Google News
logo
Appium Interview Questions
Appium is an open-source automation tool primarily used for testing mobile applications. It allows developers and testers to automate the testing of native, hybrid, and mobile web applications on iOS and Android platforms using the WebDriver protocol.

Appium provides a cross-platform solution, meaning the same test scripts can be used to test applications on different mobile platforms without modification.
Key features of Appium :

* Cross-platform : Supports testing of applications on both iOS and Android platforms.

* Supports multiple programming languages : Allows writing test scripts in various programming languages such as Java, Python, JavaScript, Ruby, and more.

* No need for code modifications : Appium enables the reuse of test scripts across different platforms without requiring any changes to the underlying code.

* Integration with testing frameworks : Appium seamlessly integrates with popular testing frameworks like Selenium, allowing testers to leverage existing knowledge and tools.

* Real device and emulator/simulator support : Appium supports testing on real devices as well as emulators/simulators, providing flexibility in the testing environment.

* Supports native, hybrid, and mobile web applications : Appium can automate testing for native mobile applications, hybrid applications (which combine elements of native and web applications), and mobile web applications.
There are a lot of similarities between Appium and Selenium Webdriver testing tools. So, if you already know Selenium Webdriver, you can quickly learn Appium.

Appium doesn't have any dependency on mobile devices OS because its framework converts the Selenium Webdriver commands to UIAutomator, and UIAutomation commands for Android and iOS, respectively, according to the device type rather than the OS type.
Appium offers several advantages as a mobile automation testing tool, but it also has some limitations. Here's a breakdown of the advantages and disadvantages:

Advantages of Appium :

* Cross-platform compatibility : Appium supports testing on both iOS and Android platforms, allowing for unified testing efforts across different mobile operating systems.

* Open-source and free : Being open-source, Appium is freely available for use, which reduces testing costs for organizations.

* Support for multiple programming languages : Test scripts can be written in popular programming languages like Java, Python, JavaScript, Ruby, etc., enabling teams to work with the language they are most comfortable with.

* No need for code modification : Appium allows for the reuse of test scripts across different platforms without requiring any changes to the underlying code, saving time and effort.

* Integration with testing frameworks : Appium integrates seamlessly with popular testing frameworks like Selenium, providing additional functionality and flexibility for testing.

* Real device and emulator/simulator support : Appium supports testing on real devices as well as emulators/simulators, providing flexibility in testing environments.

Disadvantages of Appium :

* Limited support for advanced gestures and interactions : While Appium supports basic gestures like tap, swipe, etc., it may have limitations in handling more complex gestures or interactions specific to certain applications.

* Setup and configuration complexity : Configuring Appium and setting up the testing environment can be complex, especially for beginners or those unfamiliar with mobile automation testing.

* Platform-specific issues : Since Appium interacts with the underlying operating system and UI elements, it may encounter platform-specific issues or inconsistencies that could affect test results.

* Performance overhead : Running tests through Appium may introduce some performance overhead, particularly when testing on emulators or simulators, which may not accurately replicate real-world device performance.

* Limited support for non-mobile platforms : While Appium is primarily designed for mobile application testing, it may not offer comprehensive support for testing other types of applications or platforms.

* Dependency on third-party tools : Appium relies on third-party tools and frameworks like Selenium, which may introduce additional dependencies and compatibility issues.
Simulator : A simulator is used to simulate an environment with all of the software variables and configurations that will be present in the actual production environment of an application. Simulators do not try to replicate the actual hardware that will run the application in production. Simulators can be written in high-level programming languages because they merely construct software environments. For example, a car racing game application can be thought of as a simulator as it simulates a real car race.

Emulator : An emulator does try to replicate all of the hardware and software aspects of a real-world environment. In most cases, you'll need to develop an emulator in assembly language to accomplish this. Emulators might thus be thought of as occupying a midway ground between simulators and real-world gadgets. For example, a car simulator racing game can be thought of as an emulator. It provides the hardware aspects of car racing as well with the help of emulators.

* Emulators replicate both hardware and software features, whereas simulators solely simulate environment features that may be adjusted or created using the software. Emulators aren't a replacement for real-device testing since they don't always do a good job of simulating the hardware and software of a production system. They simply allow you to create an environment that is more similar to that of a real device.

* Emulators are somewhat slower as compared to simulators as emulators need to sense the movement of hardware devices, convert it into a digital signal, and then process them.
* Case when we should use a Simulator: Simulators are typically used in software testing situations where the goal is to ensure that the application functions as intended when interacting with external applications or environments.

For example, you could wish to see if an application can communicate data to another application. Because the actual hardware configuration is unlikely to have much of an impact on data transfers for your program, a simulated environment will usually suffice. Simulated testing environments are also useful for ensuring that an application's interface shows properly across a range of screen resolutions.


* Case when we should use an Emulator: When you need to test how software interacts with underlying hardware or a combination of hardware and software, emulators come in handy.

For example, if we want to discover if a firmware update will cause issues with our software or not, we can find out with the help of an emulator. Alternatively, we could want to know how our program performs when run on multiple CPUs or with varying memory allocations. Emulators come in handy in these situations as well.
Using Appium for mobile automation testing comes with several limitations :

* Limited support for advanced gestures and interactions : While basic gestures like tap, swipe, and scroll are supported, Appium may struggle with more complex gestures or interactions specific to certain applications.

