App Installer file

4.1 App Installer file

An App Installer file is an XML file with an .appinstaller file-extension. It contains details of the packages that should be included in a deployment, along with configuration details, such as automatic update configuration. You can use different App Installer files within your organization to support deployments of different sets of packages to different users.

Microsoft provides an overview of the App Installer file, along with example use cases, in their documentation:

docs.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/msix/app-installer/app-installer-file-overview.

The following is an example of an App Installer file to install MyID Client Suite and the optional launcher packages to add Start Menu entries for MyID Desktop, MyID Client Service, and MyID Self-Service App:

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<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<AppInstaller
  Version="1.0.0.0"
  Uri="\\my.server.local\Installers$\MyIDClientSuite.appinstaller" 
  xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/appx/appinstaller/2018">
    <MainBundle
    Name="MyIDClientSuite"
    Publisher="CN=Intercede Ltd, O=Intercede Ltd, L=Lutterworth, C=GB"
    Version="1.0.0.33"
    Uri="\\my.server.local\Installers$\MyIDClientSuite_1.0.0.msixbundle" />
    <OptionalPackages>
        <Package
      Version="1.0.0.5"
      Uri="\\my.server.local\Installers$\OptionalPackages\DSKLauncher.msix"
      Publisher="CN=Intercede Ltd, O=Intercede Ltd, L=Lutterworth, C=GB"
      ProcessorArchitecture="x86"
      Name="MyIDDesktopLauncher" />
        <Package
      Version="1.0.0.5"
      Uri="\\my.server.local\Installers$\OptionalPackages\MCSLauncher.msix"
      Publisher="CN=Intercede Ltd, O=Intercede Ltd, L=Lutterworth, C=GB"
      ProcessorArchitecture="x86"
      Name="MyIDClientServiceLauncher" />
        <Package
      Version="1.0.0.5"
      Uri="\\my.server.local\Installers$\OptionalPackages\SSALauncher.msix"
      Publisher="CN=Intercede Ltd, O=Intercede Ltd, L=Lutterworth, C=GB"
      ProcessorArchitecture="x86"
      Name="MyIDSelfServiceAppLauncher" />
    </OptionalPackages>
</AppInstaller>

This example configures a deployment of the main MyIDClientSuite package at version 1.0.0.33, and also installs the optional DSKLauncher 1.0.0.5, MCSLauncher 1.0.0.5, and SSALauncher 1.0.0.5 packages at the same time.

Note: Versions in the App Installer file must match to the packages you want to install, and the versions in the example may not correspond to these.
All of the packages, and the App Installer file itself, include paths to the corresponding file locations (Uri attributes) – in this example, they are on a file-share called Installers on a server called my.server.local.

Note: You cannot use relative paths. You must include a full local path or UNC path.

When you double-click the App Installer file to launch an interactive installation, you see all the packages to be installed detailed in the App Installer UI: