maui Developing a Maui Blazor MacCatalyst app for Apple macOS store is a terrible experience

Description

There are many things that could be better.

Developing a MacCatalyst app:

Building a Release version on Visual Studio for Mac always builds for the first framework in TargetFrameworks, not the selected framework: https://developercommunity.visualstudio.com/t/Building-a-Release-version-always-builds/10238279
Visual Studio for Mac can not run any MAUI project in Release mode: https://developercommunity.visualstudio.com/t/Can-not-run-any-MAUI-project-in-Release-/10237400
it doesn't work with XCode 14.2 and iOS 16.2 https://github.com/dotnet/maui/issues/12124#issuecomment-1358154061
Microsoft.AspNetCore.Components.Web.HeadOutlet throws exception in the trimmed version https://github.com/dotnet/aspnetcore/issues/40033#issuecomment-1362864155
adding signing to csproj results in error MSB6006: "codesign" exited with code 3.

    <EnableCodeSigning>True</EnableCodeSigning>
    <CodesignKey>3rd Party Mac Developer Application: Jinjinov (**********)</CodesignKey>
    <EnablePackageSigning>true</EnablePackageSigning>
    <PackageSigningKey>3rd Party Mac Developer Installer: Jinjinov (**********)</PackageSigningKey>

can't open developer tools for Blazor:
- https://github.com/dotnet/maui/issues/5561
- https://github.com/dotnet/maui/issues/7706

Publishing a MacCatalyst app on Apple macOS store:

rejected when trying to upload with Transporter: The product archive package's signature is invalid. Ensure that it is signed with your "3rd Party Mac Developer Installer" certificate. A commented section in csproj that the developer could un-comment would be helpful here.
rejected when trying to upload with Transporter: The product archive is invalid. The Info.plist must contain a LSApplicationCategoryType key, whose value is the UTI for a valid category. For more details, see "Submitting your Mac apps to the App Store". Some indication in Visual Studio would be helpful here. I had to add:

	<key>LSApplicationCategoryType</key>
	<string>public.app-category.productivity</string>

rejected when trying to upload with Transporter: Invalid bundle. The bundle supports arm64 but not Intel-based Mac computers. Your build must include the x86_64 architecture to support Intel-based Mac computers. A commented section in csproj that the developer could un-comment would be helpful here: <RuntimeIdentifiers>maccatalyst-x64;maccatalyst-arm64</RuntimeIdentifiers>
rejected when trying to upload with Transporter: Invalid Bundle. The key UIDeviceFamily in the app's Info.plist file contains one or more unsupported values '1'. (ID: e98a0fc1-d792-4b2d-854c-51a5d1649c82) I had to change

	<key>UIDeviceFamily</key>
	<array>
		<integer>1</integer>
		<integer>2</integer>
	</array>

to

	<key>UIDeviceFamily</key>
	<array>
		<integer>2</integer>
	</array>

rejected when trying to upload with Transporter: App sandbox not enabled. The following executables must include the "com.apple.security.app-sandbox" entitlement with a Boolean value of true in the entitlements property list Adding a Platforms/MacCatalyst/Entitlements.plist file and <CodesignEntitlement>Platforms/MacCatalyst/Entitlements.plist</CodesignEntitlement> inside csproj would be helpful here. I had to add:

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<!DOCTYPE plist PUBLIC "-//Apple//DTD PLIST 1.0//EN" "http://www.apple.com/DTDs/PropertyList-1.0.dtd">
<plist version="1.0">
  <dict>
    <key>com.apple.security.app-sandbox</key>
    <true/>
  </dict>
</plist>

rejected because project name is used instead of application title: https://github.com/dotnet/maui/issues/12287
I had to add <key>ITSAppUsesNonExemptEncryption</key><false/> to Info.plist. Some indication in Visual Studio would be helpful here.
Maui Blazor template lacks entitlements necessary to submit to Apple macOS store
- https://github.com/dotnet/maui/issues/13094

Steps to Reproduce

Create a new Maui Blazor project
Try to publish a Maui Blazor MacCatalyst app on Apple macOS store

Link to public reproduction project repository

https://github.com/Jinjinov/Ididit

Version with bug

7.0 (current)

Last version that worked well

Unknown/Other

Affected platforms

macOS

Affected platform versions

macOS Ventura 13.1

Did you find any workaround?

