Windows Host Integration Validation Guide

Use this checklist to exercise the packagingtools host workflow on a Windows runner and confirm the WiX metadata is honored end-to-end.

Prerequisites

Windows 11/Windows Server 2022 runner with the WiX 3.14+ toolset (heat.exe, candle.exe, light.exe) available on PATH.
.NET SDK 10.x preview (matching the repo) installed.
PowerShell 7+ recommended for strict mode support.

Steps

Clone the repository and open an elevated PowerShell prompt.
Execute the validation script:
```
pwsh tools/windows/validate-host-integration.ps1
```
- The script provisions a sample payload under samples/sample/payload, runs packagingtools host in preview mode, applies the configuration, and finally invokes packagingtools pack to build an MSI.
Inspect the console output:
- Preview phase should list property diffs and any warnings (for example missing custom icon).
- Apply phase must succeed without errors.
- Packaging phase should complete and produce an MSI inside artifacts/host-validation.
Optionally open the generated Product.wxs file in the output directory to confirm the shortcut, protocol handler, and file association fragments match the applied metadata.

CI Integration

Add the following job to GitHub Actions (Windows runner) once WiX tooling is available:

jobs:
  windows-host-validation:
    runs-on: windows-latest
    steps:
      - uses: actions/checkout@v4
      - name: Install .NET SDK
        uses: actions/setup-dotnet@v4
        with:
          dotnet-version: '10.0.x'
      - name: Install WiX Toolset 3.14
        run: choco install wixtoolset --version=3.14.1.20250415 --no-progress -y
      - name: Validate host integration
        run: pwsh tools/windows/validate-host-integration.ps1

Ensure the WiX installation path is added to PATH when running outside of Chocolatey.