MSIX packaging MSIX is a Windows app package format that provides a modern packaging experience to all Windows apps. The MSIX package format preserves the functionality of existing app packages and/or install files in addition to enabling new, modern packaging and deployment features to Win32, WPF, and Windows Forms apps.  Apptimized Portal allows a user to create MSIX packages with the help of Apptimized Packaging Engine , bulk convert packages to MSIX packaging format within the MSIX bulk conversion , and automatically convert the existing MSIX packages to Virtual Hard Disk files based on MSIX App Attach technology within the MSIX App Attach Converter . Apptimized Packaging Engine The Apptimized Packaging Engine (APE) launches when double-clicking the  Apptimized Packaging Engine  icon.   The process may take few moments.   Apptimized shows the Apptimized Packaging Engine (APE) main screen when successful:   Table 1. Apptimized Packaging Engine options   Option   Details   Repackage to MSI, App-V, MSIX, IntuneWin or VSL   This option is snapshot-based and enables to create a completely new installer.   This option is applicable when a user has a non-MSI vendor installer. A user converts it to MSI or App-V or virtualizes MSI installer into App-V.   Transform and edit vendor MSI   This option enables the transformation or customizing the existing Windows Installer.   This option is applicable when a user has an MSI-based vendor installer and needs to produce an MST for it containing changes made during the installation process and/or configuration post-installation settings.   Review and edit result   This option enables to review the packages.   The option becomes available only after a user completed the repackaging or transformation procedure.   Save locally   This option enables saving the output locally to verify before uploading back to Apptimized.   Upload result to Apptimized   This option enables uploading verified output back to Apptimized.   A user can upload the output generated by Apptimized or select an archive with modified files to be used as an output.   Repackage to MSI, App-V, MSIX, or VSL When clicking the  Repackage to MSI, App-V, MSIX, or VSL  option, the APE will redirect a user to a Wizard. A user needs to provide input at each step.   Capturing installation and configuration APE will capture all changes made to the system by scanning a file and registry changes, after that converting it to a machine-readable form. Those changes will typically include the installation of the application and the features selection, as well as customization of the application's settings to reflect the desired result as documented during the Discovery step.   VM preparation and prerequisites installation must proceed before packaging. The prerequisites are considered as applications that need to be present for a user’s software or its installer to function, but a user does not want those software products to be included into the package (e.g., because a prerequisite is already installed on the user’s machines or is managed as a separate dependency package).   The option to start a recording session is available under the  Start recording  button.   Note.  Any VM activity or inactivity can leave traces in the captured result (including those not relevant to the package or application results). A user needs to confine to the activities needed for packaging and finish the process as quickly as possible).   APE shows the following notification when successful:   The option to suspend capturing changes made to the filesystem and registry is available under the  Pause  button. The option to resume the recording is available under the  Pause  button (click the  Pause  button again).   Once the recording has started a user enables a user to browse the path of the installation file ( Browse  button).   The option to provide the additional parameters (i.e., to specify additional launch arguments) is available under the  Parameters (optional)  field.   Once the file has been selected, the  Run  button becomes active.   When the synchronization process is finished, APE shows the following screen: When the installation and configuration activities are completed, the record must be finished. The option to stop the record is available under the  Stop recording  button.   This will terminate the recording process and prepare the captured system changes for producing an MSI, MSIX, App-V, or VSL. The terminating process may take few moments (additional post-processing and  cleanup  will be applied to the output).   Note . Apptimized applies advanced logic and filters to keep the snapshot result clean from unneeded or dangerous files and registry keys. However, typically captured results require manual review and adjustments to achieve the desired result or to apply further cleanup from the captured system or user activity.  The processing file system changes may take few moments:   When successful APE shows the screen:   Editing Application Metadata A user can review and adjust the application metadata if required.   The default values generate from the portfolio metadata provided during the file import process and do not need to be changed in most of the cases.   If the installation session consisted of more than one installer, select the primary installer to extract the metadata.   Review captured content   The option to the recorded content for the files, registry entries, services, and other system items that were modified or created during the installation is available under the  Review recorded content  button.   