In the world of mobile app testing, Appium stands as a prominent tool that performs the automation of mobile web, native, and hybrid applications on both Android and iOS platforms. However, to open the whole possibility of Appium, it’s essential to comprehend and adequately arrange the ‘Desired Capabilities.’ These capabilities support testers customize their testing environment according to particular requirements. In this context, combining Appium with a cloud-based testing platform such as LambdaTest can offer extra benefits like access to a vast array of mobile devices, varied OS versions, and browser types.
This article strives to analyze Appium’s Desired Capabilities in detail and its application on the LambdaTest platform for a more effective and thorough mobile app testing experience. So, let’s get started.
What Are Appium Desired Capabilities?
Capabilities are a collection of key-value pairs used to arrange your testing environment in Appium. These abilities permit you to describe effects like the kind of mobile platform (iOS, Android, etc.), the version of the platform, the device name, the path of the app (.apk or .ipa), and many other parameters that help make the suitable environment for testing.
Exploring Main Appium Desired Capabilities
Desired Capabilities play a critical role in arranging your Appium test sessions. They represent various settings and behaviors. Here’s an in-depth look at every Desired Capability:
1. `platformName`: This reveals Appium which platform to operate the tests on, such as iOS, Android, or Windows. This is a compulsory capability that mainly affects test execution as it leads the test to the applicable platform.
2. `platformVersion`: This capability prescribes the version of the platform you are executing on, which affects which attributes and settings are open during testing. Distinct versions of a platform can have disparities that affect the conduct and arrangement of your app.
3. `deviceName`: This prescribes which device to utilize for testing and can affect the outcomes due to device-detailed behaviors. For instance, an app may yield differently on distinct devices, influencing its consumer interface.
4. `app`: This establishes the path of the app to automate. It can be either on the local file system or a remote http/https URL. This is essential because it tells Appium what app to upload on the device for testing.
5. `browserName`: This feature is used when automating a mobile web application. It suggests Appium, which browser on the device should be utilized for the test.
6. `automationName`: This credential lets you select the automation engine that Appium will operate to drive the session. For example, ‘UiAutomator2’ for Android or ‘XCUITest’ for iOS.
7. `newCommandTimeout`: This capability is employed to determine how long Appium will stay for a recent command from the client before supposing the client stops and finishes the session.
8. `noReset`: If arranged to true, Appium will not reset the app state before this session. This is helpful when you want to maintain the app state between tests.
9. `fullReset`: If positioned to correct, Appium will execute a full reset, which means uninstalling the app after the session is finished. This is helpful in securing a pristine state for every test session.
10. `appPackage` and `appActivity`: These capabilities are special to Android, and they define the fully qualified app name and activity name to begin with.
Best Practices For Appium Desired Capabilities
Desired Capabilities are important in Appium as they specify the effects for your test environment. Here are some finest practices to accelerate them effectively:
1. Understand Your Test Environment: Make sure you are aware of the exact testing prerequisites. This comprises knowing the versions, platforms, devices, and apps you require to test. This will assist you in arranging suitable capabilities.
2. Organize Your Capabilities: If you have multiple test scenarios with distinct capabilities, it might be worthwhile to reserve your Desired Capabilities in a JSON file or an external data source. This permits for better arrangement, easier upgrades, and evades mess in your test code.
3. Use Only What You Need: While Appium backs a wide range of capabilities, it’s most acceptable to only utilize the ones you need for a shared test. Unneeded capabilities can add complications to your test structure and raise the risk of mistakes.
4. Be Mindful Of Resetting State: The capabilities `noReset`, `fullReset`, and `fastReset` help handle the state of the app under test. Be cautious while arranging these values as they presently control the manners of your application and could impact your test outcomes.
5. Reuse Capabilities: This will make your tests more manageable to address and sustain when executing tests on numerous devices or platforms.
The process to handle dynamic capabilities and manage multiple test configurations:
1. Dynamic Capabilities: In some procedures, you may need to execute tests on various platforms or devices. You can construct dynamic capabilities in your test code by creating the capability values arrangeable. These values can then be handed as statements or read from arrangement files at runtime.
2. Multiple Test Configurations: If you need to execute tests with various configurations, consider forming a capabilities file for each format. You can then reference these files in your tests, permitting you to fastly transit between different compositions.
Setting Up Appium On LambdaTest
LambdaTest is a cloud-based platform that permits you to conduct cross-browser testing of your web applications. They also offer mobile app testing functionality via Appium. Here’s how to establish it:
Constructing A LambdaTest Account And Retrieving Appium Testing Feature
1. Go to the LambdaTest website at www.lambdatest.com.
2. Select “Free Sign Up” on the top right corner of the page.
3. Complete your details (Name, Password, Email, and Phone Number) in the sign-up form and select “Register”.
4. Once registered, log into your LambdaTest account.
5. On the dashboard, traverse to “Real-Time Testing” > “Automated Browser Testing”.
6. This will take you to the automation dashboard, where you can approach Appium for mobile testing.
Prerequisites For Setting Up The Testing Environment
Before you can begin using Appium for mobile app testing on LambdaTest, you need to have the following things installed:
1. Appium Client Libraries: These libraries will encourage your tests to connect with the Appium network. Select the library according to your desired language (Java, JavaScript, Python, Ruby, C#).