* Setup and configuration complexity : Configuring Appium and setting up the testing environment can be challenging, especially for beginners or those unfamiliar with mobile automation testing tools.

* Platform-specific issues : Appium interacts directly with the underlying operating system and UI elements, which can lead to platform-specific issues or inconsistencies that may affect test results.

* Performance overhead : Running tests through Appium may introduce performance overhead, particularly when testing on emulators or simulators that may not accurately replicate real-world device performance.

* Limited support for non-mobile platforms : While primarily designed for mobile application testing, Appium may not offer comprehensive support for testing other types of applications or platforms.

* Dependency on third-party tools : Appium relies on third-party tools and frameworks like Selenium, which may introduce additional dependencies and compatibility issues.

* Lack of built-in reporting and analytics : Appium does not provide built-in reporting or analytics capabilities, requiring users to integrate with additional tools or frameworks for comprehensive test result analysis.

* Handling of native components : Testing certain native components or functionalities may be challenging with Appium, requiring workarounds or custom solutions.

* Limited support for image-based testing : Appium primarily relies on element locators and attributes for test automation, which may limit its effectiveness in image-based testing scenarios.

* Community and documentation limitations : While Appium has a supportive community and extensive documentation, users may still encounter limitations in terms of available resources or timely resolution of issues.
Appium and Calabash are both popular open-source automation frameworks used for mobile application testing, but they differ in various aspects :

Supported Platforms :
* Appium : Supports testing on both iOS and Android platforms, providing cross-platform compatibility.
* Calabash : Originally developed for testing iOS applications, but later extended to support Android as well.

Automation Approach :
* Appium : Uses the WebDriver protocol to automate interactions with mobile applications, similar to Selenium for web applications. It interacts with the application through the UI elements exposed by the platform's UI automation frameworks (like UIAutomator for Android and XCTest for iOS).
* Calabash : Employs a behavior-driven development (BDD) approach using Cucumber, which allows tests to be written in a human-readable format. It interacts with the application using predefined steps and queries defined in Gherkin syntax.

Programming Language :
* Appium : Supports multiple programming languages for writing test scripts, including Java, Python, JavaScript, Ruby, etc.
* Calabash : Primarily uses Ruby for writing test scripts. Although Calabash supports Xamarin, which allows writing tests in C#, its primary language for test development is Ruby.

Community and Support :
* Appium : Has a large and active community with extensive documentation and resources available. Being widely used, it has strong community support and frequent updates.
* Calabash : While it has a dedicated user base, the community may not be as large as Appium's. However, it still offers resources, forums, and documentation for users seeking assistance.

Flexibility and Extensibility :
* Appium : Offers flexibility in terms of test automation frameworks and integration with various testing tools and frameworks (e.g., Selenium, TestNG, JUnit, etc.).
* Calabash : Provides a structured approach to test automation with its BDD framework, making it easier to understand test scenarios for stakeholders. However, this may limit flexibility compared to Appium in certain scenarios.

Ease of Setup and Configuration :
* Appium : Setting up and configuring Appium can be complex, especially for beginners or those unfamiliar with mobile automation testing tools.
* Calabash : Generally considered to have a simpler setup and configuration process, particularly due to its integration with Cucumber and predefined step definitions.
Appium can test all types of applications, i.e., native, hybrid, and web. Let's see them in detail:

Native Applications : The native applications are software programs that are developed using a specific software development kit. Native apps are designed for use on a particular device and installed from the App Store, such as Google Play Store or Apple's App Store. These applications can work offline and can also use the device notification system.

Examples of native applications are : Pinterest, Skype, Snapchat, etc.


Web Applications : Web applications are websites that run on browsers. These applications are developed using HTML, CSS, and JavaScript, unlike Android and iOS apps. They do not require a Software Development Kit (SDK) for developers to work with. Web applications run on web browsers so, they don't need any installation.

Examples of some web applications are : Flipkart, Facebook, Twitter, etc.


Hybrid Applications : Hybrid applications are a combination of native and web applications. Like native applications, you can download them from the App Store, but actually, they are web applications inside. These applications are developed using web development languages such as HTML, CSS, JavaScript, etc., which allows them to run on any platform.

Examples of some hybrid applications are : OLA, Instagram, Basecamp, etc.
To use Appium for mobile application testing, there are several prerequisites you need to have in place:

Development Environment Setup : You need to have a development environment set up on your machine. This typically includes installing development tools such as Android Studio for Android development or Xcode for iOS development.

Mobile Device or Emulator/Simulator : You'll need access to physical mobile devices or emulators/simulators for testing. These can be real devices connected to your computer via USB or emulators/simulators provided by platforms like Android SDK or Xcode.

Appium Server Installation : You need to install the Appium server on your machine. The Appium server acts as a bridge between your test scripts and the mobile devices/emulators. You can install Appium using Node.js and npm (Node Package Manager).

