pandite

Microsoft Store submission

This procedure puts pandite in the Microsoft Store. pandite is a Win32 desktop program in an MSIX package. The build makes unsigned packages, because the Store signs every package that it accepts.

The three placeholder values

The manifest packaging/windows/AppxManifest.xml contains three placeholder values. Partner Center gives the real values when you reserve the app name. Do not write these values into the manifest. Give them to the build script.

Manifest value	Placeholder in the manifest	Name in Partner Center	Environment variable or repository variable	Script argument
Identity Name	REPLACE-ME.pandite	Package/Identity/Name	PANDITE_MSIX_IDENTITY_NAME	--identity-name
Identity Publisher	CN=REPLACE-ME-PUBLISHER-ID	Package/Identity/Publisher	PANDITE_MSIX_PUBLISHER	--publisher
PublisherDisplayName	REPLACE-ME publisher display name	Package/Properties/PublisherDisplayName	PANDITE_MSIX_PUBLISHER_DISPLAY_NAME	--publisher-display-name

The script packaging/windows/build-msix.mjs also sets the package version from the app version (0.1.0 becomes 0.1.0.0) and the processor architecture (x64 or arm64).

1. Reserve the name

1. Sign in to Partner Center at https://partner.microsoft.com/dashboard with your developer account.
2. Go to Apps and games. Select New product, then MSIX or PWA app.
3. Type pandite and select Check availability.
4. If the name is available, select Reserve product name.
5. If the name is not available, reserve a different name. Then put the reserved name in packaging/windows/AppxManifest.xml in three places: the <DisplayName> element, the DisplayName attribute of uap:VisualElements and the ShortName attribute of uap:DefaultTile. The Store rejects a package whose display name is not a reserved name.

2. Copy the identity values

1. In Partner Center, open the app. Go to Product management, then Product identity.
2. Copy these three values:
   • Package/Identity/Name
   • Package/Identity/Publisher
   • Package/Properties/PublisherDisplayName

3. Build the package

Use one of the two procedures.

Procedure A: GitHub release

1. In the GitHub repository, go to Settings, Secrets and variables, Actions.
2. Select the Variables tab.
3. Make three repository variables with the values from step 2:
   • PANDITE_MSIX_IDENTITY_NAME
   • PANDITE_MSIX_PUBLISHER
   • PANDITE_MSIX_PUBLISHER_DISPLAY_NAME
4. Push a release tag (see “Release” in building.md).
5. When the Release workflow is complete, open the GitHub release.
6. Download pandite-<version>-windows.msixbundle. This bundle contains the x64 and the ARM64 package.

Procedure B: local build

You need Node.js, Rust and the Windows SDK. See building.md.

1. Open PowerShell in the repository folder.

2. Set the three values, and link the C runtime statically:

   $env:PANDITE_MSIX_IDENTITY_NAME = "<Package/Identity/Name>"
   $env:PANDITE_MSIX_PUBLISHER = "<Package/Identity/Publisher>"
   $env:PANDITE_MSIX_PUBLISHER_DISPLAY_NAME = "<Package/Properties/PublisherDisplayName>"
   $env:RUSTFLAGS = "-C target-feature=+crt-static"
   

3. Build the x64 package:

   node packaging/windows/build-msix.mjs --build --require-identity
   

4. Build the ARM64 package:

   rustup target add aarch64-pc-windows-msvc
   node packaging/windows/build-msix.mjs --build --require-identity --target aarch64-pc-windows-msvc
   

5. Bundle the two packages. Replace 0.1.0 with the version:

   node packaging/windows/build-msix.mjs --bundle dist/pandite-0.1.0-x86_64-windows.msix dist/pandite-0.1.0-aarch64-windows.msix
   

6. Find dist\pandite-0.1.0-windows.msixbundle.

With --require-identity, the script stops when a value is missing or when the program needs the Visual C++ Redistributable. Without it, the script keeps the placeholders and prints a note. The Store rejects a package that contains the placeholders.

4. Test the package on your computer (optional)

An unsigned package does not install. To test the package before you submit it, sign a copy with a test certificate. The certificate subject must be equal to the Publisher value.

1. Open Windows PowerShell as administrator in the repository folder.

2. Make a test certificate. Replace <Publisher> with the Publisher value, for example CN=12345678-ABCD-1234-ABCD-1234567890AB:

   $cert = New-SelfSignedCertificate -Type Custom -Subject "<Publisher>" -KeyUsage DigitalSignature -FriendlyName "pandite test signing" -CertStoreLocation "Cert:\CurrentUser\My" -TextExtension @("2.5.29.37={text}1.3.6.1.5.5.7.3.3", "2.5.29.19={text}")
   $password = ConvertTo-SecureString -String "<password>" -Force -AsPlainText
   Export-PfxCertificate -Cert $cert -FilePath pandite-test.pfx -Password $password
   Export-Certificate -Cert $cert -FilePath pandite-test.cer
   Import-Certificate -FilePath pandite-test.cer -CertStoreLocation Cert:\LocalMachine\TrustedPeople
   

3. Sign a copy of the package:

   Copy-Item dist\pandite-0.1.0-x86_64-windows.msix dist\pandite-test.msix
   $env:PANDITE_SIGN_PASSWORD = "<password>"
   node packaging/windows/sign-msix.mjs --pfx pandite-test.pfx dist\pandite-test.msix
   

4. Double-click dist\pandite-test.msix and select Install.
5. Start pandite from the Start menu. Open an image. Right-click an image in File Explorer and select Open with, then pandite.

