In today’s mobile application testing and development world, frameworks such as Appium have appeared as an upper hand for QA developers and testers.  It makes the testing of mobile applications more comprehensible and guarantees their quality and dependability across numerous devices and platforms.

This Appium tutorial serves as a complete guide for mastering mobile automation. Appium is an open-source and cross-platform mobile application automation framework that assists developers and testers who focus on automated testing for iOS as well as Android devices.

In this article, we will cover how to set up the first mobile automation script with Appium. It will include understanding Appium, why it is preferred over other mobile testing frameworks and its components. We will also understand how Appium works, set up Appium for Android and iOS devices, and best practices for writing reliable and scalable Appium scripts.

What is Appium?

Appium is an open-source and cross-platform test automation framework. It mainly focuses on testing mobile applications (Android or iOS). It automated test cases for web, hybrid, and native applications. Appium cannot be used to test Android versions lower than 4.2. It supports advanced automation frameworks such as UiAutomator2 and XCUITest. Additionally, Appium does not need any modification to the app under test.

It also sustains various programming languages and enables testers and developers to employ their preferred programming language while writing test scripts. These test cases can operate on diverse operating systems like Windows, Mac, Linux, etc. Appium is based on the W3C protocol, which is the same one used by Selenium. These features of Appium make it a versatile tool for scalable mobile application testing.

Why is Appium preferred over other mobile testing frameworks?

Some features of Appium are listed below:

Cross-Platform Support- Appium removes the demand for platform-particular test scripts. It allows testers to write a single test script and implement it over different platforms, such as Android, Windows, and iOS.

Multi-Language Support- It provides client libraries for various programming languages. This flexibility enables testers to work with their preferred programming languages.

No App Modification Required- It does not need any alteration to the application under test, like adding SDKs, modifying the app in any way, or recompiling. Appium maintains the integrity of the production build as it interacts with the app as it is.

Supports Multiple App Types- This open-source automation testing framework supports various app types.

  • Native Apps: Native apps are constructed using platform-specific SDKs like Java/Kotlin for Android.
  • Mobile Web Apps: Mobile web apps are accessed through mobile browsers.
  • Hybrid Apps: Hybrid apps have WebView components for generating web content.

Multi-Device Testing- It improves efficiency and scalability as testers can run test cases on numerous devices, emulators, and simulators simultaneously using Appium.

Supports Cloud-Based Testing- It permits testing on numerous devices and operating systems as it integrates flawlessly with cloud-based testing platforms such as LambdaTest.

Extensibility- It supports additional extensions and custom commands, making it possible to test features that may not be covered by default.

Active Inspector Tool- Appium provides an Inspector Tool that helps identify UI elements in the app. With this, developers can easily locate elements for automation.

Integration with CI/CD Pipelines- Appium allows automated testing during builds by being integrated into Continuous Integration/Continuous Deployment (CI/CD) pipelines with tools such as GitLab, GitHub, or Jenkins.

Handles Gesture-Based Interactions- Appium supports complex gestures like tap, zoom, pinch, multi-touch, etc so it allows complete testing of user interactions.

Components of Appium

Appium’s architecture tracks a client/server model. It has a server built on the Node.js platform, featuring a REST API, and implementing Selenium WebDriver.

The architecture includes three main components. They are-

Appium Client: The Appium client contains language-specific libraries or SDKs that assign developers to create test automation scripts for mobile applications using Appium. Testers can also specify preferred capabilities through the client libraries to configure the testing environment. In numerous programming languages, these client libraries offer methods for locating elements, conducting gestures, interacting with UI components, and validating expected behaviors.

Appium Server: The Appium server acts as a crucial intermediary within the framework, enabling the automation of mobile applications. It bridges the gap between the test script and the mobile application, whether running on a physical device or an emulator/simulator. Via a REST API, the server accepts commands from the test script and translates them into automation actions specific to the targeted mobile platform.

Leveraging the powerful features of Selenium WebDriver, the Appium server communicates with the mobile application. This enables operations like gesture simulation, UI interactions, element identification, and behavior validation. The Appium server provides a unified interface, allowing cross-platform mobile testing, as test scripts can be developed in various programming languages and executed seamlessly across diverse mobile platforms.

End Device: The “end device” refers to an emulator, simulator, or real device connected to the server where automated tests are executed. These devices play a crucial role in carrying out the testing procedures and validating the functionality and performance of mobile applications.

How does Appium work?

By leveraging the behavior or different components like links in the UI, buttons, and text boxes, Appium interacts automatically with an application. It can be reused to write and run tests against the given application at varied sessions. Appium operates as a client-server architecture, where the server bridges the client (test scripts) and the application being tested.