APE shows the snapshot editor screen when successful: A user can navigate across different tabs based on the captured content nature:   Filesystem;   Registry;   Shortcuts; Drivers; Services;   Certificates;   Environment;   Registry ACL;   Filesystem ACL;   Firewall Rules.   Filesystem  and  Registry  tabs are presented in a tree structure view.   Shortcuts ,  Environment ,  ACL ,  Services , and other tabs are presented in a table-based view.   The  Filesystem  tab shows captured changes to the filesystem (file & folders).   The  Registry  tab shows captured changes to the Windows registry.   The  Shortcuts  tab shows captured shortcuts. The  Drivers  tab shows captured drivers. The  Services  tab shows all services which were created during source installation.   The  Certificates  tab shows all changes which were added to the Certificate Stores.   The  Environment  tab shows captured environment variables created during the source installation.   The  Registry ACL  tab shows captured permission changes in the Windows registry.   The  Filesystem ACL  tab shows captured changes to filesystem ACLs. An Access Control List (ACL) is a list of Access Control Entries (ACE). Each ACE in an ACL identifies a trustee and specifies the access rights allowed, denied, or audited for that trustee.   The  Firewall Rules  tab shows firewall rules created during the source installation.   Due to the nature of the recording process, unwanted resources, also known as system activity or noise, might be captured into the recording result. These happen because the system is altered by the installation (or by the application, by the user, by the other applications, and by the operating system itself) during packaging in areas that are unrelated to the application and are not needed in the package. Those unwanted resources might negatively influence the installation or uninstallation of the package, or other applications and the operating system's stability, or, at least, create unneeded bloat. System activity traces and noise cleaning is required to receive good-quality packages.   When recording completed, APE applies a default exclusion list, which filters most of the unwanted system changes from the package (which need to be removed from the package).   A user can additionally exclude unwanted resources or re-include resources that were automatically excluded from the list. Such actions should only cover specific scenarios involving changes to the operating system.   The option to exclude the files from the package is available under the  context menu  or using the keyboard shortcuts  Ctrl+E  or  Del .   The option to include the files to the package is available under the  context menu  or using the keyboard shortcut  Ctrl+I .   Captured resources that are intended to exclude from the package are shown with a red overlay.   Captured resources that are intended to include the package are shown with no overlay.   The  status bar  with the total number of files and the number of included files is available in the footer of the  Review recorded content  window.   The option to search files or folders by name is available under the  Search in files  field available in the footer of the  Review recorded content  window.   The screenshot below shows the tab interface with table-based view (i.e.,  Shortcuts  tab):   To exclude the item, tick the checkbox in front of its name.   Table 2. Shortcuts tab structure   Column name   Details   Exclude   This column provides the option to include or exclude entities.   Icon   This column provides the shortcut icon.   Location   This column provides details on the shortcut location (i.e., a physical location of the shortcut file).   Destination   This column provides details on the shortcut’s target (usually target is an executable file).   To exclude the item, tick the checkbox in front of its name.   Table 3. Filesystem ACL tab structure   Column name   Details   Exclude   This column provides the option to include or exclude entities (i.e., detected file or folder ACL).   Review   This column provides the option to open the  Permission properties  for the selected file or folder.   This dialogue window enables a user to Set, View, Change, or Remove permissions for the current item. Permissions are set recursively, so to set permissions onto a folder, its subfolders and files only configure permission changes on the parent folder level.   The option to set permissions for a group or user that does not appear in the  Group or user names  box is available under the  Add  button (Type the name of the group or user >  OK  button).   The option to remove permissions for a group or user that appears in the  Group or user names  box is available under the  Remove  button (Type the name of the group or user >  OK  button).   The options to allow or deny permission are available under  the Permissions for  box (Select the  Allow  or  Deny  column  > Check / Uncheck the box).   The option to set the special permissions or advanced settings is available under the  Advanced  button.   Path   This column provides details on file or folder with detected, modified or created permissions.   Table 4. Drivers tab structure Column name Details Exclude This column provides the option to include or exclude entities (i.e., detected driver file). Name This column indicates the name of the driver file name. Location This column provides details on the driver location (i.e., a physical location of the driver file). Add ARP entry This column provides an option to add ARP (Add-Remove Program) entry which is based on ARPSYSTEMCOMPONENT property value. Remove on uninstall This column provides an option to automatically delete the driver during the uninstallation process. The option to apply the changes to the recording result is available under the  Save  button.   