Management of desktop applications is one of the key challenges enterprises are looking to address. MSIX is the client application deployment standard here to help you simplify your deployment and reduce your costs. Combined with the MSIX Package Support Framework updating to MSIX is efficient and effective.
Once you’ve packaged the app, it runs in the MSIX Container to guarantee a clean, reliable and trusted install/uninstall of the app, which in turn helps you reduce your long-term deployment maintenance costs. To make this transition seamless we created the Package Support Framework (aka: PSF); an open source lightweight kit that we are very excited to release today on GitHub.
The PSF can help your app bypass, in a very targeted way, some of the modern runtime environment limitations to make sure your existing solution runs as expected without changing its source. If you do have the source it will typically be easier to fix directly in the app itself.
We built the framework by leveraging Detours, which is a software package for re-routing developed by Microsoft research and helps with API redirection.
There are three main workflows where the PSF can help you today:
- Once you’ve packaged your app, you can add the PSF into your package by downloading the PackageSupportFramework NuGet Package and configuring its behavior via a simple config.json file, when your app is not behaving as expected. The configuration file will help you define the exact behavior you need.
If you tried our previous tech - the Desktop Bridge, you can also leverage the PSF in your package - Extend an existent PSF fix or Create your own, the PSF developed intentionally to be easily extensible by the community and allows you to build on top of the investments of others. We are looking forward to seeing how you will take it forward.
- PSF integration with the MSIX packaging tool - Coming soon…
The PSF will be integrated with the MSIX Packaging Tool and allow you apply and configure fixes easily with tool’s GUI. It can also be easily integrated with other solutions in the market.
What should I do next?
- Check out the step by step guide, it will walk you through the main PSF workflows and provides the key documentation.
- Learn more about the architecture and the underlying objects in our GitHub docs.
- Try it out with the complete sample on GitHub. To build the sample install 16299 SDK, it is specific to the sample.
- The PSF features can also be used on the older Windows 10 releases in conjunction with the Desktop Bridge release starting from version 1607 (Anniversary Update)
- The Package Support Framework is available as NuGet package.
- Learn more about the modern runtime environment.
- For feedback submit your pull requests or open an issue on GitHub.
Blog Credit: Vladimir Postel, Senior Program Manager, Microsoft
Microsoft