Appium Client Libraries : Depending on the programming language you're using for test automation, you'll need to install the appropriate Appium client libraries. These libraries provide language-specific bindings to interact with the Appium server. Common client libraries include Java, Python, JavaScript (Node.js), Ruby, etc.

WebDriver Protocol Support : Ensure that the mobile application you intend to test supports the WebDriver protocol. Appium interacts with mobile applications using the WebDriver protocol, so the application must expose UI elements that Appium can interact with.
Mobile Application Package (APK/IPA) : You'll need access to the application package file (APK for Android or IPA for iOS) of the mobile application you want to test. This file is used by Appium to install the application on the device or emulator/simulator.

Mobile Development Environment Setup : For Android testing, you need to enable Developer Mode on Android devices and enable USB debugging. For iOS testing, you need to set up Developer Certificates and Provisioning Profiles in Xcode.

IDE or Text Editor : You'll need an Integrated Development Environment (IDE) or a text editor to write and manage your test scripts. Popular choices include IntelliJ IDEA, Eclipse, Visual Studio Code, PyCharm, Sublime Text, etc.

Understanding of Mobile Application Testing Concepts : Familiarize yourself with mobile application testing concepts such as UI automation, test frameworks, assertions, and testing strategies. Understanding these concepts will help you write effective and maintainable test scripts.
Following are some of the important mobile application testings:

Usability Testing : Usability testing is one of the sorts of web application testing that is perfect for assessing how the application makes it easier for users to achieve their goals. During this test, participants are given particular, realistic circumstances to use the application in. On the basis of gathering direct input from the end-user, usability testing is also reliable.
As a result, the testing procedure is free of prejudice while simultaneously guaranteeing that highlighted areas improve. Usability testing also ensures that the design is intuitive and prioritises usability and customer experience.

Performance Testing : Performance testing is a critical subset of mobile application testing that examines an application's performance, stability, and responsiveness under various workload situations. A performance test's main goal is to ensure that an application is completely aligned with the performance objectives.

Additionally, it addresses performance constraints prior to launching an application. Bottlenecks are processes inside a system's overall functions that cause the system's overall performance to slow or stall. Load testing, volume testing, soak testing, spike testing, and stress testing are all popular forms of performance assessments.

Security Testing : In today's world, security is a major worry for practically every mobile application developer. According to reports, 80% of users are more likely to delete an application because of security concerns. As a result, it is critical to concentrate on mobile application security testing.

Users' personal information is required by certain programs, such as travel applications, for various transactions. If your application requires something similar, it's critical that you provide assurances about the application's confidentiality, integrity, and authenticity. You should have strong tests run on your application that assure that no one can break into someone else's account by unfair means.

Interruption Testing : Interruption testing is important for determining how an application behaves when it is interrupted before returning to its former state. Incoming phone calls or SMS, alarms, push notifications from mobile applications, battery low or full, network connection loss and recovery, and plugged in or out while charging are all examples of interruptions. In the event of an interruption, an application should normally run in the background and return to its prior state.

Manual Testing : Manual testing is a tried and true method for thoroughly traversing the complexity of mobile application testing. Manual testing ensures that the finished product performs optimally in accordance with the planned expectations. It's especially useful in situations where the use case isn't immediately evident. Professional QA testers could work in short bursts to assess an application and ensure that it produces accurate results.

Compatibility Testing : Compatibility testing is one of the most important types of mobile application testing. It's a form of non-functional testing that ensures a mobile application's functionality across a variety of operating systems, applications, devices, internal hardware specs, and network conditions. Compatibility testing determines whether a mobile application is compatible with various operating systems and versions.
It also tests a mobile application's compatibility with various devices, browsers, networks, and other characteristics. Backward compatibility testing and forward compatibility testing are the two types of compatibility testing.

Localisation Testing : Localization testing is a must for mobile applications that are targeted at a certain geographic location. It's crucial to test the mobile application's responsiveness to the region's distinct language and cultural aspects. Local currency, use of suitable time zone date and time formats, numerous local legislation needs, and the text and user interface are only a few of the important areas that localization testing evaluates.

Functional Testing : Functional mobile application testing ensures that the application's functionalities meet the specified requirements. This form of testing focuses mostly on the mobile application's main goal and flow. Functionality testing determines if an application can properly launch and install. It also tests the simplicity of sign-up and login, as well as the presentation of push notifications and the proper operation of text boxes and buttons.

Installation Testing : Installation testing, also known as implementation testing, is a good way to ensure that a mobile application is installed and removed correctly. Furthermore, installation testing is necessary to ensure that updates are seamless and error-free. Installation testing also examines what happens if users fail to update a mobile application.

Automated Testing : Certain mobile application quality assessments are overly complicated and time-consuming. In such instances, Mobile application Test Automation Services come into play, providing optimally prepared and effectively conducted automated testing as well as manual testing, which can aid in assuring quality while also allowing for the speedier release of superior goods. As a result, automated testing is a solid source of time and cost savings when it comes to mobile application testing. There are various tools to perform automated testing. Appium is one of them.
12 .
What do you understand by Appium Inspector?
Appium Inspector is similar to Selenium IDE record and Playback tool. It is also is used for record and playback tasks. It is used to record and play the native application behavior by inspecting DOM and generate the test scripts in any desired language.