No response

Relevant log output

No response

Dec 24 '22 10:12 Jinjinov

Microsoft should document all the issues and solutions you figured out. And hopefully make the whole experience better. This was a great post. Thank you!

Dec 24 '22 20:12 akhanalcs

We've moved this issue to the Backlog milestone. This means that it is not going to be worked on for the coming release. We will reassess the backlog following the current release and consider this item at that time. To learn more about our issue management process and to have better expectation regarding different types of issues you can read our Triage Process.

Feb 17 '23 15:02 ghost

@rolfbjarne thoughts on any of these issues here?

Feb 17 '23 15:02 rachelkang

This is great feedback! Thanks a lot!

adding signing to csproj results in error MSB6006: "codesign" exited with code 3.

I'm not sure what caused this, a binlog would likely be nice to diagnose.

Publishing a MacCatalyst app on Apple macOS store:

rejected when trying to upload with Transporter: Invalid bundle. The bundle supports arm64 but not Intel-based Mac computers. Your build must include the x86_64 architecture to support Intel-based Mac computers. A commented section in csproj that the developer could un-comment would be helpful here: <RuntimeIdentifiers>maccatalyst-x64;maccatalyst-arm64</RuntimeIdentifiers>

Mac Catalyst will default to a universal (arm64+x64) build when building for a Release configuration (and just x64 for all other configurations).

But yes, we can add a comment to the templates as well.

For most of the other publishing issues I filed https://github.com/xamarin/xamarin-macios/issues/17591 to improve our templates and build logic. @rachelkang you might want to update your MAUI templates as well.

Feb 22 '23 10:02 rolfbjarne

I am also trying to deploy to macOs and get things running.

This issue has helped me sign and get the app into TestFlight and distribute for testing. https://github.com/dotnet/docs-maui/issues/1187

Our app is a .net7.0, (non Blazor) MAUI app for windows/macOs, compiled on Monterey Intel mac and but crashes on another machine (Ventura M1 arm mac), this is all I have to test at the mo, so trying to work that out.

Mar 01 '23 10:03 brightertools

@brightertools , since you have gotten https://github.com/dotnet/docs-maui/issues/1187 to work, perhaps you could help me understand what to use for YOURNAME (*******) and YOUR PROFILE NAME.

<CodesignKey>Apple Distribution: YOURNAME (*******)</CodesignKey>
<CodesignEntitlements>Platforms\MacCatalyst\Entitlements.plist</CodesignEntitlements>
<CodesignProvision>YOUR PROFILE NAME</CodesignProvision>
<PackageSigningKey>3rd Party Mac Developer Installer: YOURNAME (*******)</PackageSigningKey>

For what it is worth, I compile and run my MacCatalyst app on my Mac Mini, which is an M1. Previously I was using a 2014 Mac Mini and it would also compile and run my MacCatalyst app. Have you tried building on your M1 Mac?

Mar 02 '23 12:03 cdavidyoung

@brightertools , since you have gotten dotnet/docs-maui#1187 to work, perhaps you could help me understand what to use for YOURNAME (*******) and YOUR PROFILE NAME.
<CodesignKey>Apple Distribution: YOURNAME (*******)</CodesignKey>
<CodesignEntitlements>Platforms\MacCatalyst\Entitlements.plist</CodesignEntitlements>
<CodesignProvision>YOUR PROFILE NAME</CodesignProvision>
<PackageSigningKey>3rd Party Mac Developer Installer: YOURNAME (*******)</PackageSigningKey>
For what it is worth, I compile and run my MacCatalyst app on my Mac Mini, which is an M1. Previously I was using a 2014 Mac Mini and it would also compile and run my MacCatalyst app. Have you tried building on your M1 Mac?

