Appium Tutorial | Introduction to Android and iOS Mobile Apps Testing

Do you want to become an expert at mobile app testing? Do you want to know how to test Android and iOS apps using Appium? Look no further! In this full-length tutorial, you will get an introduction to Appium and learn how to test mobile applications for both, Android & iOS.

Whether you are a beginner or an experienced automation expert, this tutorial will help you know how to effectively test mobile apps and ensure their quality.

Introduction to Appium

Appium is an open-source automation tool that allows you to automate the testing for mobile apps on both Android and iOS platforms. It is widely and commonly used in the mobile application testing industry for its versatility, ease of use, and support for multiple programming languages such as Java, Ruby, and Python. Appium supports both native and hybrid mobile apps, that’s why  it is a popular choice among developers and testers alike.

Setting up Appium Environment

To get started with Appium, you need to set up your testing environment. Here’s a step-by-step guide to help you with the process:

Install Node.JS

First, Appium requires Node.js to be installed on your machine. You need to download and install Node.js from the official Node.js. The website URl is  given below:

https://nodejs.org/en/download/

Install Appium Server

After installing the Node.js, you can install the Appium server using the Node Package Manager (NPM) by running the command in your terminal. The command is given below:

npm install -g appium

Install Appium Client Library

Next, you need to install the Appium client library in your preferred programming language. For example, if you use Java, you need to install the Java client library. For this, you just need to run the following command:

npm install -g appium@java-client

Install Android SDK

To test Android apps using Appium, you need to have the Android Software Development Kit (Android SDK) installed on your machine. To download and install the Android SDK from the official Android website, just visit the following URL:

https://developer.android.com/studio

Install Xcode

If you want to test iOS apps using Appium, you need to have Xcode on your device. Xcode is the official development environment for iOS that you can install on your Mac machine. You can download and install Xcode from the Mac App Store.

Getting Started with Appium

Now that you have set up your Appium environment, let’s dive into the basics of using Appium for mobile app testing.

Desired Capabilities

Appium uses the desired capabilities to specify the configuration for the mobile device and app you want to test. You can set various parameters such as device name, platform name, app package, app activity, and more. Here’s an example of how you can set desired capabilities in Java:

DesiredCapabilities caps = new DesiredCapabilities();

caps.setCapability(“deviceName”, “Android Emulator”);

caps.setCapability(“platformName”, “Android”);

caps.setCapability(“appPackage”, “com.example.myapp”);

caps.setCapability(“appActivity”, “.MainActivity”);

Locators

Locators are used in Appium to identify and interact with the elements in a mobile app. Appium supports various types of locators such as ID, class name, accessibility ID, and XPATH. Here’s an example of how you can use locators to interact with elements in Java:

// Using ID locator

driver.findElement(By.id(“com.example.myapp:id/button”)).click();

// Using class name locator

driver.findElement(By.className(“android.widget.Button”)).click();

// Using accessibility ID locator

driver.findElementByAccessibilityId(“Login Button”).click();

// Using XPATH locator

driver.findElement(By.xpath(“//android.widget.Button

Writing Tests with Appium

Now that your test environment is set up, let’s start writing tests with Appium. Appium follows the WebDriver protocol. A WebDriver protocol provides a set of APIs for interacting with mobile apps. Here are the basic steps to write a test with Appium:

Create a New Test

You can create a new test class or file to write your Appium tests depending on your programming language preference. For example, if you use Java, you can create a new Java class and import the necessary libraries.

Initialize Appium Driver

Appium provides a driver class for each platform (AndroidDriver for Android and IOSDriver for iOS) that you need to initialize in your test. You can configure the driver with the desired capabilities such as device name, platform name, app package, and app activity.

Write Test Steps

Once the driver is initialized, you can start writing the test steps using the WebDriver APIs. For example, you can use the findElement method to locate elements on the app screen and interact with them using methods like click, sendKeys, and getText. You can also use assertions to validate the expected behavior of the app.

Run Tests

Once you have written your Appium tests, you can run them using a test runner or an integrated development environment (IDE) that supports your programming language. Appium tests can be run locally on your machine or on a remote device or emulator/simulator.

Conclusion

So, Appium is a powerful mobile app testing framework that allows you to automate testing for Android and iOS apps. By following the steps outlined in this tutorial, you can set up your testing environment, write tests using the WebDriver APIs, and run tests to ensure the quality of your mobile apps. With its cross-platform capabilities and support for multiple programming languages, Appium is a valuable tool for mobile app testers. Happy testing!