Some automation I have written over the past few years. 2 Separate tools

AutoPackager

Script which parses a xml file specification of a package and target. Target can be MSI, EXE or APPV. APPV Target produces a script which can be executed on a sequencing machine to produce an APPV. EXE or MSI produces an apppackage XML which can be consumed by ImportConvert and brought into Config Manager for deployment.

ImportConvert

Originally written in 2013 for an Appv 4.6 to Appv 5 migration (Along with SCCM 2007 to SCCM 2012), this script sucks in APPV files and names them and deploys them appropriatly based on their filename.

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Autopackager - Critical files and scripts

Orchestration\Settings.json contains configuration settings for the autopackager, and needs to be configured for your site *.

(* NB: within a " enclosed json string, the backslash (\) character used in windows filepaths must be doubled eg. "C:\\windows\\filespec").

The required settings are:

• PackageDest: The destination folder for auto-packaged applications ready to be added as sccm packages
• PackageQueue: APPV source files and sequencing scripts will be queued here
• PackageSource: MSI & EXE source files are queued here

Orchestration\PackageChecker.ps1 Script

For each package definition in 'packages' this script checks if a new dist is avalable. If a newer dist than what is currently packaged is available, it downloads it and queues for packaging.

There are three different ways a package definition may be specified:

1. folder with a Manifest.xml definition
2. folder with checkpackage.ps1 script
3. standalone PACKAGE.ps1 script

Folder with a Manifest.xml definition

In this case all the required metadata to create a package is contained in the file Packages\APPNAME\Manifest.xml. Look in the Orchestration\Packages folder for example manifest.xml files.

Broadly speaking the manifest XML has the following basic structure:

<Application>: The root tag, with attributes to specify the Name, Version, Vendor, License, Target

<Downloads>: Contains one or more <download> subtags

<Download>: Attributes specify the source URL and how to download the installer

<LocalFiles>: Optionally specify additional local files in the package folder to be used in the packaging process

<Type>: Specifies either APPV, MSI, or EXE with a set of subtags to specify the details of how to package for each type

Orchestration\Functions\Start-ManifestProcess.ps is called to process each manifest.xml file. It loads the metadata, and then calls one of:

• New-SequencerScript

  if <Type> is APPV

  which adds the installer and a sequencing script to PackageQueue folder defined in Settings.json

• New-AppPackageBundle if <Type> is MSI or EXE

  which adds the installer and required packaging metadata to the PackageSource folder defined in Settings.json

Folder with checkpackage.ps1 script

WIP - to be completed.

Standalone PACKAGE.ps1 script

WIP - to be completed.