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Releasing Weather for Command Palette

Overview

This project uses an automated release pipeline via GitHub Actions. Creating a GitHub Release triggers a workflow that builds the extension, runs tests, creates MSIX packages, submits to the Microsoft Store, and publishes to WinGet.

Prerequisites (One-Time Setup)

1. Microsoft Entra ID App Registration

  1. Go to Azure Portal → App registrations
  2. Click New registration
  3. Name it (e.g., "WeatherExtension CI")
  4. Note the Application (client) ID and Directory (tenant) ID
  5. Go to Certificates & secrets → New client secret → note the Value
  6. In Partner Center → Account Settings → User Management
  7. Add the application with Manager role

2. Partner Center IDs

  1. Seller ID: Partner Center → Account Settings → Organization profile → Identifiers
  2. Product ID: Partner Center → Apps and Games → select "Weather for Command Palette" → note the App ID from the URL

3. Azure Trusted Signing

The MSIX packages are signed using Azure Trusted Signing after building. This requires an Azure service principal with access to the signing account.

  1. Ensure the Azure Trusted Signing account bbb-signing and certificate profile BaldBeardedBuilder are configured (shared with WalkThisWay)
  2. Create an Azure service principal with access to the signing account
  3. Store the service principal credentials as a GitHub secret named AZURE_CREDS in JSON format: 
    {
  "clientId": "<Application (client) ID>",
  "clientSecret": "<Client secret value>",
  "subscriptionId": "<Subscription ID>",
  "tenantId": "<Directory (tenant) ID>"
}

4. WinGet Token

  1. Go to GitHub → Settings → Developer Settings → Personal access tokens → Tokens (classic)
  2. Click Generate new token (classic)
  3. Give it a descriptive name (e.g., "WinGet Releaser")
  4. Select the public_repo scope
  5. Generate and note the token value

Note: The WinGet package identifier is BaldBeardedBuilder.WeatherForCmdPal. Before the first automated release, you must manually submit the initial package manifest to microsoft/winget-pkgs using wingetcreate new. Subsequent releases will be handled automatically.

5. Store Publisher Identity

The Microsoft Store requires a specific publisher identity in the MSIX manifest that differs from the Trusted Signing certificate subject. The release workflow builds two sets of packages:

  • Sideload/WinGet — Uses the Trusted Signing publisher, signed with Azure Trusted Signing
  • Microsoft Store — Uses the Store publisher identity (STORE_PUBLISHER_NAME secret), unsigned (Microsoft re-signs during Store publication)

To find your Store publisher identity:

  1. Go to Partner Center → Apps and Games → select your app
  2. Product management → Product Identity
  3. Copy the Package/Identity/Publisher value (e.g., CN=A8D6094E-...)

5. GitHub Repository Secrets

Go to the repo Settings → Secrets and variables → Actions → New repository secret. Add:

Secret Name Source
PARTNER_CENTER_TENANT_ID Entra ID → Directory (tenant) ID
PARTNER_CENTER_CLIENT_ID Entra ID → Application (client) ID
PARTNER_CENTER_CLIENT_SECRET Entra ID → Client secret value
PARTNER_CENTER_SELLER_ID Partner Center → Seller ID
STORE_PRODUCT_ID Partner Center → Product/App ID
AZURE_CREDS Azure service principal JSON for Trusted Signing
STORE_PUBLISHER_NAME Partner Center → App Identity → Package/Identity/Publisher (e.g., CN=...)
WINGET_TOKEN GitHub PAT with public_repo scope

How to Release

  1. Ensure all changes are merged to main
  2. Go to GitHub → Releases → Create a new release
  3. Create a new tag using semantic versioning: v1.0.1, v1.2.0, etc.
  4. Write release notes (or use auto-generated notes)
  5. Click Publish release

The workflow automatically:

  • Builds x64 and ARM64 architectures
  • Runs all tests
  • Creates MSIX packages
  • Uploads MSIX packages to the release as downloadable artifacts
  • Submits to the Microsoft Store
  • Submits to WinGet (via PR to microsoft/winget-pkgs)

Tag Naming Convention

  • Format: vMAJOR.MINOR.PATCH (e.g., v1.0.1)
  • The v prefix is stripped and .0 is appended to create the 4-part version for the MSIX manifest (e.g., 1.0.1.0)

What Happens After Publishing

  • The Microsoft Store reviews the submission (may take 1–3 business days)
  • If approved, the update is available to users via the Store
  • The MSIX packages attached to the GitHub Release can be used for sideloading

Troubleshooting

Issue Solution
Workflow fails at "Configure Store credentials" Verify all 5 Partner Center GitHub secrets are set correctly
Store submission rejected Check Partner Center dashboard for validation errors
WinGet submission fails Verify WINGET_TOKEN secret is set and not expired. For the first release, manually submit using wingetcreate new
Build fails The release workflow uses the same build process as CI — check for build errors in the Actions log