Hi @cdavidyoung

Thanks for your message.

Following the guide you will need to create the certificates (x2) and download them to your computer. The: Apple Distribution: YOURNAME (*******) is copied from the one certificate name

The: 3rd Party Mac Developer Installer: YOURNAME (*******) is copied from the other certificate name

The profile name is the name created when creating the profile in the "Certificates, Identifiers & Profiles" section of the apple developer site. In xode you need to login to your account and download the manual profiles.. this is the profile with the matching name I beleive.

I am developing mainly on Windows then opening on my Mac to publish (Visual Studio seems a bit slower to develop on Mac, from key commands to building and running) I only have a Mid 2015 mac, the app uns fine locally, but does not run on either my mac or another M1 mac via TestFlight. it just crashes.. searched around and found loads of things to try but its so trial and error.

It's not straight forward what might work or not in the "sandbox" or if I am worried about that too much, given the entitlements which are not that clear.

The process of setting up a new app, just for testing and re-building the app until it fails seems like a long winded unnecessary process, but it's hard to tell if the error is build, platform, signing or code related.

Mar 02 '23 13:03 brightertools

Ok, this is what one of my certificates says:

Certificate Name Charles Young Certificate Type Mac Installer Distribution Expiration Date 2024/02/29 Created By Charles Young @.***)

It is still not clear but perhaps YOURNAME () is actually Charles Young @.)? And the profile name is the one right under the Name label ( "" ) when viewing the profile? Review Provisioning Profile Name "****" Status Active Platform macOS

Regarding the Mid 2015 mac and the M1 Mac, I found that when I migrated from my 2014 Mac Mini to the recent M1 Mac Mini certain applications would not run until different versions were installed. I believe this was the difference between the Intel chip of the older Macs and the newer Macs with the Apple M1 chip. I even had trouble building my app on the M1 Mac until VS and Xcode updated to compatible versions. I don't understand it but perhaps this has something to do with your problem. You might just have to upgrade your 2015 Mac to a more recent model. I just picked up my M1 Mac Mini at Costco for $400. The M2 is just $200 more and it will run circles around your 2015 Mac.

On Thu, Mar 2, 2023 at 6:05 AM Mark Redman @.***> wrote:

@brightertools https://github.com/brightertools , since you have gotten dotnet/docs-maui#1187 https://github.com/dotnet/docs-maui/issues/1187 to work, perhaps you could help me understand what to use for YOURNAME (*******) and YOUR PROFILE NAME.

<CodesignKey>Apple Distribution: YOURNAME ()</CodesignKey> <CodesignEntitlements>Platforms\MacCatalyst\Entitlements.plist</CodesignEntitlements> <CodesignProvision>YOUR PROFILE NAME</CodesignProvision> <PackageSigningKey>3rd Party Mac Developer Installer: YOURNAME ()</PackageSigningKey>

For what it is worth, I compile and run my MacCatalyst app on my Mac Mini, which is an M1. Previously I was using a 2014 Mac Mini and it would also compile and run my MacCatalyst app. Have you tried building on your M1 Mac?

Hi @cdavidyoung https://github.com/cdavidyoung

Thanks for your message.

Following the guide you will need to create the certificates (x2) and download them to your computer. The: Apple Distribution: YOURNAME (*******) is copied from the one certificate name

The: 3rd Party Mac Developer Installer: YOURNAME (*******) is copied from the other certificate name

The profile name is the name created when creating the profile in the "Certificates, Identifiers & Profiles" section of the apple developer site. In xode you need to login to your account and download the manual profiles.. this is the profile with the matching name I beleive.

