WinGet UI Manager - Development Setup Guide

Quick Start

1. Prerequisites Installation

Windows 10/11

Ensure you have:

Windows 10 Build 19041 or later, or Windows 11
Administrator account (required for package operations)

Install Required Tools

Install .NET 8.0 SDK
- Download from: https://dotnet.microsoft.com/download
- Run the installer and follow prompts
- Verify installation:
```
dotnet --version
```
Install Windows Package Manager (winget)
- Download from Microsoft Store: https://apps.microsoft.com/detail/9NBLGGH4NNS1
- Or install from GitHub: https://github.com/microsoft/winget-cli/releases
- Verify installation:
```
winget --version
```
Install Visual Studio 2022 (Optional but Recommended)
- Download from: https://visualstudio.microsoft.com/
- Install "Desktop Development with C++" workload
- Select ".NET Desktop Development" workload
- Install Windows 10 SDK (Build 19041 or later)
Install Git (Optional)
- Download from: https://git-scm.com/
- Needed if cloning from repository

2. Project Setup

Clone or Extract Project

# If using git
git clone <repository-url>
cd WinGetUI

# Or if extracted from zip
cd path\to\WinGetUI

Verify Project Structure

# List key directories
dir WinGetUI\
dir WinGetUI\Models
dir WinGetUI\Services
dir WinGetUI\Views

3. Building the Project

Option A: Using PowerShell Script (Recommended)

# Run with default settings (Release build)
.\build.ps1

# Run with Debug configuration
.\build.ps1 -Configuration Debug

# Build and immediately run the app
.\build.ps1 -Run

# Clean and rebuild
.\build.ps1 -Clean

Option B: Using Command Prompt

# Run the batch script
build.bat

# Or build with debug configuration
build.bat debug

# Or build and run
build.bat run

Option C: Using dotnet CLI

# Restore dependencies
dotnet restore WinGetUI\WinGetUI.csproj

# Build the project
dotnet build WinGetUI\WinGetUI.csproj --configuration Release

# Run the application
dotnet run --project WinGetUI\WinGetUI.csproj

Option D: Using Visual Studio 2022

Open WinGetUI.sln in Visual Studio
Select Solution Configuration: "Release" or "Debug"
Press Ctrl+Shift+B to build
Press F5 to run with debugging or Ctrl+F5 without debugging

4. Running the Application

After Successful Build

The executable will be located at:

WinGetUI\bin\Release\net8.0-windows10.0.19041.0\WinGetUI.exe

Run from Command Line

cd WinGetUI\bin\Release\net8.0-windows10.0.19041.0\
.\WinGetUI.exe

Run from Visual Studio

Press F5 to run with debugging
Press Ctrl+F5 to run without debugging

Run from File Explorer

Navigate to WinGetUI\bin\Release\net8.0-windows10.0.19041.0\
Double-click WinGetUI.exe

5. Troubleshooting Build Issues

Issue: "dotnet: command not found"

Solution:

Restart your terminal after installing .NET SDK
Or add .NET to PATH manually
Verify with: dotnet --version

Issue: "The SDK 'Microsoft.NET.Sdk.WindowsDesktop' cannot be found"

Solution:

Ensure .NET 8.0 SDK is installed (not just runtime)
Run: dotnet workload install desktop
Restore packages: dotnet restore WinGetUI\WinGetUI.csproj

Issue: "Package Microsoft.WindowsAppSDK not found"

Solution:

Clear NuGet cache: dotnet nuget locals all --clear
Restore packages: dotnet restore WinGetUI\WinGetUI.csproj
Try offline if network is slow

Issue: Build succeeds but app crashes on launch

Solution:

Ensure Windows 10 Build 19041 or later
Check Windows App SDK installation
Run as Administrator
Verify winget is installed

Issue: "Access denied" errors during build

Solution:

Close any running instances of WinGetUI
Clear bin/obj folders: dotnet clean
Run terminal as Administrator
Try building again

Development Workflow

1. Making Code Changes

Edit C# Code

WinGetUI/
├── Models/          → Data models (Package.cs, OperationResult.cs)
├── Services/        → Business logic (WingetService.cs)
├── Views/           → UI pages (Install, Update, Browse, Search)
├── App.xaml(.cs)    → Application startup
└── MainWindow.xaml  → Main window

Edit XAML UI

Each view has corresponding .xaml and .xaml.cs files
Modify layout, colors, and controls in .xaml files
Add event handlers and logic in .xaml.cs files

2. Running with Changes

Hot Reload (Visual Studio)

Make changes to XAML or C#
Press Alt+Shift+F5 to hot reload
Changes appear instantly

Manual Rebuild and Run

Save your changes
Press Ctrl+Shift+B to build
Press F5 to run

3. Debugging

Set Breakpoints

Click on line number in code editor
Press F9 on the line
Red dot appears indicating breakpoint

Debug Execution

Press F5 to start debugging
Application stops at breakpoints
Use Debug toolbar or F10 (step), F11 (step into), Shift+F11 (step out)

