Tag: appium

  • Test Automation in React Native apps using Appium and WebdriverIO

    React Native provides a mobile app development experience without sacrificing user experience or visual performance. And when it comes to mobile app UI testing, Appium is a great way to test indigenous React Native apps out of the box. Creating native apps from the same code and being able to do it using JavaScript has made Appium popular. Apart from this, businesses are attracted by the fact that they can save a lot of money by using this application development framework.

    In this blog, we are going to cover how to add automated tests for React native apps using Appium & WebdriverIO with a Node.js framework. 

    What are React Native Apps

    React Native is an open-source framework for building Android and iOS apps using React and local app capabilities. With React Native, you can use JavaScript to access the APIs on your platform and define the look and behavior of your UI using React components: lots of usable, non-compact code. In the development of Android and iOS apps, “viewing” is the basic building block of a UI: this small rectangular object on the screen can be used to display text, photos, or user input. Even the smallest detail of an app, such as a text line or a button, is a kind of view. Some views may contain other views.

    What is Appium

    Appium is an open-source tool for traditional automation, web, and hybrid apps on iOS, Android, and Windows desktop mobile platforms. Indigenous apps are those written using iOS and Android. Mobile web applications are accessed using a mobile browser (Appium supports Safari for iOS apps and Chrome or the built-in ‘Browser’ for Android apps). Hybrid apps have a wrapper around “web view”—a traditional controller that allows you to interact with web content. Projects like Apache Cordova make it easy to build applications using web technology and integrate it into a traditional wrapper, creating a hybrid application.

    Importantly, Appium is “cross-platform”, allowing you to write tests against multiple platforms (iOS, Android), using the same API. This enables code usage between iOS, Android, and Windows test suites. It runs on iOS and Android applications using the WebDriver protocol.

    Fig:- Appium Architecture

    What is WebDriverIO

    WebdriverIO is a next-gen browser and Node.js automated mobile testing framework. It allows you to customize any application written with modern web frameworks for mobile devices or browsers, such as React, Angular, Polymeror, and Vue.js.

    WebdriverIO is a widely used test automation framework in JavaScript. It has various features like it supports many reports and services, Test Frameworks, and WDIO CLI Test Runners

    The following are examples of supported services:

    • Appium Service
    • Devtools Service
    • Firefox Profile Service
    • Selenium Standalone Service
    • Shared Store Service
    • Static Server Service
    • ChromeDriver Service
    • Report Portal Service
    • Docker Service

    The followings are supported by the test framework:

    • Mocha
    • Jasmine
    • Cucumber 
    Fig:- WebdriverIO Architecture

    Key features of Appium & WebdriverIO

    Appium

    • Does not require application source code or library
    • Provides a strong and active community
    • Has multi-platform support, i.e., it can run the same test cases on multiple platforms
    • Allows the parallel execution of test scripts
    • In Appium, a small change does not require reinstallation of the application
    • Supports various languages like C#, Python, Java, Ruby, PHP, JavaScript with node.js, and many others that have a Selenium client library

    WebdriverIO 

    • Extendable
    • Compatible
    • Feature-rich 
    • Supports modern web and mobile frameworks
    • Runs automation tests both for web applications as well as native mobile apps.
    • Simple and easy syntax
    • Integrates tests to third-party tools such as Appium
    • ‘Wdio setup wizard’ makes the setup simple and easy
    • Integrated test runner

    Installation & Configuration

    $ mkdir Demo_Appium_Project

    • Create a sample Appium Project
    $ npm init
    $ package name: (demo_appium_project) demo_appium_test
    $ version: (1.0.0) 1.0.0
    $ description: demo_appium_practice
    $ entry point: (index.js) index.js
    $ test command: "./node_modules/.bin/wdio wdio.conf.js"
    $ git repository: 
    $ keywords: 
    $ author: Pushkar
    $ license: (ISC) ISC

    This will also create a package.json file for test settings and project dependencies.

