Has anyone experience providing a Visio add-in through the Microsoft Store?
This one (built-in in Windows)
https://apps.microsoft.com/
Trying to place my add-ins there now (as a "MSI/EXE package") :)
Not sure if there is a problem, or it is fine?
Have not found a single Visio add-in there?
Just sent the Visio PdfTip Add-In (https://unmanagedvisio.com/products/visio-pdf-export-with-tooltips/) for review... let's see how it goes
Just FYI, to share the status:
So far the app (Add-In) was not accepted, because "it does not provide a clear button to start" (10.1.xx)
The app is expected to have a start menu button or something.
An Add-In obviously does not have anything like this.
In general, how isolated a store EXE/MSI store application is? They have added support for MSI/EXE quite recently, but how isolated they are?
Can it even read/write windows registry (to register itself as an Add-In?) Or it is all virtualized and it won't even see that Visio is installed?
Maybe I was too naive to try to publish an Add-In to the store.
Will try to talk to the store validation team.
Also asked a question here, maybe will have a better luck
https://stackoverflow.com/questions/76559800/an-msi-exe-app-published-to-microsoft-store-how-are-isolated-it-is
Quote from: Nikolay on June 26, 2023, 07:58:57 PM
Maybe I was too naive to try to publish an Add-In to the store.
Congrats !
https://apps.microsoft.com/store/detail/pdftip-visio-addin/XPFD98TZ30SRHB
Have you tried to install it? I'm getting an error on one machine
Quote from: Nikolay on July 06, 2023, 11:31:59 AM
Have you tried to install it?
Yes, I did it.
But I dont understand how this tool works...
Do you mean you installed it from the store?
On the screenshot, this is just about box, the export is under backstage menu, next to the standard export (as shown in the "launcher" app that is installed to start menu)
(https://unmanagedvisio.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/pdftip-movie.gif)
Quote from: Nikolay on July 06, 2023, 11:53:16 AM
Do you mean you installed it from the store?
Yes.
Quote from: Nikolay on July 06, 2023, 11:53:16 AMOn the screenshot, this is just about box, the export is under backstage menu, next to the standard export (as shown in the "launcher" app that is installed to start menu)
This tool works at my side! Thank you, Nikolay!!!
It seems this opens quite a good path for publishing Visio (VSTO) add-ins to the Microsoft Store in fact.
Some details:
- The application is a VSTO Add-In.
- The application is packaged as MSI ("two-modes" MSI, "user" level by default, "all users/admin" as an option for org.wide deployment). This does not matter though I think, only "user" should be enough.
- Published as "x64" package (although works with x64 and x86 Visio)
- Everything is signed (MSI, EXE)
- There is a "launch" application added to the start menu, to explain the purpose of the app (I was asked to add it, "otherwise the user does not know what to click")