Unreal Engine 4 is available for Win10 UWP app dev now

[simco50]

Is it possible to run the UWP version of the game inside the editor? Or this fork of unreal just allows to package a UWP version of the game? Right now my iterate time is kind of long, I make a change to the code, compile, open the editor and recreate the UWP package to test my change, as apparently when you run the game inside the editor you still are running the normal windows version. Does anyone know if this is possible, if so, how? Thanks.

As far as I know, you can't run UWP from inside the editor. However...

You can start your application from Visual Studio. Simply select "UWP64" as a target platform and eg. "Development" as your configuration.
This will compile and deploy your application and with F5, you can start debugging.
There is however one catch, it does not account for your asset data. To my knowledge, there are two ways to handle that:

One option is to enable copying cooked assets on deploy. You can change this option in your project config files in MyNiceGame\Config\UWP\UWPEngine.ini, set bCopyCookedContentForF5Deployment=True.
With this enabled, your cooked content will be copied to the proper location (MyNiceGame\Binaries\UWP64\AppX\MyNiceGame\Content\) to launch your application from Visual Studio. You must however always make sure your data is cooked. This can either be done from the command line or from the editor.

The second option is better if you make a lot of changes to assets rather than code. There is a command line option called "-CookOnTheFly". More info can be found here: https://docs.unrealengine.com/en-us/...oyment/Cooking. To use it, run the command (eg UE4Editor.exe MyNiceGame -run=cook -targetplatform=UWP64 -cookonthefly).
Before running the application from Visual Studio, make sure to create a new file called "UE4CommandLine.txt" that contains this text: "-filehostip=127.0.0.1" and save it in your project folder under "MyNiceGame\ShooterGame\Binaries\UWP64\UE4CommandLine.txt".
If you did everything right, when running the application from Visual Studio, after a few seconds, you should see the CookOnTheFly process start to cook assets on demand and you should be able to run your application. Note that this will be much slower than option one but it doesn't require recooking all assets every time you make a change in the editor.

When you haven't done this correctly, you will still be able to launch the application but when it starts loading, you will see a large dialog box saying it failed to load some assets and it will crash.

Usually, when I don't make assets changes in the editor, I go for option one but if I use the editor a lot, you can save much more time with option two.

[MiguelCartaxo]

As far as I know, you can't run UWP from inside the editor. However...

You can start your application from Visual Studio. Simply select "UWP64" as a target platform and eg. "Development" as your configuration.
This will compile and deploy your application and with F5, you can start debugging.
There is however one catch, it does not account for your asset data. To my knowledge, there are two ways to handle that:

One option is to enable copying cooked assets on deploy. You can change this option in your project config files in MyNiceGame\Config\UWP\UWPEngine.ini, set bCopyCookedContentForF5Deployment=True.
With this enabled, your cooked content will be copied to the proper location (MyNiceGame\Binaries\UWP64\AppX\MyNiceGame\Content\) to launch your application from Visual Studio. You must however always make sure your data is cooked. This can either be done from the command line or from the editor.

Thank you, this is a huge help. I've managed to get it working once, but then I dont really know what I did but it stop working. I've enabled bCopyCookedContentForF5Deployment, I switched to Development and UWP64 and I have my project as the startup project but visual studio says "unable to launch the previously selected debugger. Please choose another." when trying to deploy the project. Any ideas?

My "play" in visual studio says "Start" instead of "Local Windows Debugger". Could that be related?

[simco50]

Thank you, this is a huge help. I've managed to get it working once, but then I dont really know what I did but it stop working. I've enabled bCopyCookedContentForF5Deployment, I switched to Development and UWP64 and I have my project as the startup project but visual studio says "unable to launch the previously selected debugger. Please choose another." when trying to deploy the project. Any ideas?

My "play" in visual studio says "Start" instead of "Local Windows Debugger". Could that be related?