By abstracting platform-specific details, Appium enables testers to write unified test scripts that can be reused across different platforms, making it a powerful tool for mobile application automation.

Setting up Appium for Android devices

Appium utilizes the UIAutomator framework or Slendroid. The UIAutomator framework or Slendroid is meant for testing the Android user interface to automate applications on Android device testing. The bootstrap.jar file works as a TCP server that sends the test command for acting on Android devices. This is done with the help of the UIAutomator or Selendroid framework.

Setting up Appium for iOS devices

Appium uses the JSON wire protocol for iOS devices which is similar to the case of Android devices. For iOS devices it uses Apple’s UIAutomation API to interact with the user interface elements for automated iOS device testing. The bootstrap.js file acts as a TCP server that sends the test command for acting on the iOS device with the help of Apple’s UIAutomation API framework.

Best practices for writing reliable and scalable Appium scripts

Some best practices for writing reliable and scalable Appium scripts are:

Use Page Object Model (POM)- The Page Object Model (POM) separates the test logic from UI interactions by creating classes for each app screen. Each class contains locators and methods for interacting with the page’s elements. Testers can implement a Page object model to improve maintainability and reduce test script updates when the UI changes.

Implement Explicit Waits- Developers can avoid using Thread.sleep() and instead use WebDriverWait for explicit waits. This ensures the test waits for elements to be visible or clickable before interacting with them. This makes tests more stable and faster by eliminating unnecessary delays.

Use Robust and Unique Locators- Testers can use reliable locators like accessibility IDs or resource IDs instead of generic ones like class names. These locators are less likely to change and ensure your tests are stable even when the app’s UI changes.

Leverage Data-Driven Testing- Externalizing test data into files like CSV or JSON helps to test different inputs easily. This approach increases test coverage and makes it easier to manage large datasets without changing the core test logic.

Enable Parallel Execution- Parallel execution helps speed up test cycles, especially when testing on different platforms like Android and iOS. Platforms like LambdaTest help run parallel tests across multiple devices. As it supports parallel testing, it significantly reduces test execution time, permitting testers to run multiple Appium test scripts concurrently.

LambdaTest is an AI-powered test orchestration and execution platform that allows the execution of both manual and automated testing of web and mobile applications at scale. This makes it useful for ensuring that web applications perform well across different environments. It also allows users to perform real-time across 3000 environments and real mobile devices.

LambdaTest offers an extensive range of features tailored to enhance Appium test scripts for testing mobile applications. It provides a robust cloud-based platform for running Appium test automation scripts, providing users with numerous features to enhance their testing efficiency and coverage.

The platform also simplifies geolocation testing, enabling testers to validate app performance across various regions. Furthermore, supports advanced Appium capabilities like gesture controls, device orientation changes, and testing for native, hybrid, and mobile web apps. Its seamless integration with CI/CD pipelines and detailed test reports, including logs, screenshots, and video recordings, makes debugging and analyzing tests more efficient.

Handle Device and App Interruptions- Adding error-handling code allows for managing app crashes or device disconnections. Using commands like reset() or install() helps ensure that the application is consistent before or after each test, preventing state-related failures.

Use Desired Capabilities Efficiently- Storing desired capabilities in external configuration files like JSON or XML makes it easier to modify the testing environment. This is done without altering the test code and ensures that the scripts can run across different devices or platforms.

Log and Report Test Results- Integrating logging libraries such as Log4j and reporting tools like Allure helps to capture detailed logs and generate comprehensive test reports. This helps with troubleshooting and provides a clear view of test execution.

Modularize Test Code- Testers can break down large test scripts into smaller, reusable functions for common actions like tap, swipe, and scroll. This approach reduces duplication and code readability and makes maintenance easier.

Use Version Control- Storing test scripts in Git to manage changes and enable collaboration. Version control helps track changes, revert to previous versions, and coordinate efforts among team members.

Test on Real Devices- Testing on real devices ensures that tests reflect actual performance and behavior. Emulators and simulators can behave differently, so running tests on real devices improves reliability and ensures compatibility across various hardware.

Keep Appium Updated- Developers can regularly update Appium to take advantage of the latest features, bug fixes, and compatibility with newer Android and iOS versions. Keeping Appium up-to-date helps prevent compatibility issues and ensures smooth test execution.

Optimize for Performance- Optimizing test scripts and leveraging parallel execution or cloud-based testing can reduce test runtime and improve efficiency. Testers and developers can monitor their test execution times and identify bottlenecks.

Conclusion

In conclusion, Appium’s cross-platform compatibility, support for various languages, and open-source nature make it a favored choice for mobile application testing. It assures the quality and reliability of applications by smoothening the testing process and helps provide high-quality applications to end users.