The overarching goal with these job interviews (or maybe it’s more like getting through airport
security!) is to help users feel confident and secure in trying new apps, a level of confidence that isn’t
generally found with apps acquired from the open web. As all apps in the Store are certified, signed,
and subject to ratings and reviews, customers can trust all apps from the Store as they would trust
those recommended by a reliable friend. Truly, this is wonderful news for most developers, especially
those just getting started—it gives you the same access to the worldwide Windows market that has
been previously enjoyed only by those companies with an established brand or reputation.
It’s worth noting that because you set up pricing, trial versions, and in-app purchases during the
on-boarding process, you’ll have already thought about your app’s relationship to the Store quite a bit!
After all, the Store is where you’ll be doing business with your app, whether you’re in business for fame,
fortune, fun, or philanthropy.
As a developer, indeed, this relationship spans the entire lifecycle of an app—from planning and
development to distribution, support, and servicing. This is, in fact, why I’ve started this life story of an
app with the Windows Store, because you really want to understand that whole lifecycle from the very
beginning of planning and design. If, for example, you’re looking to turn a profit from a paid app or
in-app purchases, perhaps also offering a time-limited or feature-limited trial, you’ll want to engineer
your app accordingly. If you want to have a free, ad-supported app, or if you want to use a third-party
commerce solution for in-app purchases (bypassing revenue sharing with the Store), these choices also
affect your design from the get-go. And even if you’re just going to give the app away to promote a
cause or to just share your joy, understanding the relationship between the Store and your app is still
important. (For all these reasons, you might want to skip ahead read the first parts of Chapter 17,
"Apps for Everyone," before you start writing your app in earnest.)
Anyway, if your app hits any bumps along the road to certification, you’ll get a report back with all
the details, such as any violations of the Certification requirements for Windows apps (part of the
Windows Store agreements section). Otherwise, congratulations—your app is ready for customers!
Sidebar: The Store API and Product Simulator
The Windows.ApplicationModel.Store.CurrentProduct class in WinRT provides the ability for
apps to retrieve their product information from the store (including in-app purchases), check
license status, and prompt the user to make purchases (such as upgrading a trial or making an
in-app purchase).
Of course, this begs a question: how can an app test such features before it’s even in the
Store? The answer is that during development, you use these APIs through the
Windows.ApplicationModel.Store.CurrentProductSimulator class instead. This is entirely
identical to CurrentProduct except that it works against local data in an XML file rather than live
Store data in the cloud. This allows you to simulate the various conditions that your app might
download. If you can successfully run the WACK during your development process, you shouldn’t have any problem passing the
first stage of onboarding.