Using powershell to deploy provider-hosted app and specify remote Url instead of using appinv.aspx page

Question

Hello all,
Could you possibly help me with provider-hosted app development/deployment process.
We developed SharePoint provider-hosted app that works just fine in development environment. Now we need to automate it's installation in test environment via powershell.
In AppManifest.xml that we are deploying we have key instead of explicit URL:
<App xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/sharepoint/2012/app/manifest" Name="ShowAllRoomsApp" ProductID="{922a18aa-5592-b59a-4da9-4791baef02e7}" Version="1.0.0.0"
SharePointMinVersion="15.0.0.0">
  <Properties>
    <Title>SomeTitle</Title>
    <StartPage>~remoteAppUrl/Pages/Default.aspx?{StandardTokens}</StartPage>
If we use as
https://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/jj655398.aspx recommends, we cannot specify Redirect Url as we can do this on
/_layouts/appinv.aspx
So now it seems like the only way to deploy this kind of solution is using appinv.aspx page.Or must we apply this URL in AppManifest on developing stage in Visual Studio?
What did I miss?
P. S. Even if I use /_layouts/appinv.aspx after powershell commandlets, I get error.

Answer 1

hi,
to deploy provider hosted app you need 2 things
1. Client ID
2. Redirect URL.
What you can do you can generate app from visual studio using clientID and URL from developer enviornment.
Now a app file is just a simple compressed zip file if you rename it as .zip and extract you will find AppManifest
inside it. So to create an app for Testing enviornment what you have to to Get the CLient ID (from AppRegNew.aspx) in testing enviornment. Unzip .App file change the AppManifest with testing client ID and URL than again zip file and rename as .app.
Now if you upload this file it will work.
To automate this scenerio i have created a simple windows Application in which i Pass the Client ID and StartURl and an App File it unzips the app file make changes to app and again zip it.
public static class AppPackageHelper
public const string StartUrlExpression = "{0}?{1}";
public const string StandardToken = "{StandardTokens}";
public static string Publish(string appPath, string ClientId,string StartUrl)
string tempDir = string.Empty;
string outPutFile = string.Empty;
try
string parentDir = System.IO.Path.GetDirectoryName(appPath);
outPutFile = System.IO.Path.Combine(parentDir, ClientId + "-Winshuttle.app");
tempDir = System.IO.Path.Combine(parentDir, ClientId.ToString());
Directory.CreateDirectory(tempDir);
int lastInd = appPath.LastIndexOf('.');
string tempPath = string.Empty;
string targetFilePath = string.Empty;
string cabPath = System.IO.Path.Combine(tempDir, System.IO.Path.GetFileNameWithoutExtension(appPath) + ".cab");
FileInfo fInfo = new FileInfo(appPath) { IsReadOnly = false };
File.Copy(appPath, cabPath);
XDocument doc = null;
string appManifest = string.Empty;
using (ZipArchive zipArch = ZipFile.Open(cabPath, ZipArchiveMode.Update))
appManifest = string.Format(@"{0}\AppManifest.xml", Directory.GetParent(cabPath).FullName);
ZipArchiveEntry manifestEntry = zipArch.Entries.LastOrDefault(e => e.Name.ToLower() == "appmanifest.xml");
manifestEntry.ExtractToFile(appManifest);
doc = XDocument.Load(appManifest);
XNamespace ns = doc.Root.GetDefaultNamespace();
string defaultUrl = string.Format(StartUrlExpression, StartUrl.TrimEnd('/'), StandardToken);
doc.Descendants(XName.Get("StartPage", ns.NamespaceName)).First().Value = defaultUrl;
doc.Descendants(XName.Get("RemoteWebApplication", ns.NamespaceName)).First().Attribute(XName.Get("ClientId")).Value = setupInfo.ClientId.ToString();
doc.Save(appManifest);
if (manifestEntry != null)
manifestEntry.Delete();
zipArch.CreateEntryFromFile(appManifest, "AppManifest.xml");
int totEnt = zipArch.Entries.Count;
for (int e = 0; e < totEnt; e++)
if (zipArch.Entries[e].Open().Length == 0)
//if (zipArch.Entries.Count > totEnt && e >= totEnt) break;
//zipArch.CreateEntry(zipArch.Entries[e].FullName);
File.Delete(appManifest);
if (File.Exists(outPutFile))
File.Delete(outPutFile);
File.Move(cabPath, outPutFile);
return outPutFile;
catch
throw;
finally
if (System.IO.Directory.Exists(tempDir))
System.IO.Directory.Delete(tempDir, true);
return outPutFile;
using System.IO.Compression.FileSystem.dll.
Also if you want to do it using powershell You need to do the same thing unzip-> changes values-> zip
So basic thing is You need to ahve only valid AppManifest file which contains 2 valid values Client Id and StartUrl
if you changes it inside appmanifest manuall than it will also work. Using above code you can create a console Application to do it. You can use powershell it just that i dont know how to zip unzip in powershell but i am pretty sure you can easily find it
on searching.
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