I am developing mainly on Windows then opening on my Mac to publish (Visual Studio seems a bit slower to develop on Mac, from key commands to building and running) I only have a Mid 2015 mac, the app uns fine locally, but does not run on either my mac or another M1 mac via TestFlight. it just crashes.. searched around and found loads of things to try but its so trial and error.

It's not straight forward what might work or not in the "sandbox" or if I am worried about that too much, given the entitlements which are not that clear.

The process of setting up a new app, just for testing and re-building the app until it fails seems like a long winded unnecessary process, but it's hard to tell if the error is build, platform, signing or code related.

— Reply to this email directly, view it on GitHub https://github.com/dotnet/maui/issues/12293#issuecomment-1451837173, or unsubscribe https://github.com/notifications/unsubscribe-auth/AAHE7KZX6KGJIZYKUX7AFSLW2CLINANCNFSM6AAAAAATIMHHBA . You are receiving this because you were mentioned.Message ID: @.***>

Mar 02 '23 20:03 cdavidyoung

@cdavidyoung

Yes, ProfileName is the Name field from the "Provisioning Profile" in the apple account area.

The others I copy/pasted these certificate names exactly from the Mac's Keychain Access > My Certificates.

My apple account is an organisation account, so has the company name, when I first set up the certificates I seemed to have loads my name and company name, and at some point deleted them all and re-created them (just the 2 required) and manually downloaded the profile in xcode via Xcode > Preferences > Account > Select Admin Account > Download Manual Profiles

Settings in the project for these are:

<CodesignEntitlements>Platforms\MacCatalyst\Entitlements.plist</CodesignEntitlements>
<CodesignKey>Apple Distribution: Brighter Tools Ltd (***)</CodesignKey>
<CodesignProvision>ProfileName</CodesignProvision>
<PackageSigningKey>3rd Party Mac Developer Installer: Brighter Tools Ltd (***)</PackageSigningKey>

I will be updating my mac, the mini is a good call.

UPDATE:

Purchased Macbook Pro M2, nor cannot publish the app.. lovely... will now figure that one out first Publish error = 1, not helpful.

And noticed running VS on windows on Parallels doesn't support MAUI..

Mar 03 '23 09:03 brightertools

Working through your issue here and editing as I go along.

New templates implemented in #14219 solve following issues:

[x] #13910 Solves the issue with the UIDeviceFamily key.
[x] adding signing to csproj results in error MSB6006: "codesign" exited with code 3 - We have a fix submitted for that here: https://github.com/xamarin/xamarin-macios/issues/17829
[x] https://github.com/dotnet/docs-maui/issues/1399 Will fix our documentation to indicate the correct usage of <RuntimeIdentifier(s)>
[ ] #7706 - It appears this issue occurs due to an entitlement that is automatically added and removed by Apple in Xcode during debugging. Using partial entitlements could be a solution (and we do have an issue to address this as well: https://github.com/dotnet/maui/issues/13080) to fixing this in the future, but for now, please add this to your Entitlements.plist:

<dict>
    <key>com.apple.security.get-task-allow</key>
    <true/>
</dict>

Also see this documentation.

[x] #5561 Same Solution as above.

Other MAUI issues:

[x] #12287 This issue is also tracked here: #11263. I'll see what I can do to help this along.

Issues for VS for Mac Team:

[ ] For Visual Studio for Mac not being able to run maui apps in release mode: it appears that the VS for Mac team have included a fix in the latest preview version of VS for Mac 2022 Preview: https://developercommunity.visualstudio.com/t/Building-IOS-Release-generate-error-the/10208351 (check last comment in thread)
[ ] #12124 It appears that this issue has to do with the iOS simulator when on M1/M2 Macs. This is a problematic issue because if we set this as a default, it could affect other libraries. We will see about getting this change into the IDE itself, but the suggested fix is to add this to the csproj within a Maui Blazor solution:

