.NET Console Sample Application

April 2, 2026 ยท View on GitHub

This sample demonstrates how to use winapp CLI with a .NET console application to add package identity and package as MSIX.

For a complete step-by-step guide, see the .NET Getting Started Guide.

What This Sample Shows

  • Basic .NET console application with automatic .NET project detection by winapp init
  • Using Windows Runtime APIs to retrieve package identity
  • NuGet package references (Microsoft.WindowsAppSDK, Microsoft.Windows.SDK.BuildTools) added directly to .csproj by winapp init
  • Using Microsoft.Windows.SDK.BuildTools.WinApp NuGet package for automatic dotnet run support with package identity
  • Using execution alias (WinAppRunUseExecutionAlias) so console output stays in the current terminal
  • Using Windows App SDK via NuGet for modern Windows APIs
  • MSIX packaging with app manifest and assets

Prerequisites

  • .NET 10.0 SDK
  • winapp CLI built locally: run .\scripts\build-cli.ps1 from the repo root (this builds the CLI and produces the Microsoft.Windows.SDK.BuildTools.WinApp NuGet package in artifacts/nuget/)

Setup

Run winapp init in this directory. It auto-detects the .csproj and runs the .NET-specific setup flow:

winapp init

This will validate the TargetFramework, add required NuGet packages to the .csproj, and generate the manifest, assets, and development certificate. No winapp.yaml is needed for .NET projects.

Building and Running

The .csproj includes the Microsoft.Windows.SDK.BuildTools.WinApp NuGet package, which hooks into dotnet run to automatically register a loose layout package with identity and launch the app.

Because this is a console app, the project sets WinAppRunUseExecutionAlias to true so the app runs via its execution alias. This keeps console I/O in the current terminal instead of opening a new window:

dotnet run

Output:

Package Family Name: dotnet-app_12345abcde
Windows App Runtime Version: 1.8-stable (1.8.0)

Note: The execution alias (dotnet-app.exe) is defined in appxmanifest.xml via uap5:AppExecutionAlias. You can add one with winapp manifest add-alias.

Package as MSIX

The .csproj is configured to automatically package when publishing:

# Create a dev certificate (first time only)
winapp cert generate --if-exists skip

# Publish and package in one command
dotnet publish

# Install certificate (first time only, requires admin)
winapp cert install .\devcert.pfx

# Install the generated MSIX
# The .msix file will be in the root directory

Double-click the .msix file to install, then run from anywhere:

dotnet-app