6. Optional: run the Windows App Certification Kit on the signed package:

   & "C:\Program Files (x86)\Windows Kits\10\App Certification Kit\appcert.exe" test -appxpackagepath dist\pandite-test.msix -reportoutputpath $env:TEMP\pandite-wack.xml
   

7. Remove the test app in Settings, Apps, Installed apps.
8. Do not submit the test copy. Submit the unsigned package or bundle.

Signed packages in GitHub releases (optional)

When the repository has the two secrets below, the Release workflow also adds a signed pandite-<version>-<arch>-windows-sideload.msix for each architecture. Users who trust your certificate can install these files without the Store.

Secret	Value
PANDITE_SIGNING_CERT_BASE64	The .pfx file in base64
PANDITE_SIGNING_CERT_PASSWORD	The .pfx password

1. Write the base64 text of the .pfx file to a text file:

   [Convert]::ToBase64String([IO.File]::ReadAllBytes((Resolve-Path pandite-test.pfx))) | Set-Content pandite-test.pfx.txt
   

2. In the GitHub repository, go to Settings, Secrets and variables, Actions.
3. On the Secrets tab, make the two secrets. Copy the text of pandite-test.pfx.txt into PANDITE_SIGNING_CERT_BASE64.
4. Delete pandite-test.pfx.txt.

The Store packages stay unsigned. The workflow does not need these secrets.

5. Make the submission

1. In Partner Center, open the app and select Start submission.
2. Complete each section with the information below.
3. Select Submit to the Store.

Pricing and availability

1. Select the markets.
2. Select the price. pandite is free.
3. Select the visibility.

Properties

1. Category: Photo and video.
2. Privacy policy: the Store asks for a privacy policy when an app accesses, collects or sends personal information. pandite does none of these. If you give a privacy policy, use the privacy statement below.
3. System requirements: select DirectX 12 as recommended hardware. On Windows, pandite draws with Direct3D 12.

Age ratings

1. Start the IARC questionnaire.
2. Select the category “All other app types”.
3. Answer the questions with the facts below:
   • pandite shows the image files that the user opens.
   • Users cannot communicate or share content with other users.
   • pandite has no purchases and no advertising.
   • pandite does not share the location of the user.
   • pandite gives no access to the internet.

Packages

1. Upload pandite-<version>-windows.msixbundle.
2. Make sure that Partner Center shows the x64 and the ARM64 package and the Windows Desktop device family.
3. Each new submission needs a higher version than the previous one. Before you build, raise the version in Cargo.toml. The fourth number of the package version is always 0.

Store listing checklist

• Description
• Short description
• What’s new in this version (for updates)
• Product features (for example: opens 36 image file extensions, works offline, never freezes on cloud-drive files, bulk convert and resize)
• At least one screenshot of the desktop app (PNG)
• Store logos (optional)
• Search terms (for example: image viewer, photo viewer, RAW, HEIC, WebP, AVIF, JPEG XL)
• Copyright and trademark information
• Support contact information or website
• Privacy policy URL (optional, see Properties)

Restricted capability: runFullTrust

Partner Center asks why the app uses runFullTrust. Use this text:

pandite is a desktop image viewer written in Rust. It is a native Win32 program in an MSIX package, so it needs runFullTrust to run as a desktop app. It opens the image that the user selects or double-clicks. It reads the other images in the same folder to show the next image and the thumbnail strip. It writes image files only where the user saves them. pandite declares no network capability and does not use the network.

Notes for certification

Use this text in Submission options, Notes for certification:

pandite is an offline image viewer. No account, sign-in or network is needed. To test: start pandite, press Ctrl+O and open a JPEG or PNG image. Press the Right arrow key to show the next image in the folder. Press F1 to see all keyboard shortcuts. HEIC files open only when the HEIF Image Extensions and HEVC Video Extensions from the Microsoft Store are installed.

Privacy statement

Use this text where a privacy statement is necessary:

pandite does not collect, store or send personal information. It has no telemetry and no advertising, and it does not use the network. pandite keeps its settings (window size and position, and similar preferences) in a settings file on your computer.

6. After certification

1. Partner Center shows the certification result. If the Store rejects the submission, read the report, correct the problem and submit again.
2. When the app is in the Store, copy the Store link from Product management, Product identity. Add the link to README.md.

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