<PropertyGroup>
    <RuntimeIdentifier>iossimulator-arm64</RuntimeIdentifier>
</PropertyGroup>

Issue for .NET Core team:

[ ] Microsoft.AspNetCore.Components.Web.HeadOutlet throws exception in the trimmed version https://github.com/dotnet/aspnetcore/issues/40033#issuecomment-1362864155 - To reduce trimming - It looks like this is aspnetcore's wheelhouse. I saw that you had a workaround for this, but an additional recommendation is to add this to your csproj to reduce trimming for iOS/MacCatalyst:

<PropertyGroup>
    <MouchLink>None</MtouchLink>
</PropertyGroup>

Mar 16 '23 03:03 dustin-wojciechowski

I'll try to address all the issues line by line here.

Note: In addition to updating the templates for MAUI MacCatalyst apps to include what is necessary for publishing, the MAUI MacCatalyst Publishing documentation has also been updated, and has additional information. You can access it at aka.ms/publish-maui-app-store.

Developing a MacCatalyst app:

[ ] Building a Release version on Visual Studio for Mac always builds for the first framework in TargetFrameworks, not the selected framework: https://developercommunity.visualstudio.com/t/Building-a-Release-version-always-builds/10238279

It looks like the VS for Mac team was looking into this, but their followup fizzled out. I will say though when it comes to building in Visual Studio, the behavior of building only using the selected platform in the IDE will only work when the Debug target is selected in the IDE. This type of target filtering does not exist for Release. Building for release in the IDE isn't really a replacement gesture for a proper archive for publishing through the IDE or from the CLI.

[ ] Visual Studio for Mac can not run any MAUI project in Release mode: https://developercommunity.visualstudio.com/t/Can-not-run-any-MAUI-project-in-Release-/10237400

It appears that the VS for Mac team have included a fix in the latest preview version of VS for Mac 2022 Preview: https://developercommunity.visualstudio.com/t/Building-IOS-Release-generate-error-the/10208351 (check last comment in thread)

[ ] it doesn't work with XCode 14.2 and iOS 16.2 https://github.com/dotnet/maui/issues/12124#issuecomment-1358154061

It appears that this issue has to do with the iOS simulator when on M1/M2 Macs. This is a problematic issue because if we set this as a default, it could affect other libraries. We will see about getting this change into the IDE itself, but the suggested fix is to add this to the csproj within a Maui Blazor solution:

<PropertyGroup>
    <RuntimeIdentifier>iossimulator-arm64</RuntimeIdentifier>
</PropertyGroup>

[ ] Microsoft.AspNetCore.Components.Web.HeadOutlet throws exception in the trimmed version https://github.com/dotnet/aspnetcore/issues/40033#issuecomment-1362864155

It looks like this is aspnetcore's wheelhouse. I saw that you had a workaround for this, but an additional recommendation is to add this to your csproj to reduce trimming for iOS/MacCatalyst:

<PropertyGroup>
    <MouchLink>None</MtouchLink>
</PropertyGroup>

[x] adding signing to csproj results in error MSB6006: "codesign" exited with code 3.

We have a fix submitted for that on the .NET for iOS side here: https://github.com/xamarin/xamarin-macios/issues/17829

[x] can't open developer tools for Blazor: https://github.com/dotnet/maui/issues/5561 https://github.com/dotnet/maui/issues/7706

For both of these issues, It appears this issue occurs due to an entitlement that is automatically added and removed by Apple in Xcode during debugging. This is updated in our our templates as per #14196 , but for now, please add this to your Entitlements.plist:

<dict>
    <key>com.apple.security.get-task-allow</key>
    <true/>
</dict>

Publishing a MacCatalyst app on Apple macOS store:

[x] rejected when trying to upload with Transporter: The product archive package's signature is invalid. Ensure that it is signed with your "3rd Party Mac Developer Installer" certificate. A commented section in csproj that the developer could un-comment would be helpful here.