Appium Inspector does not support Windows and uses UIAutomator viewer as its option.
A list of differences between Appium and Selendroid :

Appium Selendroid
Appium is an open-source automation tool that supports both iOS and Android. Selendroid is a test automation framework that only supports Android.
Appium is easy to use as a small change does not require reinstallation of the application. On the other hand, In Selendroid, when you do changes, it requires reinstallation of the application.
Appium has a strong and active community. Selendroid does not have a strong community like Appium.
Appium supports many frameworks and languages such as Java, Python, C#, Ruby, JavaScript, PHP, etc. On the other hand, Selendroid is compatible with Jenkins and Selenium only.
It doesn't require application source code or library in Appium. In Selendroid, The application source code or library is required.
14 .
Do you need a server machine to run tests on Appium?
No, we do not need a server machine to run tests on Appium. Appium encourages a two-tier architecture, in which a test machine connects to a test server that runs Appium, automating the entire process. This setting is optional; you can run Appium on the same system as your tests. Instead of connecting to a remote host, your test will use the loopback address to connect to Appium.
Following are the advantages of using Appium on Sauce Labs rather than using Appium locally:

* It saves us the time that it takes to set up the Appium server locally.
* We do not need to install the mobile emulators and simulators offline in our system. We can directly use it on Sauce Labs (an American cloud-hosted web and mobile application automated testing platform company based in San Francisco, California).
* It lets us scale our application instantly.
* We do not need to make any modifications to the source code of our application as is the case while using Appium locally.
Following prerequisites must be installed so as to successfully run tests on an android application in Appium locally :

* Java Development Kit (JDK).
* Android Studio.
* Android SDK Tools.
* Eclipse IDE.
* Appium Desktop Client.
* TestNG.
* Selenium Server JAR.
* Webdriver Language Binding Library.
Appium offers an "Inspector" to record and playback, similar to Selenium IDE's record and playback tool. It inspects the Document Object Model to record and play native application behaviour and provides test scripts in any preferred language. You can use the Inspector in Appium Desktop to look up or locate elements of an application.

To locate an element, the Appium inspector provides four options :

* To find elements by id
* To find elements by class name
* To find elements by accessibility id
* To find elements by xpath.

Appium Inspector does not support Windows and instead uses the UIAutomator viewer as an option.
End-to-end mobile application test automation is a method of testing a software product from beginning to end to ensure that the application flow is as planned. It establishes the product's system mandates and ensures that all integrated components perform as expected.

The goal of end-to-end (E2E) mobile application test automation is to test from the perspective of the end-user by replicating a real-world situation, in which a user uses the application, and confirming the system under test and its components for data integrity and integration.

These days, software systems are sophisticated and integrated with numerous subsystems. The entire software system could fail if one of the subsystem fails. We employ end-to-end mobile application test automation to eliminate this big risk.

Following things should be kept in mind while performing end-to-end mobile testing automation :

* The installation of the application
* Launching the application for the first time without having network access.
* The uninstallation of the application.
* If the application is supported in horizontal mode, the orientation of the application.
* Testing the performance of an application on a variety of devices and network conditions.
* Testing the application's response and how it reacts when a user credential is provided that is invalid.
For writing Appium tests you require :

Driver Client : Appium drives mobile applications as though it were a user. Using a client library you write your Appium tests which wrap your test steps and sends to the Appium server over HTTP.

Appium Session : You have to first initialize a session, as such Appium test takes place in the session. Once the Automation is done for one session, it can be ended and wait for another session

Desired Capabilities : To initialize an Appium session you need to define certain parameters known as “desired capabilities” like PlatformName, PlatformVersion, Device Name and so on. It specifies the kind of automation one requires from the Appium server.

Driver Commands : You can write your test steps using a large and expressive vocabulary of commands.
Appium package master is a set of tools manage and create appium packages. For example to create package you can use the code :

# using es7/babe1
Gulp create-package –n <package-name>?

#regular es5
Gulp create-package ---nobabe1 –n <package-name>?

The package will be generated in the out/<package-name>
Appium is considered as an HTTP server that is written using the Node.js platform. It runs on both android and IOS sessions with the help of web driver JSON wire protocol. After the download and installation of the Appium are completed the server is then set up on the machine which exposes a REST API.

Then the Appium also receives connections and command requests from clients. These commands are then executed on mobile devices. Generally, appium respond backs with an HTTP response. To execute the request, Appium uses mobile test automation frameworks so that it can drive the user interface of the apps. Some of the mobile automation frameworks are

* Google UIAutomator for Android API of level 16 or more than that
* Apple instruments for the IOS platform
* For android API level 15 or lesser than that, Selendroid is used.
A list of differences between Appium and Robotium :

Appium Robotium
Appium is an open-source, cross-platform testing tool that is used with both iOS and Android. Robotium is only used with Android.
Appium supports many frameworks and languages such as Java, Python, C#, Ruby, JavaScript, PHP, etc. Robotium only supports Java programming language.
Appium does not need application source code or library. Robotium tool requires application source code or library.
We can use Appium to test native, web, and hybrid mobile applications. Robotium is only used to test native and hybrid applications.
Appium supports many frameworks, such as Selenium. Robotium is not compatible with Selenium at all.
In Appium, a small change does not require reinstallation of the application. In Robotium, you have to completely rebuild the code, even for a small change.
Mobile Application Testing is the testing of an application on mobile devices. It is entirely different from Mobile Testing. In Mobile Testing, the main focus is on the native application features of Mobile devices such as Calls, SMS, Media Player, etc. On the other hand, in Mobile Application Testing, the main focus is only on the application's functionality and features we want to test.
There are mainly three segments used in Mobile Application Testing frameworks:

Application Package : the Application Package is the target application that we have to test.

