read from your response and from others in this thread, in order to accomplish this function (i.e., closing an app and going directly to the
start screen) I need to uncheck the "Show Windows Store apps on the taskbar" setting. By doing this I get the functionality I was looking for when the apps are closed and I get sent to the start screen. However, I am now not able to see the taskbar
when I'm in a modern app or when I'm on the start screen. This seems counterintuitive/confusing as many have mentioned. Not to mention it creates an additional step for users to get back to the Start screen.
All I want to do is (1) use my start screen as my main screen, (2) see the taskbar when running whatever app I'm using (e.g., modern), and (3) go back to my start screen (and not the desktop) when I close an app. It would only make sense that I should
get these results if I leave the "Show Windows Store apps on the taskbar" box checked and the "When I sign in or close all apps on a screen, go to the desktop instead of Start" box unchecked; but unfortunately this is NOT the case. I really hope that
an update fixing this is coming sooner rather than later because this is really annoying.

How to use offline map for windows store app using c# and xaml

Hi friends,
I want to integrate offline map in my windows store app but I am not able to achieve that.
Below is my requirement:
When a user wants to go somewhere where she/he doesn't want to use wi-fi or mobile data but wants to use map to assist her/him to roam around. For this I want to give an option to download the map for that region/area before leaving for that place and there
she/he can use map even in offline.
Is it possible that I can achieve this using Bing maps?
If yes then tell me the processes to follow.
If no then can I achieve this using "Here" or by using any other API or by tweaking any way?
Note: I am showing maps in case of online and user can search for directions or any places in that. I am using Bing maps for that.
Thanks,
S.Sandeep

Hi Sandeepmsandy,
There is no available code sample for this scenario. You may write your own.
Step 1: Get pdf URL from sqlite database. Please refer to the following MSDN blog and see a code sample.
http://blogs.msdn.com/b/robertgreen/archive/2012/11/13/using-sqlite-in-windows-store-apps.aspx. Note, you need to retarget the project to 8.1 and then get two sqlite packages from NuGet before building this sample.
Step 2: Use some special classes to get file from serer.
HttpWebRequest can help download small pdf files. For more information to see
https://social.msdn.microsoft.com/Forums/windowsapps/en-US/de96a61c-e089-4595-8349-612be5d23ee6/download-file-with-httpwebrequest?forum=winappswithcsharp. It’s easy for use, but if you want to download the larger or many files, it’s recommend to use
BackgroundTransfer namespace. The classes in this namespace provide a power way to transfer files in the background. See a code sample from MSND.
https://code.msdn.microsoft.com/windowsapps/Background-Transfer-Sample-d7833f61.
Regards,
We are trying to better understand customer views on social support experience, so your participation in this interview project would be greatly appreciated if you have time. Thanks for helping make community forums a great place. Click HERE to participate
the survey.

Reading electronic identity cards in a windows store app project

In a windows store app project, i've been ask to implement a way to read the information on a Electronic Identity card such as this
is there any API i can use on a windows Store App project to achieve this? can't seem to find anything of sorts

You would have to be able to tap into a reader with a driver which returns the information back to the app. Do you have this?
Matt Small - Microsoft Escalation Engineer - Forum Moderator
If my reply answers your question, please mark this post as answered.
NOTE: If I ask for code, please provide something that I can drop directly into a project and run (including XAML), or an actual application project. I'm trying to help a lot of people, so I don't have time to figure out weird snippets with undefined
objects and unknown namespaces.

How to run windows store app in windows tablet

Hi,
I am developing an windows store app I can run my app in local machine.How can i run my app on windows tablets. I am using ASUS windows 8 tablet .How can I connect tab to my pc and run myapp in tablet.
Thanks,
Alok

1) In Visual Studio, create an appx package (Project -> Store ->Create App packages -> Not for upload)
2) Zip up the folder of the app package
3) Send to target machine
4) Unzip app package
5) Right-click Add-AppDecPackage.ps1 -> Run with Powershell (must be an admin)
6) Follow prompts for install
7) Enjoy
Matt Small - Microsoft Escalation Engineer - Forum Moderator
If my reply answers your question, please mark this post as answered.
NOTE: If I ask for code, please provide something that I can drop directly into a project and run (including XAML), or an actual application project. I'm trying to help a lot of people, so I don't have time to figure out weird snippets with undefined
objects and unknown namespaces.

Code signing Windows Store Apps

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