Debug Console

Output messages with: Debug.WriteLine("message");
View in Debug → Windows → Output

View Variables

Hover over variables to see values
Use Debug → Windows → Locals to view all variables
Use Debug → Windows → Watch to monitor specific values

Project Structure Details

Models (`WinGetUI/Models/`)

Package.cs - Represents a software package
- Properties: Id, Name, Version, Publisher, Status, etc.
- Implements IComparable for sorting
OperationResult.cs - Result of package operations
- Success/Error status
- Messages and error details
- Exit codes from winget

Services (`WinGetUI/Services/`)

WingetService.cs - Core winget integration
- Methods: GetInstalledPackagesAsync(), SearchPackagesAsync(), InstallPackageAsync(), etc.
- Executes winget commands via Process
- Parses console output into Package objects
- Handles errors gracefully

Views (`WinGetUI/Views/`)

InstallView.xaml(.cs) - Install new programs
- Search functionality
- Package list display
- Install button with confirmation
UpdateView.xaml(.cs) - Update existing programs
- List of upgradable packages
- Single and batch update
- Refresh button
BrowseView.xaml(.cs) - Browse installed programs
- View all installed packages
- Sort by Name, ID, Version
- Uninstall functionality
SearchView.xaml(.cs) - Search programs
- Real-time search
- Search by name or ID
- Quick install from results

Common Development Tasks

Add a New Feature to Install View

Edit Views/InstallView.xaml to add UI elements
Add event handlers to Views/InstallView.xaml.cs
Add methods to Services/WingetService.cs if needed
Test the feature

Add Sorting Option to Browse View

Create new IComparer<Package> in Views/BrowseView.xaml.cs
Add sort button to XAML
Implement click handler that applies sorting
Test the sorting

Modify Package Model

Add property to Models/Package.cs
Update parsing in WingetService.ParsePackageList()
Update XAML templates to display new property
Test with actual packages

Add Error Handling

Wrap code in try-catch blocks
Log errors with Debug.WriteLine()
Show user-friendly messages in dialogs
Test error scenarios

Performance Tips

Async Operations

All winget calls use async/await
Never block UI thread
Use LoadingProgress indicators during operations

Caching

Store search results to avoid repeated queries
Implement caching in WingetService for frequently accessed data

UI Virtualization

ListView uses data virtualization by default
Large lists render efficiently

Testing

Manual Testing Checklist

Edge Cases to Test

No packages available
Search with no results
Install/update fails
winget not installed
Invalid package IDs
Network interruptions

Publishing

Create Release Build

dotnet publish WinGetUI\WinGetUI.csproj `
  --configuration Release `
  --runtime win-x64 `
  --self-contained true

Package for Distribution

Build release version
Create installer (MSI/MSIX) using WiX Toolset
Sign with code signing certificate
Distribute via GitHub Releases or Microsoft Store

Additional Resources

Getting Help

Common Issues and Solutions

Q: Build fails with "Microsoft.WindowsAppSDK not found" A: Run dotnet workload install windowsdesktop then dotnet restore

Q: App crashes immediately on startup A: Ensure Windows 10 Build 19041+, winget installed, and running as admin

Q: Search/Install/Update buttons don't work A: Verify winget is installed: winget --version

Q: Slow performance when listing packages A: Normal behavior with many packages. Add caching for improvements.

Happy developing! 🚀 For issues, check the main README.md

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WinGet UI Manager - Development Setup Guide

Quick Start

1. Prerequisites Installation

Windows 10/11

Install Required Tools

2. Project Setup

Clone or Extract Project

Verify Project Structure

3. Building the Project

Option A: Using PowerShell Script (Recommended)

Option B: Using Command Prompt

Option C: Using dotnet CLI

Option D: Using Visual Studio 2022

4. Running the Application

After Successful Build

Run from Command Line

Run from Visual Studio

Run from File Explorer

5. Troubleshooting Build Issues

Issue: "dotnet: command not found"

Issue: "The SDK 'Microsoft.NET.Sdk.WindowsDesktop' cannot be found"

Issue: "Package Microsoft.WindowsAppSDK not found"

Issue: Build succeeds but app crashes on launch

Issue: "Access denied" errors during build

Development Workflow

1. Making Code Changes

Edit C# Code

Edit XAML UI

2. Running with Changes

Hot Reload (Visual Studio)

Manual Rebuild and Run

3. Debugging

Set Breakpoints

Debug Execution

Debug Console

View Variables

Project Structure Details

Models (WinGetUI/Models/)

Services (WinGetUI/Services/)

Views (WinGetUI/Views/)

Common Development Tasks

Add a New Feature to Install View

Add Sorting Option to Browse View

Modify Package Model

Add Error Handling

Performance Tips

Async Operations

Caching

UI Virtualization

Testing

Manual Testing Checklist

Edge Cases to Test

Publishing

Create Release Build

Package for Distribution

Additional Resources

Getting Help

Common Issues and Solutions

Models (`WinGetUI/Models/`)

Services (`WinGetUI/Services/`)

Views (`WinGetUI/Views/`)