Effortless Building Package Automation, Testing, & Editing in PACE Suite

It’s time to explore the next phase of automating application packaging with PACE Suite. Part 2 delves into the package automation, like building MSI, MSIX, APPX, and APPV. It also takes a closer look at testing automation and routine MSI editing tasks. Don’t forget to check out capturing automation insights in Part 1 .

Contents

Building MSI, MSIX/APPX, APPV

Let’s focus on automation of the creation of actual packages. To transform your project into an MSI (MSIX/APPX or APPV), simply employ the following syntax and command:

Syntax:

“MsiGenerator.exe” [–parameter “value” ]

Usage:

“MsiGenerator.exe” build-msi –project “C:\PKG\Abc\project.mgp” -output-package “C:\PKG\Abc\package.msi”

The default installation path of MsiGenerator.exe is:

• x64 OS: C:\Program Files (x86)\PACE Suite\MSI Generator\
• x86 OS: C:\Program Files\PACE Suite\MSI Generator\

To automate building MSI, MSIX, APPX, and APPV packages, the following commands are used:

How to Build MSI

Parameters of the build-msi command:

How to Build MSIX

Parameters of the build-msix and build-appx commands:

Build App-V

Parameters of the build-appv command:

Test Package Automation

Command line options of Quality Approver allow to automate testing of MSI, MSIX, and APPX packages.

Syntax:

“QualityApprover.exe” [–parameter “value” ]

Usage:

“QualityApprover.exe” test-msi –vm “test-msi –vm –package “C:\Packages\package.msi” –output-report “C:\Reports\report.html”

The default installation path of QualityApprover.exe is:

• x64 OS: C:\Program Files (x86)\PACE Suite\Quality Approver\App\
• x86 OS: C:\Program Files\PACE Suite\Quality Approver\App\

For testing packages, the following commands can be applied. 

Test .MSI File

The mandatory parameters of the test-msi command include:

Test MSIX

The mandatory parameters of the test-msix and test-appx commands include:

Automation of Routine MSI Editing Tasks

Even though the following cannot be called automation in the full sense of the work, it still allows you to accelerate some routine tasks. For instance, to automate routine MSI editing, you can utilize the MSI Editor module within PACE Suite. Open the MSI you wish to modify and select “Active Scripting” from the dropdown menu.

In the subsequent window, you can choose from various scripts. For example, you can opt for the “Split Components” option.

This script is particularly valuable when dealing with numerous components, potentially saving you hours of manual work. Additionally, you can incorporate custom scripts to automate repetitive tasks.

The “Fix File Sequence” script can assist in rectifying disrupted file sequence numbers. While this can be done manually, it becomes far more efficient when dealing with hundreds or even thousands of files, making script automation a preferable choice.

Wrapping Up

In closing, PACE Suite transforms application packaging into a seamless, automated process. Whether you’re building MSI, MSIX, APPX, or APPV packages, PACE Suite ensures efficiency. Plus, the solution simplifies testing, assuring your packages meet top-notch standards. In addition, PACE Suite offers simple and convenient MSI file editing.