ClickOnce application downloads instead of directly opening the app

[CodeDJ]

When opening a ClickOnce app, the *.application file gets saved to my Downloads folder instead of directly opening it. Additionally, since the file is downloaded, then opened from Downloads, it loses the cookie information required for our app to function correctly.

[#2]

I'm experiencing this as well. This is known behavior for how Chrome handles ClickOnce applications, but we use Edge today for launching ClickOnce applications.

[#3]

@CodeDJ I have this same issue. I get around it by calling iexplore.exe in front of the app to launch it from IE. This is a workaround, I would like Microsoft to fix this so it is handled correctly.

Here is my example that I use in the shortcut:

"C:\Program Files\Internet Explorer\iexplore.exe" http://website.com/example.application

[#4]

@TheJAC Thanks for the tip. Clicking on the downloaded abc.application opens the clickonce app for me using Edge Insider but it doesn't include any cookies from my website - which is a requirement for my apps. Thanks!

[#5]

Yep same here, this was one of the first things I wanted to check as we really need this to be working out of the box for the new Edge.

[#6]

@CodeDJ There is a Chrome extension called "ClickOnce for Google Chrome".  This can be installed in Edge, if you allow extensions from other stores and then acquire the extension from the Chrome Web Store.  Although, this is not a built-in function, the extension does allow ClickOnce apps to execute normally, instead of being downloaded.

I do hope that this ClickOnce function will be addressed in Edge, so that we don't have to use an extension or another work-around.

[#7]

@CodeDJ We really appreciate the feedback! ClickOnce support was on our mind as we were thinking through the Downloads workflow in Edge. It is feedback like yours, and others responding to this post, that help us in prioritizing ClickOnce support relative to other areas we are investing in. ClickOnce is a feature that we are working towards implementing, so stay tuned!

[#8]

@i-am-kent 

Any updates on ClickOnce support?

Thanks.

[#9]

Hi @Vidmo, thanks for checking in! We have engineers actively working on getting ClickOnce support and this is high on my priorities. While I can't reveal the timeline for this, I will try to update this post when I have more information to share. Feel free to ping this thread again if you don't hear back from me!

[#10]

This of course is not a trivial change to make. I'm glad to see this has a high priority. I was glad to see that the ClickOnce installer got a small visual update in the 1903 release of Windows 10. Hopefully insider Edge will soon support this feature. Great job everybody.

[#11]

Hi @i-am-kent, I'm also looking forward to support for ClickOnce, cookies are not essential for our environment, however, URL parameters are essential.

Thanks,

[#12]

@aclowe Thanks for the feedback, it definitely helps that we can show customer need when prioritizing our features. Engineering work is still being put into this feature, so it is definitely still a priority! Will keep people updated via this thread!

[#13]

@CodeDJ Just updating this thread to say that ClickOnce support is now in Canary (79.0.283.0). Users may opt into using ClickOnce by heading to the about:flags page and looking for "#edge-click-once". 

More information on this is available here:

https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/DeployEdge/edge-learn-more-co-di?branch=pr-en-us-105

Thanks everyone for your patience!

[#14]

@i-am-kent awesome! I have verified it works as expected, except for what's documented in the url you provided. For our internal website, I keep getting the Open/Cancel popup and have to click it each time.

[#15]

@i-am-kentI read the documentation page you listed and I'm confused. Why would ClickOnce NOT be turned on by default?

We're expecting a solution that behaves as IE and Edge do today. They both have ClickOnce on by default, why shouldn't Edge DEV as well? Also, will there be a GPO method to turning this on? If not, then how can you claim it's for Enterprises to use?

[#16]

@Vidmo this is how they release new features, first in canary, a lot of times behind a flag, when stable it becomes the default.

[#17]

@CodeDJPlease re-read the documentation page. https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/DeployEdge/edge-learn-more-co-di?branch=pr-en-us-105 

That page states specifically "Because ClickOnce is an enterprise-focused feature that’s used by a specific group of power users and not intended for general use, ClickOnce is disabled by default."

[#18]

@i-am-kent  To somewhat answer my own question about GPO support it looks like the manual enable option does state that "This feature flag will be overridden if your organization configures the "Allow users to open files using the ClickOnce protocol" policy."

So maybe we will have some control over this.

[#19]

@i-am-kentJust tested with a ClickOnce .application URL and it worked fine. But what about .vsto? Its not being treated as a ClickOnce URL install.

[#20]

Thanks for the bug report. We can confirm this isn't yet working correctly for .vsto files.