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MageUI.exe (Manifest Generation and Editing Tool, Graphical Client)

MageUI.exe supports the same functionality as the command-line tool Mage.exe, but with a Windows-based user interface (UI). With this tool you can create, edit, and sign deployment and application manifests. New manifests that are created with MageUI.exe target the .NET Framework 4 Client Profile. Previous versions of MageUI.exe should be used to target previous .NET Framework versions. When adding or removing assemblies from a manifest, or re-signing existing manifests, MageUI.exe does not update the manifest to target .NET Framework 4 Client Profile. For more information, see Mage.exe (Manifest Generation and Editing Tool).

  • Two versions of Mage.exe and MageUI.exe are included as a component of the Visual Studio 2010 setup. To see version information, run MageUI.exe, select Help, and select About. This documentation describes version 4.0.x.x of Mage.exe and MageUI.exe.

Note

MageUI.exe does not support the compatibleFrameworks element when saving an application manifest that has already been signed with a certificate using MageUI.exe. Instead, you must use Mage.exe.

The following table lists the menu and toolbar items that are available.

Command

Menu

Shortcut

Description

Application Manifest

File, New

Creates a new application manifest.

Deployment Manifest

File, New

Creates a new deployment manifest.

Open

File

CTRL+O

Opens an existing deployment manifest, application manifest, or trust license for editing.

Close

File

CTRL+F4

Closes an open file.

If you modify a file before closing it, MageUI.exe prompts you to re-sign the file with a public key, key pair, or stored certificate.

Save

File

CTRL+S

Saves to disk the document which currently has user input focus.

Save As

File

Saves a file to disk, enabling you to supply a new file name and/or location.

Save All

File

Saves the changes made to all files currently open within MageUI.exe.

Preferences

File

Opens the Preferences dialog box. See the following section for more information.

Exit

File

ALT+F4

Quits MageUI.exe.

Cut

Edit

CTRL+X

Removes the currently selected text from the application and moves it to the system Clipboard.

Copy

Edit

CTRL+C

Copies the currently selected text to the system Clipboard.

Paste

Edit

CTRL+V

Pastes text from the system Clipboard into the currently active text element.

Delete

Edit

Deletes an element currently selected in a list, such as a trust license on the Deployment Manifest tab. For more information, see MageUI.exe Deployment Manifest Tab.

Close All

Window

Closes all files currently open in MageUI.exe. If one or more files need saving, MageUI.exe prompts you to save them. MageUI.exe also prompts you to select a signing key for each unsigned or changed file.

About

Help

Displays version and copyright information about MageUI.exe.

Preferences Dialog Box

The Preferences dialog box contains the following elements.

UI Element

Description

Sign on save

Prompts you to sign a file whenever you save your modifications.

Use default signing certificate

Uses the key entered in the Certificate file text box to sign all files. This eliminates the signing prompt that typically appears when you save a file and Sign on Save is selected. Use the ellipsis () button next to the Certificate file text box to select a key file.

Signing Options Dialog Box

The Signing Options dialog box appears when you save a manifest or trust license for the first time, or when you change a manifest or trust license. It only appears if the Sign on Save option in the Preferences dialog box is selected. You must be connected to the Internet when signing a manifest that specifies a value in the TimeStamping URI text box.

This dialog box contains the following elements.

UI Element

Description

Sign with certificate file

Signs the manifest with a digital certificate stored on the file system.

File

Provides an area to type the path to the .pfx file representing the certificate.

...

Opens a Choose File dialog box for selecting an existing .pfx file.

New

Generates a new .pfx that is not verifiable through a Certificate Authority (CA). For more information about the types of certificates used for signing ClickOnce deployments, see Trusted Application Deployment Overview.

Password

Provides an area to type the password used for signing with this certificate. If not applicable, can be left blank.

Sign with stored certificate

Displays a selectable list of digital certificates stored in your computer's certificate store.

TimeStamping URI

Displays the Uniform Resource Locator (URI) of a digital timestamping service. Timestamping the manifests prevents you from having to re-sign the manifests if your digital certificate expires before you deploy the next version of your application. For more information, see Windows root certificate program members and ClickOnce and Authenticode.

Don't Sign

Allows you to save the manifest without adding a signature from a digital certificate.

Tab and Panel Descriptions

When you open a document with MageUI.exe, it appears within its own tab page. Each tab contains a set of property panels. The panels contain grouped subsets of the document's data. For information about the UI elements available for editing each type of document, see MageUI.exe Deployment Manifest Tab and MageUI.exe Application Manifest Tab.

See Also

Tasks

Walkthrough: Manually Deploying a ClickOnce Application

Reference

Mage.exe (Manifest Generation and Editing Tool)

MageUI.exe Deployment Manifest Tab

MageUI.exe Application Manifest Tab

Concepts

ClickOnce Security and Deployment