I have a C# application deployed with ClickOnce in Visual Studio 2012 under Windows 8 and I want to validate this as a Desktop App to be listed in the Windows Store.
This application successfully installs in Windows 8 with ClickOnce but when I try to validate it using the Windows App Certification Kit it ends up with this error:
The Windows App Certification Kit did not detect any new applications as a result of your installation.
Testing cannot continue unless an application is successfully installed.
Please confirm that your installer worked correctly and run the Windows App Certification Kit again.
As ClickOnce deployment is integrated in Visual Studio 2012, I'm very disappointed by this error. Is there a way to pass the Windows App Certification Kit test with a ClickOnce deployed application?
No, ClickOnce applications can't be certified. :( Here is the official word from the Windows Store team: "ClickOnce deployment manages install/uninstall a bit different than a traditional installer. For instance, install location doesn’t go to %ProgramFiles% as mandated by the desktop certification requirements, short cuts have a different extension used by Windows app e.g. *.lnk, and so forth. The result is these apps aren’t properly detected by ACK, and hence cannot be certified."
Here is the link that explains the desktop app certification requirements. There are requirements that your app be installed under Program Files, and ClickOnce apps are installed under the user folder. This and other requirements cause it to not be certifiable.