Analyze for common issues The option to review the most common issues which might lead to a non-working or incomplete installation is available on metadata reviewing screen under the  Analyze  for common issues  button.   APE shows a screen when successful:   This will show the severity of problems, problem codes, and issue description, both with the recommendations on how to reduce the risk.   Table 5. Possible values of the analyzer   Severity   Problem code   Description   High   DriversInSnapshot   The installation driver is not supported in repackaging mode. It won't be included in the final package.   Medium   ServicesInSnapshot   Installation services are detected. This can lead to problems with App-V or AppX packaging formats.   EnvironmentalVariablesChanged   The environmental variables change is detected. A user must sure this won't overwrite existing entries during installation.   Low   MSIExecLaunched   MSI installation is detected. It's recommended to use transformation instead of repackaging until a user converts the installer to the not MSI format.   AutoStartDetected   Auto-start modification is detected during the installation.   DllHostDetected   COM registration is detected. An application may not work when packaged in App-V or AppX formats.   SystemFilesIncluded   System files were modified during the installation. A user must review captured content and exclude unneeded entries.   When the review of the common issues is finished, click the  Close  button.   Save project   The option to save settings and apply them in the future is available under the  Save project  button.   APE shows the following window (Choose the root to save project >  Save  button):   When the metadata review completed, the option to proceed to the next step is available under the  Next >  button.   Adjust Format Details   The following screen shows the default values for package formats:   The adjustment of the format-specific settings is available. These settings are typically pre-defined by Apptimized project administrator in the project settings in accordance with the appropriate  Packaging Standards .   Before overriding any of pre-defined settings, a user must ensure the feasibility and correctness of provided changes.   The option to exclude or to include the package formats is available under the switch in front of their names.   When the package format review is completed, the option to proceed to the next step is available under the  Next >  button.   When the packages build, the log information is written to the console. In case of a failure this log may be requested by Apptimized support:   The blue background indicates that the build process is still in progress. When it turns to a green background the package type/format has been successfully built.   The build time will depend on the number and size of the captured files and may take few minutes.   The APE finalizes when clicking the  Finish  button.   MSIX bulk conversion MSIX bulk conversion   is one  of the Apptimized products that provides  a flexible and automated application packaging conversion system.   Bulk c onvert MSI and EXE to MSIX Apptimized Platform  provides   silent  conver sion   of the existing  MSI   packages  and EXE files  to MSIX  within the  MSIX bulk conversion .   The  MSIX bulk conversion  is available under the  Project  menu >  MSIX bulk conversion : The option is disabled by default.   Enable MSIX bulk conversion  T he   MSIX bulk conversion   is available under the   P roject   menu >  Administration  >   Settings :   Apptimized provides the following screen when successful:   To continue enabling  MSIX bulk conversion ,  c lick :   Workflow  >   Packaging – Self Service . General   >  MSIX  button .     The option to enable MSIX bulk conversion is available  under the   MSIX bulk conversion   button . Ye s  and  No  options are available. The default value is  No .   The   MSIX bulk conversion  option becomes active when switched on and once the required settings are completed.   T o apply the settings, click the Save button. Apptimized provides the following notification when successful:   MSIX bulk conversion interface  The option t o start  conversion  process  Projects  >  MSIX bulk conversion : Apptimized provides the following screen:   The screen above shows the default MSIX bulk conversion interface when no applications  are  added .   The packaging data is performed in 2 blocks:   Information block – this block contains detailed information about packages.   Action block – this block provides options to configure  the  package  conversion  process (see the  Package  conversion ) Manage applications in MSIX bulk conversion Add application  The option to add  the  package to the  conversion list  is avai l able under the  Select from portfolio  button :   Apptimized shows the modal window when successful:   Note . If the  application  is not  pack aged , there will be no option s available .   Field   Details   S earch   The  S earch  field allows  find ing the  application  from  the  portfolio .   There is no default value for this field.   Select   The  Select  field allows selecting the application  from  the  portfolio .      There is no default value for this field.   There is an option to select all application s .   To apply the settings, click the Save  button.  Cancel –  revers to the general  Silent c onversion  section.   