Unpackaged

page_type	sample
languages	csharp cpp
products	windows windows-app-sdk
name	Unpackaged App Sample
urlFragment	Unpackaged
description	Demonstrate how to use the Windows App SDK in non-MSIX (unpackaged) application.
extendedZipContent	path target LICENSE LICENSE

Use the Windows App SDK from non-MSIX deployed applications

These samples demonstrate how simple it is to use the Windows App SDK from a non-MSIX (unpackaged) application using the auto-intialization that is part of the Windows App SDK NuGet package.

List of Samples

• Basic - C++ - Console app sample showing how to set a project property that initializes access to the Windows App SDK and call a simple API.
• Basic - C# - Console app sample showing how to set a project property that initializes access the Windows App SDK and call a simple API.

Scenarios covered in these samples

Using the Windows App SDK in an unpackaged desktop app

When using the Windows App SDK in an unpackaged app, the developer needs to add a PackageReference to the Windows App SDK NuGet and set <WindowsPackageType>None</WindowsPackageType> in the project file. This property tells the build system to auto-initialize the framework package for use with the app using module initializers in both C# and C++. If developers want more control over the initialization, they can explicitly call the Bootstrapper APIs to initialize the framework package. See Referencing the Windows App SDK framework package at run time.

Prerequisites

• See System requirements for Windows app development.
• Make sure that your development environment is set up correctly—see Install tools for developing apps for Windows 10 and Windows 11.
• Since these samples are unpackaged, make sure to also install the prerequisites for deploying unpackaged apps to ensure that the appropriate MSIX dependencies are installed.

Building and running any of the samples

• Open the solution file (.sln) from the subfolder of your preferred sample in Visual Studio.
• From Visual Studio, either Start Without Debugging (Ctrl+F5) or Start Debugging (F5).

Related Links

• MSIX framework packages and dynamic dependencies
• Windows App SDK deployment guide for unpackaged apps