I've had the exact same problem before but I don't know for sure what made it work again.
It should definitely say "Local Windows Debugger", that is the problem.
I spent quite some time looking into it and at some point it suddenly worked without changing anything so I don't know what I did.
I thought I had my startup project set on UE4 instead of the game but it sounds like you double checked that that is not the case.
Are you sure the config is still Development UWP and not Editor or something?
Try regenerating the project files.
In case you find the solution, I'd be interested in knowing what the fix was in case it happens again.

[MiguelCartaxo]

So I manage to figure it out. If I right click on my project and go to Properties->Debugging, the "Debugger To Launch" option was "Unsupported Debugger" I clicked it and changed it to "Local Machine", it was the only one that I managed to get it working simco50 is this the same option you use or do you really use "Local Windows Debugger"? That gives me error crashes saying I had missing dlls, which is what happens when I launch the exe directly. Now the only thing that's bothering me is that even though "Local Machine" works great, I cant set breakpoints, it says in the breakpoint that the symbols are not loaded, any idea? Thanks.

[simco50]

So I manage to figure it out. If I right click on my project and go to Properties->Debugging, the "Debugger To Launch" option was "Unsupported Debugger" I clicked it and changed it to "Local Machine", it was the only one that I managed to get it working simco50 is this the same option you use or do you really use "Local Windows Debugger"? That gives me error crashes saying I had missing dlls, which is what happens when I launch the exe directly. Now the only thing that's bothering me is that even though "Local Machine" works great, I cant set breakpoints, it says in the breakpoint that the symbols are not loaded, any idea? Thanks.

Sorry my bad, it should say "Local Machine". Good catch.
The reason your breakpoints don't hit is because Visual Studio is not looking at the right place for symbols.
In Visual Studio's toolbar go to: Tools > Options > Debugging > Symbols. Add a new entry with the following path: YourProjectFolder\Binaries\UWP64\
Save that and the next time you launch, it should load the symbols.

[samdax]

Hi, just one question

I making a test to pack a sample app to UWP. Everything works but when i try to run the app on windows it says that i need a trusted certificate.

I generate one in the Unreal options and it appears in the folder of the app.

I add the cerfiticate and it's appears as ok, but still not working the app. Still says i need a trusted certificate.

I need the app for internal use, not for publish on the store.

what can i do?

thx!!

[simco50]

Hi, just one question

I making a test to pack a sample app to UWP. Everything works but when i try to run the app on windows it says that i need a trusted certificate.

I generate one in the Unreal options and it appears in the folder of the app.

I add the cerfiticate and it's appears as ok, but still not working the app. Still says i need a trusted certificate.

I need the app for internal use, not for publish on the store.

what can i do?

thx!!

Have you tried these things:
- Enable Developer Mode in the Windows Settings
- When adding the certificate (double click on the certificate), select "Install Certificate", then "Local Machine", select "Place all certificates in the following store" and when browsing, select "Trusted People" and continue. Just adding the certificate with the default options might not be enough, this is just how I've always done it.

[samdax]

Have you tried these things:
- Enable Developer Mode in the Windows Settings
- When adding the certificate (double click on the certificate), select "Install Certificate", then "Local Machine", select "Place all certificates in the following store" and when browsing, select "Trusted People" and continue. Just adding the certificate with the default options might not be enough, this is just how I've always done it.

Nice! thank you! now it's working! finally can install the certificate, but have a new problem :/


I'm using the FPS template of unreal. Just for testing. Nothing changed. But when i run the app only a blue windows appears, with the splash screen, and nothing more happens. After, maybe 30 seconds, the windows closes, and that's it.


What i'm doing wrong now?

Thanks again for your help!

[simco50]

Nice! thank you! now it's working! finally can install the certificate, but have a new problem :/


I'm using the FPS template of unreal. Just for testing. Nothing changed. But when i run the app only a blue windows appears, with the splash screen, and nothing more happens. After, maybe 30 seconds, the windows closes, and that's it.


What i'm doing wrong now?