Instrumentation TestRunner : The Instrumentation TestRunner can be defined as a test case runner that runs test cases on the target application. It consists of an SDK tool for building tests and a tool that provides APIs for writing a program that controls an Android device, for example, MonkeyRunner.

Test Package : The Test Package contains two classes, Test case classes and Mock objects. The Test case classes include test methods to perform on the target application, while the mock object has mock data that will be used as sample input for test cases.
The full form of these terms is as follows :

* iPA : iOS APP Store Package
* APK : Android Application Package file
* .exe : Executable File
* jad : Java Application Descriptor
* prc : Palm Resource Compiler
To set up Appium for iOS testing, you need to install the necessary dependencies, such as Xcode, Homebrew, Node.js, and Appium, and configure the desired capabilities for the iOS device. Here are some steps to set up Appium for iOS testing:

1. Install Xcode : Install Xcode from the App Store or the Apple Developer website.

2. Install Homebrew : Install Homebrew, a package manager for macOS, by running the following command in the Terminal:
/bin/bash -c "$(curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/Homebrew/install/HEAD/install.sh)"?

3. Install Node.js : Install Node.js by running the following command in the Terminal:
brew install node?

4. Install Appium : Install Appium by running the following command in the Terminal:
npm install -g appium?
5. Configure the Desired Capabilities : Configure the desired capabilities for the iOS device, such as platform name, platform version, device name, app path, and app package name. Here's an example of how to configure the desired capabilities for an iOS device:
const iosCapabilities = {
  platformName: 'iOS',
  platformVersion: '14.0',
  deviceName: 'iPhone 12',
  udid: '<UDID>',
  app: '/path/to/myapp.ipa',
  automationName: 'XCUITest',
  xcodeOrgId: '<Team ID>',
  xcodeSigningId: 'iPhone Developer'
};?

6. Launch Appium Server : Launch the Appium server by running the following command in the Terminal:
appium?

7. Create the Driver Instance : Create the driver instance using the remote() method and passing in the desired capabilities. Here's an example of how to create the driver instance for an iOS device:
const driver = await webdriverio.remote({
  port: 4723,
  path: '/wd/hub',
  capabilities: iosCapabilities
});?

By following these steps, you can set up Appium for iOS testing and automate the testing of iOS apps on real devices and emulators.
To handle mobile device orientation in Appium, you can use the rotate() method to change the device orientation to landscape or portrait mode. Here are some steps to handle mobile device orientation in Appium:

1. Identify the Device Orientation : Use the getOrientation() method to identify the current device orientation:
const orientation = await driver.getOrientation();
console.log(orientation);?

The output will be either 'portrait' or 'landscape'.


2. Rotate the Device Orientation : Use the rotate() method to change the device orientation to landscape or portrait mode:
await driver.rotate(90); // rotate to landscape mode
await driver.rotate(0);  // rotate back to portrait mode?

By using the rotate() method, you can handle mobile device orientation in your Appium test scripts and make them more comprehensive and reliable.
28 .
Can a tester run the tests in a multithreaded environment while using Appium?
Yes, testers can run the tests in a multithreaded environment while using Appium. The only thing that they have to care about is to ensure that no more than one test runs at the same time against the same Appium server.
29 .
How can you inspect elements of the Native Android App?
It is easy to inspect the elements of the Native Android App using the UIAutomator tool in Android SDK. You can also get access to the object locators of the Android Native Apps.
30 .
Is debugging a problematic task in Appium?
No, debugging is not much tricky in Appium. Appium is a Node.js application; thus, the code is written in JavaScript. You can find the code on GitHub and downloaded it in a few seconds as it is small and not so complex. The complexity also depends on what you have to debug.
Appium session is a medium to send commands to a specific test application. Commands are always executed within the context of a session. Before performing any command, a client utilizes the session identifier as the sessionId parameter. A session is requested by the client library from the server. After that, the server will return a sessionId endpoint, which can be used to submit additional commands to interact with the application(s) being tested.

Every 'testing' is included within a session. Given that Appium is a simple client and server-based method, this is self-evident. Post requests, also known as session requests, are sent by the client to the server. These queries use the JSON Wire Protocol to communicate and convey information in JSON Object format.
32 .
Can a tester run tests in a multi-threaded environment while using Appium?
 Yes, Appium allows testers to execute tests in a multithreaded environment. The only thing they have to worry about is that no more than one test runs against the same Appium server at the same time.
33 .
Is it possible to use JavaScript to interact with applications while running Appium tests?
Yes, we can use javascript to interact with applications while running Appium tests. When we perform the instructions on Appium, the server transmits the script wrapped in an anonymous function to our app, which is then executed.
Open Source Tools : Open source tools are frameworks and apps that are free to use. Engineers construct this tool and give it free on the internet for other engineers, developers, or enthusiasts to develop and use, which is incredibly beneficial for aspiring developers.

