[CB-12808] 'Error: AppPackages doesn't exists` when building for windows@5.0.0

• Type: Bug
• Status: Closed
• Priority: Major
• Resolution: Not A Problem
• Component/s: cordova-windows

Environment

See VisualStudioCommunity-Specs attachment.
Windows 10 Home (see Windows10Home-About attachment)
Microsoft Visual Studio Community 2017 Version 15.2 (26430.4) Release
Windows 10 SDK 10.0.15063.137
cordova@6.5.0 and cordova@7.0.0

• Assignee: Unassigned
• Reporter: Shazron Abdullah
• Created: 12/May/17 17:58
• Updated: 23/Aug/18 07:50
• Resolved: 14/Feb/18 13:58

Description

See Environment field.
1. Install Windows 10 Home with latest updates as of May 12 2017
2. Install Visual Studio Community Edition with latest updates as of May 12 2017
3. Install Windows 10 SDK 10.0.15063.137
4. Add to your environment variables 'VSINSTALLDIR` value: C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft Visual Studio\2017\Community

Repro:

$ cordova create foo
$ cd foo
# edit config.xml to add these two tags below (without the hashes):
# <preference name="windows-target-version" value="10.0" />
# <preference name="windows-phone-target-version" value="10.0" />
$ cordova platform add windows
Adding windows project...
Creating Cordova Windows Project:
        Path: platforms\windows
        Namespace: io.cordova.hellocordova
        Name: HelloCordova
Windows project created with cordova-windows@5.0.0
Installing "cordova-plugin-whitelist" for windows
$ cordova build windows
Building project: C:\Users\shazron\Desktop\foo\platforms\windows\CordovaApp.Windows10.jsproj
        Configuration : debug
        Platform      : anycpu
  Patching 10 in prebuild event...
  Injected base.js reference to the /www/index.html
  Removing /( *)(<script\s+(?:type="text\/javascript"\s+)?src="\/\/Microsoft.WinJS.2.0\/js\/base.js">
  \s*<\/script>)(\s*)/ from /www/index.html
  Removing /( *)(<script\s+(?:type="text\/javascript"\s+)?src="\/\/Microsoft.Phone.WinJS.2.1\/js\/bas
  e.js">\s*<\/script>)(\s*)/ from /www/index.html
Error: AppPackages doesn't exists

The error originates in the platform code, here:
https://github.com/apache/cordova-windows/blob/7fe4c21229815d216a985b114a4db5f01b5e5169/template/cordova/lib/package.js#L32-L36