When to Automate Mobile App Testing With Appium?
Every app release requires a thorough regression testing, which is where automation testing comes in handy, since repetitive test scenarios can be tested with scripts.
Test case scenarios are recommended to be automated only when the use case is finalized, functionality flow is set to the expectation, and no changes are anticipated in the near term. Manual testing is recommended when the feature is still in the development phase, is going through changes, and/or requires user acceptance testing.
Appium is an open-source test automation tool used for testing iOS and Android applications. Most of the device testing can be performed with Appium, with real smartphones and tablets. It allows users to test various types of mobile applications (such as Native, Hybrid and Mobile Web) using the standard WebDriver library.
Required Tools for Mobile App Testing
Java Development Kit (JDK)
The Java Development Kit (JDK) is the compiler used to compile Java code on the underlying OS.
Eclipse IDE for Java
Eclipse is an IDE, Integrated Development Environment, which is used to write specific logics to develop or automate. Through Eclipse, you can write Selenium scripts for webpage and mobile automation.
Selenium
Selenium is a free, open-source automated testing framework used to validate mobile or web applications across different browsers and platforms
TestNG
TestNG is a preferred framework for QA analysts as it generates test reports in both HTML and XML formats.
Appium Desktop's App
Appium Desktop is a new open source GUI application for Windows, Mac, and Linux, which gives the power of the Appium automation server in a more organized manner with a flexible UI. Appium Desktop is a combination of the Appium Server and the Appium UI Inspector.
Appium Java Client
Appium works using a unique combination of the Selenium web driver protocol and the JSON Wire Protocol. This simply means that Appium can be implemented on a local machine using any of the languages that are supported by the Selenium web driver.
Android SDK
The Android SDK (Software Development Kit) is a set of development tools that are used to test applications for the Android platform.
Android Emulator
Testing mobile apps on the Android emulator is in some ways faster and easier than testing through conventional methods.
Node JS
Appium is an HTTP server written in node.js which creates and handles multiple WebDriver sessions for different platforms like iOS and Android. The interaction between the node.js server and Selenium client libraries is what ultimately works together with the mobile application.
Test Scenario
The scenario below is one of the most used functional flows for mobile apps, making it a perfect candidate for automation.
As a user, I should be able to log into a mobile app with valid credentials, choose a form, enter valid data, and submit the form successfully.
Steps to create the script:
Output Video
Though repetitive tasks can be automated with Appium, scripts can be run on emulators or real devices to pinpoint the defects, and there is a greater chance that regression testing can fail with new app version releases or devices in the market. Automation scripting takes a considerable amount of time, but it is recommended for high traffic apps with frequent releases and updates. A combination of manual and automation testing can make the testing team highly successful with app releases.
