microsoft / microsoft/winget-cli

Add option to show install technology in winget search

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#5,854 9 comments 4 reactions 0 assignees View on GitHub

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Area-User-Interface Issue-Feature
Dominant language
C++
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Avg merge
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Description

Relevant area(s)

WinGet CLI

Description of the new feature / enhancement

When using the "winget search" command, please add an option to show a column that shows the package installation technology, or technologies available. Ideally also in settings to show this always. I would appreciate this as I care about primarily installing msix packages due to all their benefits like isolation and clean uninstall, compared to legacy installation technologies. It would help to see them overall and especially when multiple versions or variations of an app are available, to help me make an informed choice as to which to install and as to what the installation is actually going to do (e.g. open an msix, just extract a zip (portable) vs execute an arbitrary exe, which carries a much greater risk).

Proposed technical implementation details

No response

Contributor guide

Open the contributing guide

First steps

  1. Read the whole issue, then the project's contributing guide.
  2. Comment on the issue to say you are picking it up — it saves two people doing the same work.
  3. Fork the repository and make your change on a branch.
  4. Open a pull request that references the issue number.

Research direction

Start in the WinGet CLI implementation for the search command and trace how search columns and user settings are handled. Determine how each package's installation technology is represented, then expose it in search output and as an optional persistent setting. Done means users can request or enable the column and see the technology for relevant results.

Written by the indexing model from the issue text.

Assessment

Tech stack
cpp
Domain
cli, operating-systems
Issue type
Feature
Difficulty
4/5
Estimated time
3-5 days
Activity status
Quiet
Clarity
Mostly clear
Newbie friendliness
52/100

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