Still stuck with distribution

[egolombek]

I feel completely ridiculous, but this honestly, I am totally stuck. I cannot figure out how to distribute the Windows application I have built. Seriously, I have built a complete app and have customers. But, I cannot figure out how to send the app to them! I have tried packaging with an installer, but then when it downloads, it throws up warning after warning such that many give up before they actually are able to download the application.

I feel like this should be totally simple, but I cannot figure it out. Has anyone out there actually sold or distributed a product created in LiveCode? Your help would be most welcome.

[Klaus]

I'm afraid you also need a CERTIFICATE of any kind and sign the EXE and the installer to prevent these Windows security warnings.

[egolombek]

But has anyone ever successfully done this. Is there someone who could give me help in this process? I keep not being successful. Surely someone has done this process successfully... A video out there perhaps? A lesson?

[jacque]

You need to register as a verified developer with a certified Windows authority and purchase a certificate which you attach to the app. There is some paperwork to complete to prove that you are legitimate.

We use https://www.ksoftware.net which has reasonable prices and provides a free utility that attaches the certificate to the app. Once the app is certified the security warnings will go away.

[egolombek]

I guess I was hoping for a way that was free. While I agree the cheaper certificate is under $100, for hobby developers, it's also not all that cheap. And, I cannot tell if I need the cheaper certificate or the more expensive one. And I am afraid I'll pay the money and I still won't be able to figure it out. Do you understand the difference between these certificates?

[jacque]

The cheapest one is fine for you, the OV certificate is for independent developers. The certificate will not expire after it is embedded in the app, it will continue to work for the lifetime of that build and also for any other apps you develop while the certificate is valid. But if you need to release an update, or are planning to distribute a different product, then you need a current, unexpired version to be attached to the revised app. So if this is a one-time build, or updates will all take place within a year, then the cheapest 1-year certificate is fine. If you know you'll be doing updates after more than a year, it's cheaper to buy a longer expiration. On the other hand, if there is more than a year between releases then you can just buy another 1-year certificate whenever you need it.

The free utility doesn't require much from you. You point it to the certificate file that you've downloaded, and to your app, and click a button. I can't recall exactly if you need to enter any other info, but it's basically a one-click operation.

There are no free alternatives that I know of. Microsoft figures that charging money and requiring registration information will deter malware authors. That's probably true, though malware has found all sorts of other ways to invade.

[egolombek]

Hi Jacque. I followed your advice and bit the bullet to purchase the certificate from ksoftware. It was definitely not too hard to do... but I am still having the same issue. Please see the following video:

https://www.loom.com/share/28f60a927db6 ... f902f4b325

Since you have done this before, do you have any thoughts? All help is appreciated.

[jacque]

When you first posted I thought the errors occured when you launched the app, not when you tried to download it. I don't have experience with Google Drive on Windows but from the video, it looks like the same checking is done there. The files I've downloaded from Drive in the past are zipped, so I suspect no verification happens for zip files.

At the risk of sounding like level-one tech support ("Did you plug it in?") -- did you download the kSign app from kSoftware and use it to attach the certificate to the .exe? If so, and if Drive is really using Defender to look at the .exe, then I'd expect it to pass the test.

I noticed in your video that there is an option to mark the file as safe when the popdown menu appears. If that designation will apply to any user, maybe that's one way to avoid the errors.