I have written a simple c# app to let my son do some stats on dice rolling for a game he is developing. I created a simple interface using Visual Studio 2017 and Universal Windows. After loads of silly errors - and lots of less silly ones, I finally have an app that runs as I want it to in debug mode. I now want to publish it so he can copy the files and run it on his Windows computer. Now I am sure this is really easy - but after 2 days of google searching, MSDN searching and searching this forum I am no nearer knowing what I need to do.
I have changed the solution configuration to Release and the platform to x86. I have run Build and Deploy solution form the build menu and have loads of files in my bin/x86/release file partial list from windows explorer. But none of the exe files seem to do anything (the app5.exe waits a while sometimes, but no sign of the app anywhere). I am obviously missing some critical preparatory step, but I can't find out what it is. Some of the MSDN notes talk about Publish (this is greyed out or not present, but Deploy appears). Can anyone please point me to some idiot proof documentation to help me work out what I should be doing. I am new to Visual Studio, new to C# and new to windows app development - so my app has been pulled together from web research and using common sense :) I have assumed that what I am trying to do is pretty easy - but I am not yet convinced.
To sell your Universal Windows Platform (UWP) app or distribute it to other users, you need to package it. If you don't want to distribute your app through Microsoft Store, you can sideload the app package directly to a device. Since you used the VS, you can follow this document to package a UWP app with Visual Studio: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/uwp/packaging/packaging-uwp-apps#sideload-your-app-package.
After you package your app, if you want to sideload your app, you can follow the How do I sideload an app on desktop part in the following document:
More details, you can get from this topic:
