title: How to package a HTML/Metro App for deployment outside Visual Studio 2012
body: <p>Does anyone know how to package an app for deployment of a HTML/JS Metro Application outside Visual Studio. I keep hearing reference to a "Store" Menu Item, but I am using Visual Studio 2012 RC Ultimate Edition, and there is no such Top level Menu Item. </p>
  
  <p>I've also tried using the command line tool with a given manifest file (the one built automatically within a build) to create an appx file, but get some esoteric error message at the end of the packaging. </p>
  
  <p>Update: Command line error message</p>
  
  <pre><code>MakeAppx pack /d  .\Release\AppX /p generic.AppX
  The package path (/p) parameter is: "generic.AppX"
  The content directory (/d) parameter is: ".\Release\AppX"
  Enumerating files from directory ".\Release\AppX"
  Packing 52 file(s) in ".\Release\AppX" (content directory) to "generic.AppX" (p    ackage name).
  Using ".\Release\AppX\AppxManifest.xml" as the manifest for the package.
  Adding ".\Release\AppX\images\splashscreen.png" to the package as a payload file.  Its path in the package is "images\splashscreen.png".
  Adding ".\Release\AppX\images\logo.png" to the package as a payload file.  Its path in the package is "images\logo.png".
  Adding ".\Release\AppX\images\smalllogo.png" to the package as a payload file.  Its path in the package is "images\smalllogo.png".
  Adding ".\Release\AppX\images\storelogo.png" to the package as a payload file.  Its path in the package is "images\storelogo.png".
  .........{Cut for brevity's sake}.........
  MakeAppx : error: Package creation failed.
  MakeAppx : error: 0x8007007b - The filename, directory name, or volume label syntax is incorrect.
  </code></pre>
  
  <p><strong>Update: Figured It out (Sort of)!</strong></p>
  
  <p>I dont know what happened, but I create a blank XAML/C# Metro App. When you right click on the project, you get a Store option. It still wasnt showing up on my HTML/JS Metro app project, So i created a clean HTML/JS Metro Project....and there it was, a "Store" Option.</p>
  
  <p>So I opened my current, non-working project again, right clicked on the project and there it was, the "store" option. I don't know if this was a 2012 RC bug, but I will leave this question here just in case someone else runs into this. </p>