Vendor Tools : Vendor tools are created by companies that have a license to utilize their tools and codes. Technical support is accessible via the internet for these tools.

In House Tools : In-house tools are the tools that a corporation develops for its own usage and self-development. They are never made available to the general population.
Following are a list of tests that we may conduct on a real device but is not possible in an emulator :

* Testing for interruptions during phone calls and messages.
* Performance of the application when the battery is low.
* Effect of the application on battery usage.
* A scenario where the memory card is mounted or unmounted from the device.
* Testing involves the use of Bluetooth.
36 .
How is it possible to identify Mobile browser objects?
You can make use of User-Agent in order to identify objects in the Mobile browser. It is done by using the user agent and then changing the browser as the mobile proxy and thus gets an object.
We generally use log data ( a log file is maintained wherein whenever an error occurs, it is logged into this file) to see the cause of the issue, where the failure is occurring.

So for iOS – iPhone configuration utility & for Android Monitor.bat, etc can be used. If you give the developer the logs from these tools, they'll be able to figure out what's causing the problem quickly.
Here is one piece of advice. Since your tests will mostly consist of automation tasks (if this condition is not met, you might want to reconsider using Appium), make interactions reusable! Do not write the same sub-scenarios twice in your tests, make a diagram of what your scenarios are and split them into sub-activities; you will get a graph where some nodes are reachable from more than one node.

So make those tasks parametric and call them in your tests! This will make your test writing experience better even when you need to migrate from existing tests (hopefully you already did this activity for your existing suites).
Appium does not support test frameworks because there is no need to support them! You can use Appium with all the test frameworks you want. NUNIT and.NET UNIT TEST FRAMEWORK are just a few examples; you will write your tests using one of the drivers for Appium; thus your tests will interface with Appium just in terms of an external dependency. Use whatever test framework you want!
For older versions of Android, Appium might not be supported. For instance, Appium is only supported for Android versions 4.4 or later for Mobile Web Application tests, Android versions 2.3, 4.0 and later for Mobile Native Application and Mobile Hybrid Application tests.

For those versions in which Appium is not supported, you can request an emulator driven by Webdriver and Selendroid. All you need to do is, use the Platforms Configurator and select Selenium for the API instead of Appium. In the Sauce Labs test, you will notice that the top of the emulator says “AndroidDriver Webview App”. In addition, you will notice that you will get a “Selenium Log” tab which has the output of the Selendroid driver.

With an emulator driven by Webdriver & Selendroid, you will be able to test Mobile Web Application only. You should be able to select any Android emulator version from 4.0 to the latest version and any Android emulator skin (e.g “deviceName”: “Samsung Galaxy Tab 3 Emulator”).
In order to make things better, as a developer, what you can do is adding testability layers to your app. The logic behind this approach is simply having some test-related objects in your app which are activated only when your tests run. I learned about this strategy from one of my colleagues Lukasz and such a technique can be really powerful. Enable your testability layers when testing in order to make data exchange easy.
Selenium provides commands to execute Javascript on the app, it is also possible to execute functions and have them return data (only basic types). If you exchange JSON strings it should be fine as JSON.stringify(str) will turn your JSON string into an object on the app side, while on the test side (depending on the language you are using), you can rely on hundreds of libraries to parse the string you receive.
Appium is not suitable for all types of tests. There is a particular scenario that will make your tests more difficult to write: data exchange. I already said it but I will repeat the same thing because it is very important: Appium and WebDriver are designed to automate stuff… not to exchange data with them. So what if we need to exchange information with our app during tests?

Should we give up on Appium and write our tests manually for each platform? I am not saying this, but there are cases where you should consider this option (not nice I know, but if the effort of writing tests for Appium is higher than the benefits, then just throw Appium away).

Appium is very nice because it will let you write tests once for all platforms instead of writing as many tests as the number of platforms you need to support. So if you need to exchange data with your app while testing it and this data flow is the same for all platforms, then you should probably keep on using Appium and find a way to write a layer on top of it to handle data. Depending on your needs this might take time, but, in my experience, it is really worth it.
CORDOVA is a very famous system that enables you to develop web view-based apps for all platforms in a short time. Appium does not explicitly say that Cordova is supported, even though they do it implicitly as some examples using apps built with Cordova are provided on Appium’s website. So the answer is that Cordova should not be a problem. Why am I being so shy about it? Because anything can happen and it actually happened to me!

Cordova and Appium are two different projects that are growing up separately and independently, of course, a mutual acknowledgment is present, but both teams do not really talk to each other when pushing features. So problems can occur (I am currently dealing with a problem concerning Cordova’s new version which is causing my tests to fail).
For older versions of iOS, Appium might not be supported. For instance, Appium supports foriOS versions 6.1 and later. For earlier versions of iOS, the tool or driver used to drive your mobile applications automated test is called iWebdriver.

