TheLolFx update certification fail

I’m writing this to get my thoughts in order prior to a live webinar: “Navigating the Windows Store Certification Process” where I hope to learn more about how, not only to solve certification issues, but how to communicate with the store and certification testers.

My Windows store application learning experience, TheLolFx, passed the windows store certification on it’s first submission. (don’t know why it’s showing the price in Rs. which I believe is Rupees) It has failed multiple update resubmission certification tests.

I greedily rushed the TheLolFx into certification because I wanted to win a Samsung slate in a GenerationApp promotion – which I did. I submitted the application for a fee and it contains an advertisement from the MS ad sdk. However I regretted this decision and began the process of resubmitting TheLolFx for a cost of free, adding a store logo missing from the original submission and changing the spelling of a menu in the charms flyout. No changes in the program code at all aside from a string. TheLolFx passes the WACK test, however it has failed resubmission twice.

The certification report: (copied and pasted from the web)

TheLolFx: Certification report

Overall result: failed

Report generated at 11/14/2012 1:55 AM

Security tests: passed

This test scans your app for malware and unwanted behaviors. Learn more

Technical compliance: passed

This tests your app with the Windows App Certification Kit. You can also run this the test locally from the SDK. Learn more

Content compliance: failed

This test evaluates your software for content compliance with Windows Store Certification Requirements. Learn more

Your app doesn’t meet requirement 3.8. Learn more

The launch time and suspend time of an app depends on many variables, such as system load and configuration, which can vary from one computer to another and from one test to another. Because of this variability, a launch time or a suspend time that is just under the limit in one instance could be just over the limit, and fail the test, in another.

If the app’s launch time or suspend time is close to the limit, review what the app is doing to handle those events and look for ways to reduce that activity.

Notes from Testers:

A:: App failed the Perf test in the Windows ACK. See the following links for more information: Test cases ran: http://msdnstage.redmond.corp.microsoft.com/en-us/library/windows/apps/hh920274.aspx JavaScript and HTML info: http://msdnstage.redmond.corp.microsoft.com/en-us/library/windows/apps/hh781221.aspx. Investigation tools for HTML: http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/windows/apps/jj553524.aspx C# Apps info: http://msdnstage.redmond.corp.microsoft.com/en-us/library/windows/apps/hh750313.aspx

Now this is the exact reason given for the first certification rejection. During the second submission I put some information in the notes to testers section detailing the trouble I had reaching the urls supplied in the certification test failure. In the rejection letter after the second rejection there were no comments or answers to my question stated in the notes to testers section. Bummer. Only one of these URLs are valid in my browser. The msdnstage… are not, and I pointed this out in the notes to testers section. I received no response to this in the certification failure notes. That is frustrating. Not sure the notes were even read? This screenshot is from the first certification failure they appear to be exactly the same as the second certification failure notes.

This leads me to believe the notes to testers section was not read by the testers.

It would be nice to keep the historical submissions and their notes from either side accessible in the windows store dashboard.

Now I would like to document a behavior I noticed while attempting to learn why the startup time may be causing the certification failure. In addition to my primary development machine I have an Acer Iconia W500. I loaded TheLolFx on this machine and noted the following odd behavior during the very few times I could get the startup to fail. When I start TheLolFx the splash screen comes up waits about five seconds then disappears returning to the main windows screen. That is the expected behavior if the app doesn’t start in the allotted startup time. However just by chance I noticed that if I hit the windows key, even tens of minutes later, TheLolFx splash screen reappears. Was the app completely terminated by windows in the startup process?

OK I’ve got nine minutes to post this and join the webinar. I’ll attempt to update this with anything I learn.