Deployment Manifest File (Magic xpa 4.x)

The deployment manifest file is generated by the Rich Client Deployment Builder and is used together with the Published Web page to deploy and run a Rich Client program.

The manifest file and the published Web page should always be located in the same folder on the Web server.

The manifest file contains deployment instructions for ClickOnce, such as the RIA modules version.

Magic xpa Engine Upgrade / Downgrade

When upgrading the Magic version on the server, the RIA modules version is changed.

Some actions should be performed according to the deployment method:

• When the application is deployed to the clients using ClickOnce, you will need to rebuild the manifest file.

• When running the application on the client, ClickOnce automatically detects that the server requires a new RIA modules, and upgrades the client modules.

• If for some reason you need to revert to an older version of the Magic xpa engine, and you have some clients who upgraded to the new version, you have two alternatives:
  

• 1. Uninstall the application on the client side (using the control panel) and then run it again.

  2. Change the manifest to not require a minimum version. This will show a confirmation screen to the user asking whether they want to change the version. Note that this is not recommended, because if the user chooses to skip the upgrade, they will not be asked to do that again. To remove the minimum requirement, you need to remove the minimumRequiredVersion property from the deployment manifest template file located at:
     
     <Installation folder>\Add_On\Builders\Templates\PublishHtml.tpl

Securing the Manifest File

To run a .NET manifest file, it must be properly signed by a certificate. This can be done by specifying the certificate and its password when using the Rich Client Deployment Builder. It is highly recommended not to use the test certificate provided with the Magic xpa installation, since the publisher is not verified in that way. Instead, you should use your own certificate so that the publisher will be verified. You can sign the manifest manually by using the mage.exe utility available in the <Installation folder>.

Use the following syntax:

mage.exe -sign <manifestfilename> -certfile <certificatefile> - password <certification password>