To obtain a simulator driven by iWebdriver use the Platforms Configurator and select Selenium for the API instead of Appium. With an emulator driven by iWebdriver, you will be able to test Mobile Web Application only. In addition, in the Sauce Labs test, you will notice a “Selenium Log” tab which has the output of iWebdriver.
Filters help you in finding relevant information about your application and you can create a filter based on the application package name like com.abc.com. You can save this filter by any name. When you click on this filter, you will see only those logs which are from your application.

You can create a filter based on log tag which is related to a  particular line of code, for example, if you have placed system.out to print the output then you can create a filter by a tag System.out. Then it will shortlist all the print output in the code. You can create a filter by Choreographer which helps in finding the skipped frames if you want to see them. You can create filters corresponding to your PID and log message.
You need special care while using Appium in a multithreaded environment. The problem does not rely on the fact of using threads in your tests. You can use them but, you must ensure that no more than one test runs at the same time against the same Appium server. Appium does not support multiple sessions, and unless you have implemented an additional layer on top of it to handle this case, multiple tests might fail.
The working of Appium is explained below :

* Appium server developed using Node.js implements selenium WebDriver.
* The connection request is sent by WebDriver script to Appium server via JSON Wire protocol.
* Automation session and desired capabilities are set
* In case of Android, the request is sent to UIAutomator, UIAutomator communicates with bootstrap.jar running on an Android mobile device or emulator to perform operations.
* Whereas for iOS, UIAutomation receives requests. UIAutomation communicates with bootstrap.js running on iOS mobile devices or emulators to perform operations.

* After execution of the request sent, the message is sent back to the Appium server. The results of execution are captured by server logs.

Working of Appium :
Appiumwork
Selenium and Appium both use :

* JSON wire protocol
* Methods like
sendKeys(),
findByClassName(),
findByElementId(),
findByXPath()

There is a difference between Selenium WebDriver and Appium WebDriver as below.
Selenium WebDriver Appium WebDriver
Supports mobile web applications using browsers like Firefox, Chrome, Opera, Safari Supports native mobile application installed on iOS and Android devices
It has become standard for automation testing of browser based web applications RemoteWebDriver class is inherited by Appium WebDriver class. This class with help of Appium server provides additional functions useful in context of mobile test automation.
50 .
What is XCUITest?
XCUITest is an automation framework for iOS. This framework is used to test only native mobile applications that are built using swift or objectives C. XUITest cannot write tests for multiple platforms. Appium uses the XCUITest driver for automating iOS applications.
Appium executes tests differently on Android and iOS-based mobile.

* Appium uses the UIAutomator framework of automation when tests Android-based mobile applications.
* Appium on the iOS mobile device uses Apple’s XCUI Test API to interact with UI elements to test their functionality.
* UIAutomator connects with bootstrap.jar being executed in simulator/emulator or real device that performs client operations.
* XCUI Test in case of iOS mobiles communicates with bootstrap.jar
* Bootstrap.jar acts as a TCP server that accepts test commands to test the functionality of Android-based mobile that uses UIAutomator.
* Bootstrap.jar performs the action on the iOS mobile application being tested, Appium Client sends a message with log details of commands executed.
Following are some points taken into consideration in Appium Design :

* Node.js should be installed already on the system as Appium Server is actually a HTTP server designed using Node.js that drives iOS and Android sessions with help of WebDriver JSON wire protocol.
* Appium server installed on system acts as REST API.
* Appium server receives connection and command requests whereas command executes on iOS/Android devices.
* Appium server sends HTTP responses to interact with the user interface using the mobile test automation framework.
* There are various frameworks for
* iOS mobile devices
* Google UI Automator for Android API level 16 or higher
* Selendroid for Android API level 15 or higher
While writing Appium tests following points should be taken into consideration:

* Avoid excessive use of XPath as a locator.
* Use accessibility ID locator for both iOS and Android mobile device testing.
* Querying for visibility of elements should only be restricted for important elements.
Google’s SELENIUM provides a collection of commands to automate your app. With those commands you can basically do the following:

* Locate web elements in your web view-based app’s pages by using their ids or class names.
* Raise events on located elements like Click().
* Type inside text boxes.
* Get or set located element’s attributes.
* Execute some Javascript code.
* Change the context in order to test the native part of your app or the web view. If your app uses more web views, you can switch the context to the web view you desire. If your web view has frames or iframes inside, you
* can change the context to one of them
* Detect alert boxes and dismiss or accept them. Be careful about this functionality, I experienced some problems.
Test-driven development (TDD) is a software development approach that involves writing tests before writing the code. This approach can help improve the quality of the code and ensure that the app meets the requirements. To test mobile apps with Appium using the TDD approach, you can follow these steps:

1. Write Test Cases : Write test cases that define the behavior of the app. These test cases should cover all aspects of the app's functionality and UI.

2. Run the Test Cases : Run the test cases using Appium to ensure that the app meets the requirements defined in the test cases. If any test cases fail, update the app code to fix the issues.
const assert = require('assert');

describe('My App', () => {
  it('should have a login screen', async () => {
    const loginScreen = await driver.findElement('id', 'loginScreen');
    assert.ok(loginScreen);
  });
});?

