How can I submit an application to the store that can target multiple platforms?

Question

I'm prepping an application for submission to the Windows Store that utilises the Bing Maps API - as such, the app has to be compiled to target specific architectures. Whilst there is a guide to submission, it's not clear how to submit both Arm and x86 configurations of the same app. Is it even possible, or will there have to be in the store twice?

Answer 1

When you select the option to create your app package from the Visual Studio Store menu, you get a choice to select the package architecture. There are 4 options: Neutral, x86, x64, ARM.

If you select Neutral, then it builds a single package for "Any CPU" that you can upload to the Store. If you select x86, x64 and ARM, it will build a package for each of these configurations, and you will have to upload the corresponding packages for the architectures you wish to support.

Additionally, if you're building to submit to the Store, make sure to always select Release for each of the selected architectures.

There are cases where some references don't support building using a Neutral architecture. The Microsoft Visual C++ Runtime Package is an example.

Answer 2

Taken from here:

The process of engineering for ARM was different for each language (JavaScript, C++, and C#/VB), based on existing implementation details of the various runtimes and compilers.

JavaScript uses a JIT compiler, so platform targeting is taken care of at runtime. Therefore Metro style apps using JavaScript are platform neutral, and you can write once to run on x86/x64/ARM.

C# and Visual Basic are also abstracted from hardware differences. They compile to MSIL, which is platform neutral. Therefore, Metro style apps using C# or Visual Basic can be compiled once to run on x86/x64/ARM.

C++ is close to the metal, and compiled to the machine language for the platform that you’re targeting. This offers developers full control, but also requires that they specify the hardware where the app will be supported.

The essence of it is that pure .net or pure html/js will run on any architecture without problems. If you want C++ then you will need to compile your app once for each supported architecture. My understanding is that you can create an app package which contains installers for multiple architectures in this case.

The post here has some good details on packaging your app for multiple architectures. Here are a few highlights:

7.In the Select the packages to create and the solution configuration mappings section, select the check box for each build configuration for which you want to create a package.

The build configurations grid lists the possible platform architectures of the package (that is, Neutral, ARM, x64, and x86). In each row, a combo box displays the combination of the current Solution Configuration and Architecture choices that are relevant for that row’s architecture. The check box for the default platform is set to the current, active project platform. The combo box for the Neutral row show the Solution Configuration combinations that contain AnyCPU as the project’s platform. If no Solution Configuration combination is relevant, the entire row for that platform is unavailable for selection. One package is produced for each configuration that you specify.

8.For each build configuration that you specified, choose the Solution Configuration that you want to build.

When you package an app for the Store, you can specify Release or any custom solution configuration that you’ve created.

A package will be created for each build configuration that you specified.

From here we get this:

7.Click Packages to upload your app's packages.

And finally from the previous link:

Signing and publishing

After your app passes the certification testing, its packages are digitally signed to protect them against tampering after they have been released. When this phase begins, you cannot cancel your submission.

Note It might take some time for your app's listing to appear in search results. This is normal. Also, you can't change a release date after you submit the app to the Windows Store, but you can cancel the release, update the release date, and re-submit.

Overview: During the build process you specify all architectures you want your app to work for and it creates a package for each. During the submission process you select all the packages you built for that app. When submitting you app this way only one version will show up in the store.

Answer 3

If you build just a HTML5/javascript Windows Store app, it work on all version (ARM, x86 and x84)

If you create something web with bing api. No worry about what platform doesn't work.