Running the WACK tool using Powershell 2012 in Windows 8 to test a Windows Store App

I’ve been having problems running the app on the WACK tool, as it wouldn’t find my app, and for some weird reason it wouldn’t quite work from Visual Studio either with one of the apps. So I had to do it via PowerShell. Here is how you do it, in case you also have problems with the WACK tool:

About the WACK tool

1. Open Powershell in Admin mode (important)

Make sure you run Powershell as admin

2. type: Get-AppxPackage » AllApps.txt

Create an output file with all the apps and the details (App packages)

3. Go to the file location (by default it should be in C:), Open the file in Notepad, and search for your app in the list.

Look for something like this

4. Go back to Powershell and type your way to where the Windows Certification Kit is, by default it is under: C:\Program Files\Windows Kits\8.0\App Certification Kit , for me it was not LOL :D

5. Run : appcert.exe reset

6. The run: appcert.exe test -apptype metrostyle -packagefullname [package full name] -reportoutputpath [report file name]

Example: appcert.exe test -apptype metrostyle -packagefullname [34219j3t-35423-fcds-23csdcs1] -reportoutputpath c:\result.xml

Running the WACK tool from powershell

Hit enter and let the tool do it’s thing, leave the computer alone while it’s at it- just to be on the safe side ;)

Afterwards you can open the file and have a look at the result :D Fingers crossed !!!

Voila, here is the generated result from the WACK test

Two other ways to run the WACK tool:

1. Go to the startscreen and start typing Windows App Cert Kit, the app should appear. Rigth click it so you can run it as administrator. Select your app and let the app run.

2. In Visual Studio right click on project and select Store, create App Package. Follow the steps there to run the app.

• But, they don’t always work.. so know you know how to use PS for this :)

  Comments

  Leave a comment below, or by email.
  Arun Mahendrakar

  9/17/2012 2:46:50 AM

  Looks very similar to running it from a batch file.
  
  http://weblogs.asp.net/nmarun/archive/2012/05/06/running-windows-app-certification-kit-wack-tool-from-command-prompt.aspx
  
  Arun 

  Iris Classon

  9/17/2012 2:51:04 AM

  Reply to: Arun Mahendrakar

  It sure does! Thanks for adding that, I'm learning Powershell so it seemed like the obvious choice for me, but the same can be achieved with command prompt as you wrote :) 

  Pras

  4/18/2013 3:57:49 PM

  Can I automate this script using windows scheduler? 

Last modified on 2012-09-17