In the above example, a test case is defined that checks for the presence of a login screen in the app.

3. Update the App Code : Update the app code to fix any issues identified during the testing process. This may involve refactoring existing code or adding new features to the app.

4. Repeat the Process : Repeat the process of writing test cases, running them using Appium, and updating the app code until all the requirements have been met and the app is functioning properly.

By testing mobile apps with Appium using the TDD approach, you can ensure that the app meets the requirements and is of high quality. This can help improve the user experience and increase the overall success of your app.
Appium has a number of features that allow you to collect and analyze performance data during testing. Here are some ways that Appium handles the collection and analysis of performance data during testing:

1. Performance Metrics : Appium provides a number of performance metrics that can be collected during testing, including CPU usage, memory usage, and network traffic.
console.log(await driver.getPerformanceMetrics());?

In the above example, the getPerformanceMetrics() method is used to retrieve the performance metrics from the device.

2. Network Throttling : Appium can simulate network conditions during testing, which allows you to test the app's performance under different network conditions.
await driver.setNetworkConditions({
  offline: false,
  latency: 200,
  downloadSpeed: 1000,
  uploadSpeed: 1000,
});?

In the above example, the setNetworkConditions() method is used to simulate a network condition with a 200ms latency and 1mbps download and upload speeds.

3. Performance Monitoring Tools : Appium can integrate with performance monitoring tools, such as Selenium Grid and Jenkins, to provide a centralized location for performance data collection and analysis.

By using these features, you can effectively collect and analyze performance data during testing and optimize the performance of your mobile app.
Testing mobile applications with complex UI components can be challenging, but Appium provides several ways to handle them. One approach is to use the Page Object Model (POM) design pattern, which helps in organizing and managing the test scripts. With POM, UI components are represented as page objects, and each page object is associated with a set of related tests. This approach makes it easier to manage the complexity of the UI components and makes the test scripts more modular and maintainable.

Another approach is to use XPath or CSS selectors to locate and interact with the UI components. Appium provides several methods to locate elements using these locators, including findElementByXPath, findElementByCssSelector, and findElementsByXPath. These methods can be used to interact with UI components, such as buttons, input fields, and dropdown menus.

Appium also provides a range of gesture and action APIs that can be used to interact with complex UI components. For example, the TouchAction class can be used to perform complex gestures, such as swiping, dragging, and pinching. The Actions class can be used to perform actions such as clicking, double-clicking, and right-clicking.
Testing mobile applications with Appium in a microservices architecture can be done by breaking down the application into smaller, independent services that can be tested individually. Each microservice can be tested using a separate test suite, and the entire application can be tested using end-to-end tests.

To test microservices individually, Appium can be used to create test scripts for each microservice. These test scripts can then be executed automatically as part of the continuous integration and delivery process. Appium provides support for running tests on multiple devices and platforms, which allows testing of the microservices across different environments.

To test the entire application, end-to-end tests can be created that test the interactions between the different microservices. These tests can be created using Appium's capabilities for testing complex workflows and interactions between different components.

When testing mobile applications in a microservices architecture, it is important to ensure that each microservice is fully tested and that the end-to-end tests cover all the interactions between the different services. This will help to ensure that the application is functioning correctly and that any issues are identified and resolved before the application is released to production.
Appium provides several capabilities to handle testing of mobile applications with slow network connections, which are essential for ensuring that the application is still usable under different network conditions.

One of the ways to simulate slow network conditions is to use the network throttling capability in Appium, which can be set to a specific network speed to simulate a slow network. The network throttling can be set using the networkSpeed capability in the desired capabilities object, for example:
{
  "deviceName": "device",
  "platformName": "platform",
  "app": "path/to/app",
  "networkSpeed": "2G"
}?

This will simulate a 2G network speed, which will slow down network requests in the application.

Another way to handle slow network connections is to use the network connection type capability, which can be set to a specific network type such as Airplane Mode, WiFi, Data, or All. This capability can be set using the networkConnection capability in the desired capabilities object, for example:
{
  "deviceName": "device",
  "platformName": "platform",
  "app": "path/to/app",
  "networkConnection": "Airplane Mode"
}?

This will simulate a scenario where the device is in airplane mode and has no network connection.
Testing mobile applications with slow network connections is important to ensure the app's performance and usability in real-world scenarios. Appium provides a way to simulate slow network connections during test execution using the set_network_conditions() method of the AppiumDriver class.

To simulate a slow network connection, you can call the set_network_conditions() method and pass the desired network conditions as a parameter. The method takes three parameters: the network type, the latency in milliseconds, and the download and upload speeds in bytes per second.

For example, to simulate a 3G network connection with 1000 ms latency and 512 kbps download and upload speeds, you can use the following code:
network_conditions = {
    "offline": False,
    "latency": 1000,
    "download_throughput": 512 * 1024,
    "upload_throughput": 512 * 1024
}
driver.set_network_conditions(network_conditions)?

This code will simulate a slow 3G network connection, and the subsequent test steps will execute under these network conditions. To reset the network conditions to the default values, you can call the set_network_conditions() method again and pass the default values as parameters.