Apptimized shows the following  notification  when   successful:   When a user adds the application to the MSIX bulk conversion list, Apptimized shows the following screen: Silent conversion data is grouped into the following categories:   App   I D   Vendor   Software   Version   Conversion Status   Testing Status   Column name   Details   App  ID   This component indicates an  I D  of the application  that will be available to a user  for  th e   conversion .   Vendor   The component provides a user with   information about the  v endor of the application .    Software     This component indicates the  name of the application .   Version   This component provides  a user with information about the version of the application.   Conversion Status   This component indicates the state  of conve rsion   of the ap plicatio n .  The following statuses are  provided :   Required preparation – indicates ,  that a file with installation script must be provided .   Ready to start – indicates ,  that a package is ready to be converted .   Processing – indicates ,  that the package is being converted at the time .   Success – indicates the successful result of converting .   Failed  – indicates the unsuccessful result of converting.   Testing Status   This component provides  the state of testing of the application.   The following statuses are provided:   Wait for conversion – indicates that  the  package is ready to be converted.   Ready to start – indicates that  the  testing process is ready to be  started .   Testing – indicates that the package is being tested at the time.   Success – indicates the successful result of testing   Failed – indicates the unsuccessful result of testing.   Package conversion  The option to  convert  a package into the  MSIX  format is available by clicking   Prepare  button.   Apptimized shows the following modal window ,  by clicking  Prepare   button :   Field   Details     Package  conversion  options   The field allows  selecting  a n installation file of the application  to conver t  it .   For every application to convert, the installation file must be selected.    The installation file can be in MSI, EXE ,  or BAT formats.     Certificate publisher   The  field  allows   setting  a publisher  for  the  future package .       The information is automatically filled in  with  the information of the publisher of the package.     There is no default value for this field.     Installation script file   The  Installation script file  field allows  setting   the  installation file of the application to  convert . It is set after selecting  the file in  the  Package convert options   field.     The installation file can be in MSI, EXE ,  or BAT formats.   There is no default value for this field.     To apply the settings, click the  Save  button.  Cancel –  re f ers to the general  Silent conversion  section.   To continue  Package conversion  configuring, select the installation file of the application to  convert .   To apply the settings, click the  Save  button.  Cancel –  re f ers to the general  Silent conversion  section.   Apptimized shows the following notification when successful:   To start  the conver s ion  process, click  Convert .   Apptimized provides the following notification when successful:   Note . The conversion won’t be done  immediately . The process ing  time depends on  the size of the package.   To stop  the  conversi o n process, click  the  Stop   button .   Apptimized provides the following modal window: To stop conversion, click  Confirm .  Cancel –  re f ers to the general  Silent conversion  section.   Apptimized shows the following screen when the  conversion  process  finishes : Test package To test the package, click  the  Test   button  in the  Actions  tab :   Apptimized provides the following screen: Apptimized provides the VM to test the package. After testing, click  the  Terminate   button   to get  the  results of testing :   Apptimized provides the following screen when successful:   To continue ,   click  the  Result   button . Restart   option allows to restart VM and return to testing.   Apptimized provides the following modal window when successful:   To enter the  Testing result  section, click  Result. Cancel – re f ers to the VM testing section.   Apptimized provides the following screen when successful:   The  Result  field indicates the state of testing. There are 2 options available:   Success – indicates ,  that testing was successful.   Failed – indicates ,  that testing was unsuccessful.   To apply the settings, click the  Save  button.  Retest   – refers  to the  VM testing  section.   Apptimized provides the following screen when successful:   Delete application The option to delete the application from the  Silent conversion  tab   is available  in the  Actions  tab  by clicking  button >  Delete .   Apptimized shows the following  modal window  when successful:   To delete the application from  the  conversion tab, click  Delete .  Cancel  - re f ers to the general  Silent conversion  tab.   Apptimized shows the following notification when successful:   Download the application To download the converted package, click  button >  Download. The download process will start immediately. Apptimized MSIX AppAttach Converter General Overview MSIX  A pp  A ttach is a way to deliver MSIX applications to both physical and virtual machines.   A   Microsoft technology  allowing  to make MSIX packages compliant for virtualized desktop environments such as Windows Virtual Desktop.    The  Apptimized  MSIX AppAttach Converter  is a tool that allows to automatically convert the existing MSIX packages to VHD (Virtual Hard Disk) files based on MSIX App Attach technology.    The tool is available  i n  the  Workspace Launcher (see the  Workspace Launcher ).   