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Get Started with Appium for Android Mobile App Testing

Appium is an open source, cross-platform Test automation tool for native, hybrid and mobile web apps, tested on simulators (iOS, FirefoxOS), emulators (Android), and real devices (iOS, Android, FirefoxOS). Appium drives various native automation frameworks and provides an API based on Selenium’s WebDriver JSON wire protocol. Androidsupport uses the UiAutomator framework for newer platforms and Selendroid for older Android platforms. This article will guide you through all the necessary steps needed to setup Appium for Android mobile app testing with Windows.

The client/server pattern helps Appium achieve multi-platform testability, once a test is written it is executed in the client/test station. Thanks to Google’s JSON[seleniumwebdriver], Appium is able to have tests send commands to devices through the test server. When writing Appium tests, the code will simply perform HTTP calls to the server which will translate those meta-commands into device-specific actions sent to the device to test. Commands are essentially user interactions with the app like clicking an interface component, swiping on the screen, scrolling onto a particular area or performing a specific gesture.

Why Appium?

  • You don’t have to recompile your app or modify it in any way, due to use of standard automation APIs on all platforms.
  • You can write tests with your favorite dev tools using any WebDriver -compatible language such as Java, Objective-C, JavaScript with Node.js, PHP, Python, Ruby, C#, Clojure, or Perl with the Selenium WebDriver API and language-specific client libraries.
  • You can use any testing framework.

Requirements

Your environment needs to be setup for the particular mobile platforms that you want to run tests on. See below for particular platform requirements.

You also need to download the Appium client for your language so you can write tests. The Appium clients are simple extensions to the WebDriver clients. You can see the list of clients and links to download instructions at the Appium clients list.

Steps to Install & Setup APPIUM for Android mobile app testing

1. Install Android SDK in your system. Make sure ‘Environment Variables’ path is set to ANDROID_HOME variable that point to your SDK directory.

Android mobile app testing with appium: Android Studio Features

2. Download Appium from the Appium Website

 Appium download

3. A ZIP file is downloaded successfully – AppiumForWindows

Appium for Windows ZIP file

4. Unzip the file & run the Setup.exe file >> ‘Select Setup Language’ pop-up is displayed >> Select ‘English’.

Android mobile app testing with Appium: Select setup language for Appium

5. Appium Setup Wizard is opened ‘Setup – Appium’ >> Click Next to continue

Appium Setup Wizard

6. Select the Destination location for Appium Installation. Let it be default ‘Program Files’. Please note the free disk space message at the bottom (101.4 MB in this case)

Android mobile app testing with Appium: Appium Install Location

7. Select the Start Menu Folder for the Shortcut. Let it be default ‘Appium’, a new folder will be created.

Android mobile app testing with Appium: Appium shortcut

8. Select additional tasks like ‘Create a Desktop icon’ & click Next.

Android mobile app testing with Appium: Create a Desktop Icon

9. Click ‘Install’ in ‘Ready to Install’ wizard.

Android mobile app testing with Appium: Install Appium

10. Installation starts. Please wait while Setup installs Appium, this might take few minutes.

Android mobile app testing with Appium: Appium Installation process

11. Your Appium Installation is complete. Select ‘Launch Appium’ checkbox & click ‘Finish’

Android mobile app testing with Appium: Launch Appium

12. Kick up an Appium server, and then run a test written in your favorite WebDriver-compatible language!

 

 

Android mobile app testing with Appium: Running a test in Appium

 


Happy Automation! 😉  You’re invited to share your views on Android mobile app testing with Appium in the comments below!


Reference:

https://testingmobileapps.wordpress.com/2016/04/09/get-started-with-mobile-app-automation-how-to-setup-appium-environment-for-android-automation/


About the author

Deepanshu Agarwal

A Software Testing professional, Blogger, Team Lead & Consultant by profession, with 6+ Years of experience and keen Interest in Banking & Financial Services and Mobile App Testing Domain.

Comments

13 2 comments
  • Pratik March 9, 2017, 10:46 am

    Thanks Deepanshu for sharing the procedure for setting up Appium. This will definitely help for practicing the mobile testing. Also this will help to experience the tools like TestingWhiz, as it has to be integrated with Appium to test the mobile apps through automation.

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