[Feature Request]: Allow --skip-dependencies as part of WAU and Installer

[jsimcina]

The request

Please allow a per-app parameter to allow --skip-dependencies to be piped to Winget during install and/or update

Is your feature request related to a problem?

Additional information

Here's the scenario I ran into this past week:
We use Cloudflare WARP and I use Winget to deploy it to recently autopiloted devices, but ran into a strange issue. We push an evergreen version of Edge to our devices as part of the AP process, which, obviously shouldn't be an issue. However, Cloudflare WARP requires Webview2 as a dependency, which Winget picks up, unfortunately, the Winget repository isn't updated as quickly as MS releases Edge builds. In our scenario, the version of Edge/Webview that was rolled out to the endpoint was 142.0.3595.94, but the version on the Winget repo was still 142.0.3595.90. Winget attempts to upgrade Winget to the prior version, which, naturally, fails, causing the WARP install to subsequently fail. I'm currently using the pre-install mod workaround to push the --skip-dependencies switch and install the application, but it is rather hacky. It would be better if there were a more out of the box solution for this type of scenario

[KnifMelti]

Could you please share your "../ I'm currently using the pre-install mod workaround to push the --skip-dependencies switch and install the application/.." for others to enjoy!

[jsimcina]

Sure I can do that, it's pretty simple, but definitely a workaround. You create a mod (Package id-preinstall.ps1), in this case mine is:
Cloudflare.Warp-preinstall.ps1

I had already created this mod for a couple assets that needed to be included to scope WARP into our tenant appropriately, but the specific line that does the "magic" is this one:

& $Winget install --id Cloudflare.Warp -e --accept-package-agreements --accept-source-agreements -s winget -h --skip-dependencies

So instead of WAU/Winget-Installer doing the install during the normal install step, it runs the install during the preinstall script with the desired parameter added... definitely a hack, but effective!

[KnifMelti]

My kind of hack!

[jsimcina]

Oh I've got all kinds of them- got a whole stack of Task Scheduler scripts to get device group awareness from the graph API, which then grabs an a JSON file from blob storage and creates an app entitlement file that Winget-Installer uses to initially install apps- way faster than cramming all the apps in during OOBE

[KnifMelti]

Fantastic!
Exactly the things I created the Mods feature for Apps/Mods for WAU for (to enable customization of everything).
Makes me happy to know it's being used! ❤️

[Romanitho]

Maybe we could add another customization file in addition to -custom.txt and -override.txt — for example -arguments.txt — to pass extra Winget arguments such as --skip-dependencies or --locale.

[KnifMelti]

Maybe, but @jsimcina is already using a pre-install mod and think that is hacky...

I'm currently using the pre-install mod workaround to push the --skip-dependencies switch and install the application, but it is rather hacky. It would be better if there were a more out of the box solution for this type of scenario

[KnifMelti]

But #1073 could benefit from it...

[Romanitho]

exactly

[KnifMelti]

@jsimcina Does #1077 fulfill your needs?
[EDIT] I'm using it in my home and test environments, and I can confirm the usefulness of it - working as intended

[jsimcina]

@jsimcina Does #1077 fulfill your needs? [EDIT] I'm using it in my home and test environments, and I can confirm the usefulness of it - working as intended

Yes that looks like it would be a perfect solution!