Thanks again for your help!

Could you provide some more context?
Are you running a packaged build? Or deploying from Visual Studio?
Try taking a look at the log found here: C:\Users\%username%\AppData\Local\Packages\%AppID%\LocalState\%project name%\Saved\Logs\%project name.log%
There's also a tool called DebugView made by Microsoft (https://download.sysinternals.com/files/DebugView.zip) which captures all logging in Windows into a log. Try running the application with this open and see if you catch any interesting logs.

[samdax]

Could you provide some more context?
Are you running a packaged build? Or deploying from Visual Studio?
Try taking a look at the log found here: C:\Users\%username%\AppData\Local\Packages\%AppID%\LocalState\%project name%\Saved\Logs\%project name.log%
There's also a tool called DebugView made by Microsoft (https://download.sysinternals.com/files/DebugView.zip) which captures all logging in Windows into a log. Try running the application with this open and see if you catch any interesting logs.

The process is like this:

1- Create a new project, with the empty template

2- Create level

3- Put level as default

4-UWp options and certificate

5-Package

6- finish and no errors

7- Install certificate, install app, run app and stuck here.


That's the full process ^_^

cannot find the file in the path, there is no folder with my project name inside localstate
"C:\Users\%username%\AppData\Local\Packages\%AppID%\LocalState\%project name%\Saved\Logs\%project name.log%"

This is the debug window running the app



Thanks a lot for your help!!

[juaxix]

The process is like this:



That's the full process ^_^

yeah!, I have the exact same problem ...well, they have just deleted the repository ( https://github.com/MICROSOFT-XBOX-ATG ) , so I guess they are not going to support this like they did with WindowsXP and the RPCs exploits

[samdax]

yeah!, I have the exact same problem ...well, they have just deleted the repository ( https://github.com/MICROSOFT-XBOX-ATG ) , so I guess they are not going to support this like they did with WindowsXP and the RPCs exploits

So what can i do? i readed some about packing using visual studio, but i'm not sure if i can do this.

I'm in this mess because i'm trying to use a MS Surface Pro as a tablet. I have an app using gyroscope to rotate camera: Works perfectly on Android but doesn't work on the Surface Pro. That's why i'm trying to test on a UWP app, because maybe this way the gyroscope works. But cannot make it work the app because this error, so i'm in a dead end all around right now

[simco50]

The process is like this:

That's the full process ^_^

Thanks a lot for your help!!

I've followed the exact same steps as you but I am unable to reproduce the problem. I'm not familiar with the issue you are having.

yeah!, I have the exact same problem ...well, they have just deleted the repository ( https://github.com/MICROSOFT-XBOX-ATG ) , so I guess they are not going to support this like they did with WindowsXP and the RPCs exploits

The have not removed the repository, it's private. You can find it here: https://github.com/MICROSOFT-XBOX-AT...OFT_UWP_UNREAL

[samdax]

I've followed the exact same steps as you but I am unable to reproduce the problem. I'm not familiar with the issue you are having.

The have not removed the repository, it's private. You can find it here: https://github.com/MICROSOFT-XBOX-AT...OFT_UWP_UNREAL

bad luck for me! but thanks a lot for your help!!

Anyway, my main problem is because i cannot make work the gyroscope on the Surface pro under Unreal. In android works perfectly, but if i run a windows app in the surface pro, doesn't work the gyroscope.

That's why i'm trying to use the UWP to test if this way gyroscope runs.

Any idea about this? :?

[simco50]

bad luck for me! but thanks a lot for your help!!

Anyway, my main problem is because i cannot make work the gyroscope on the Surface pro under Unreal. In android works perfectly, but if i run a windows app in the surface pro, doesn't work the gyroscope.

That's why i'm trying to use the UWP to test if this way gyroscope runs.

Any idea about this? :?

I doubt it would work on UWP if it doesn't work on Android. The UWP integration is not very feature complete. However I've never tried it myself before.