2. Node.js: Appium is built on Node.js. Make sure it is downloaded to your system.
3. Selenium WebDriver: Selenium WebDriver is utilized along with Appium to automate your tests. You will need to download it according to your preferred programming language.
4. JUnit/TestNG (For Java): These are testing frameworks used for Java, and they will help configure your tests.
5. App Under Test: The mobile app you want to test. It can be an Android app (`.apk` file) or an iOS app (`.ipa` file).
Configuring Appium Desired Capabilities On LambdaTest
Once you have established your testing environment, you can arrange the Appium Desired Capabilities for your tests:
1. Visit your LambdaTest Automation Dashboard.
2. Underneath the “Capabilities” section, you will find a choice to “Generate Capabilities”.
3. You will be diverted to the “Desired Capabilities Generator” page.
4. Here, you will need to choose the “Appium” choice from the drop-down menu at the top of the page.
5. You will now need to input your preferred testing requirements. These contain your platform name (e.g., Android, iOS), platform version, device name, and the path of the app under test.
6. Once you have inserted all your preferred capabilities, select the “Generate” button. This will construct a code snippet in your desired language with all your selected capabilities.
7. You can now utilize this generated code snippet in your test script to set the Preferred Capabilities for your Appium test. Remember, when executing tests on LambdaTest, you will need to possess your LambdaTest username and access key as capabilities. You can find these on your LambdaTest profile.
“`java
capabilities.setCapability(“user”, “YOUR_USERNAME”);
capabilities.setCapability(“accessKey”, “YOUR_ACCESS_KEY”);
“`
By following these steps, you will be able to establish up and execute your Appium tests on LambdaTest’s cloud-based platform, improving your ability to do thorough mobile app testing.
Executing Appium Tests On LambdaTest
To run Appium tests on LambdaTest, you initially need to arrange your testing environment with all the required libraries and drivers. After that, you can arrange your Desired Capabilities and create your test script. Here’s how to do it:
For iOS selecting desired capabilities:
“`python
caps = {
“build”: “Python iOS”,
“name”: “single_test”,
“platformName”: “iOS”,
“deviceName”: “iPhone 12”,
“platformVersion”: “14.1”,
“app”: “https://path/to/your.ipa”, # path to your .ipa file
“user”: “YOUR_USERNAME”, # your LambdaTest username
“accessKey”: “YOUR_ACCESS_KEY” # your LambdaTest access key
}
“`
For Android selecting desired capabilities:
“`python
caps = {
“build”: “Python Android”,
“name”: “single_test”,
“platformName”: “Android”,
“deviceName”: “Samsung Galaxy S10”,
“platformVersion”: “9.0”,
“app”: “https://path/to/your.apk”, # path to your .apk file
“user”: “YOUR_USERNAME”, # your LambdaTest username
“accessKey”: “YOUR_ACCESS_KEY” # your LambdaTest access key
}
“`
Writing Test Script
Successively, you need to organize your Appium test script. This script will join with your mobile app and perpetrate actions according to your test case. Below is a simple representative test script that will establish the stipulated app and then shut it:
“`python
from appium import webdriver
driver = webdriver.Remote(“https://hub.lambdatest.com/wd/hub”, caps)
driver.quit()
“`
In the script, we constructed a new model of the `webdriver` class and handed the URL of the LambdaTest hub and the Desired Capabilities. The `driver.quit()` approach is used to conclude the session.
Run The Test Script
Finally, you can execute your Appium test script. If you’ve written your script in Python, you can execute it with the succeeding command in your terminal:
“`bash
python your_test_script.py
“`
It will now run on your Appium, which is integrated with LambdaTest. You can view live running tests, as well as logs, test results, and screenshots on your LambdaTest dashboard. This is a basic illustration. In a real-world scenario, your test script would contain commands to connect with your app – filling out forms, selecting buttons, traversing through screens, and so on. Your test scripts would also include assertions to prove that the app acts as anticipated.
Conclusion
Using Appium’s desired capabilities to accomplish testing on LambdaTest is profitable for both developers and quality assurance professionals. This integration enables strong, effective, and genuine testing of applications across multiple platforms and environments. With this strategy, it’s feasible to conduct extensive testing of functionalities while improving general test coverage. In this ever-evolving technology environment, it is essential to constantly introduce testing techniques and adjust to contemporary tools such as Appium and LambdaTest. Using this prospect is a consequential step towards ensuring a trustworthy, high-quality, and consumer-friendly product. Indeed, it’s not just about creating testing easier or more smoothen – it’s about constructing the best applications and, eventually, shaping better digital ventures for end-users.