The option to install the application is available under the  Install  button (see the  Application installation ). Convert existing MSIX package A user can convert the existing MSIX package into MSIX app attach package. This option is available under  C onvert the existing MSIX package  button. Apptimized shows the following screen when successful: A user can select the existing MSIX package by clicking the  Folder  icon. A user can select an MSIX file that will be automatically converted to the app-attach package and click the  Open  button to start the converting process. Apptimized shows the following screen when successful: The creation process may take few moments.  Cancel  - stop the VHD file creation. After completing the creation a user can save the app-attach package (VHD file by clicking the  Save  button. The process may take few moments. Apptimized shows the following screen when successful:   Apptimized MSIX PSF Tool  General overview   Package Support Frameworks is an open - source kit  that helps apply fixes to  the  existing desktop application without access to the source code. It can run in an MSIX container.   Apptimized  MSIX PSF  Tool   allows  applying  fixups semi-automatically to  a  Win32 application in existing MSIX files.   The tool is available in t h e Workspace Launcher (see the  Workspace Launcher )   The option to install the application is available under the  Install  button (see the  Application installation )   Run Apptimized MSIX PSF Tool   A user can apply the fixes in existing MSIX files. The option is available under  Run Apptimized MSIX PSF tool  button.   Apptimized shows the following screen when successful:    Select MSIX package   A user can select the existing MSIX package by clicking the  Folder  icon.   A user  can  select an MSIX file  to   automatically check  for  error s  and all the appropriate fixes for them  and click the  Open  button to start the checking process.   Apptimized shows the following screen when successful:   The opening process may take  a  few moments.  Cancel –  stop s  the package opening.   Apptimized shows the following screen after successful ly  opening:   Fixup suggestions are automatically provided after  the  package  open s . They can be manually added, by clicking the Apply suggestions button. To create default fixups based on package content, click  Create .  Cancel –  rever t s to general  Apptimized MSI X PSF Tool  section.   Apptimized shows the following screen when successful:   Apply fixups   Fixup suggestions will be provided in the  general   Apply fixups  section.   Apply  f ixups  allow  setting DLL and file system redirection rules or  setting   command - line arguments   t o  the  MSIX package.   The fixups data is performed in 2 blocks:   Information block – this block contains detailed information about fixups.   Action block – this block provides options to configure the fixups.   Fixup's  data is grouped into the following categories:   Type   Path   Scope   Details   Column name   Details   Type   This field indicates the type of    provided fixup   Path   This field   provide s  the f i le system path to  the  place  fixup   e ffects   Scope   This field indicates the target application (file.exe or  regular expression  pattern)   Details   This field shows the  redirect options (files pattern,  dll  name, etc.)   patterns  of the fixup   Fixup’s actions are grouped into the following categories:   Edit  fixup   Delete  fixup   Make  copy   To apply fixups provided by the  Apptimized MSIX PSF Tool , click  the  Save  button.   Apptimized provides the following screen:   A user can save an MSIX file with all the provided fixes by clicking the  Save  button to start the saving process.   Apptimized provides the following screen when successful:   To cancel implementing the fixups, click  the  Cancel  button.   Apptimized provides the following modal window when successful:   Click  OK to continue cancelling process.  Cancel –  refers to  Apply fixups  section.   Apptimized provides the following screen when successful:   Edit fixup   To edit fixup, click     button in the  Action  tab  or double click the  Fixup row .   Apptimized shows the following screen when successful:   Edit  section is divided into 2 blocks:   Target – indicates the  applications as  a  target for  fixups;   Config  –   allows to change the path and add patterns for fixups.   T arget  section  provides three options to change:   All applications  –   fixup affects all application s  inside of the MSIX package. This option is selected by  default;   Selected applications – allows to choose the optional application for fixup to be  provided;   Process matching the pattern  –   allows to  set up fixup pattern as a  regular expression   target ;   Config  section is divided into  two fields:   Path field – allows to change the path of the  fixup ;   Patterns – allows to set up patter n s for the  fixup;   Delete fixup   To delete fixup, click button in the Action tab.   Apptimized provides the following modal window:   To confirm removing fixup, click  Ok .  Cancel  – refers to  the  general  Apptimized MSIX PSF Tool   menu.   Make a copy To make a copy of a fixup, click  button in the Action tab.   Apptimized shows the following screen when successful:   Sign package To  sign  a  package  with a PFX certificate ,  check the box next to the option name. Apptimized shows the following screen when successful:   Sign package section contains the following fields:   PFX certificate – allows to set up the path of a PFX certificate to be  provided;   Password – allows to set up  the password for a PFX  certificate;   Timestamp server – allows to set up  a timestamp server for a PFX certificate .