    • Install node packages
    $ npm install

    • Install Appium through npm or as a standalone app.
    $ npm install -g appium or npm install --save appium

    $ npm install -g webdriverio or npm install --save-dev webdriverio @wdio/cli
    • Install Chai Assertion library 
    $ npm install -g chai or npm install --save chai

    Make sure you have following versions installed: 

    $ node --version - v.14.17.0
    $ npm --version - 7.17.0
    $ appium --version - 1.21.0
    $ java --version - java 16.0.1
    $ allure --version - 2.14.0

    WebdriverIO Configuration 

    The web driver configuration file must be created to apply the configuration during the test Generate command below project:

    $ npx wdio config

    With the following series of questions, install the required dependencies,

    $ Where is your automation backend located? - On my local machine
    $ Which framework do you want to use? - mocha	
    $ Do you want to use a compiler? No!
    $ Where are your test specs located? - ./test/specs/**/*.js
    $ Do you want WebdriverIO to autogenerate some test files? - Yes
    $ Do you want to use page objects (https://martinfowler.com/bliki/PageObject.html)? - No
    $ Which reporter do you want to use? - Allure
    $ Do you want to add a service to your test setup? - No
    $ What is the base url? - http://localhost

    This is how wdio.conf.js looks:

    exports.config = {
     port: 4724,
     path: '/wd/hub/',
     runner: 'local',
     specs: ['./test/specs/*.js'],
     maxInstances: 1,
     capabilities: [
       {
         platformName: 'Android',
         platformVersion: '11',
         appPackage: 'com.facebook.katana',
         appActivity: 'com.facebook.katana.LoginActivity',
         automationName: 'UiAutomator2'
       }
     ],
     services: [
       [
         'appium',
         {
           args: {
             relaxedSecurity: true
            },
           command: 'appium'
         }
       ]
     ],
     logLevel: 'debug',
     bail: 0,
     baseUrl: 'http://localhost',
     waitforTimeout: 10000,
     connectionRetryTimeout: 90000,
     connectionRetryCount: 3,
     framework: 'mocha',
     reporters: [
       [
         'allure',
         {
           outputDir: 'allure-results',
           disableWebdriverStepsReporting: true,
           disableWebdriverScreenshotsReporting: false
         }
       ]
     ],
     mochaOpts: {
       ui: 'bdd',
       timeout: 60000
     },
     afterTest: function(test, context, { error, result, duration, passed, retries }) {
       if (!passed) {
           browser.takeScreenshot();
       }
     }
    }
    view raw

    For iOS Automation, just add the following capabilities in wdio.conf.js & the Appium Configuration: 

    {
      "platformName": "IOS",
      "platformVersion": "14.5",
      "app": "/Your_PATH/wdioNativeDemoApp.app",
      "deviceName": "iPhone 12 Pro Max"
    }

    Launch the iOS Simulator from Xcode

    Install Appium Doctor for iOS by using following command:

    npm install -g appium-doctor

    Fig:- Appium Doctor Installed

    This is how package.json will look:

    {
     "name": "demo_appium_test",
     "version": "1.0.0",
     "description": "demo_appium_practice",
     "main": "index.js",
     "scripts": {
       "test": "./node_modules/.bin/wdio wdio.conf.js"
     },
     "author": "Pushkar",
     "license": "ISC",
     "dependencies": {
       "@wdio/sync": "^7.7.4",
       "appium": "^1.21.0",
       "chai": "^4.3.4",
       "webdriverio": "^7.7.4"
     },
     "devDependencies": {
       "@wdio/allure-reporter": "^7.7.3",
       "@wdio/appium-service": "^7.7.3",
       "@wdio/cli": "^7.7.4",
       "@wdio/local-runner": "^7.7.4",
       "@wdio/mocha-framework": "^7.7.4",
       "@wdio/selenium-standalone-service": "^7.7.4"
     }
    }

    Steps to follow if npm legacy peer deeps problem occurred:

    npm install --save --legacy-peer-deps
    npm config set legacy-peer-deps true
    npm i --legacy-peer-deps
    npm config set legacy-peer-deps true
    npm cache clean --force

    This is how the folder structure will look in Appium with the WebDriverIO Framework:

    Fig:- Appium Framework Outline

    Step-by-Step Configuration of Android Emulator using Android Studio

    Fig:- Android Studio Launch

     

    Fig:- Android Studio AVD Manager

     

    Fig:- Create Virtual Device

     

    Fig:- Choose a device Definition

     

    Fig:- Select system image

    Fig:- License Agreement

     

    Fig:- Component Installer

     

    Fig:- System Image Download

     

    Fig:- Configuration Verification

    Fig:- Virtual Device Listing

    ‍Appium Desktop Configuration

    Fig:- Appium Desktop Launch

    Setup of ANDROID_HOME + ANDROID_SDK_ROOT &  JAVA_HOME

    Follow these steps for setting up ANDROID_HOME: 

    vi ~/.bash_profile
    Add following 
    export ANDROID_HOME=/Users/pushkar/android-sdk 
    export PATH=$PATH:$ANDROID_HOME/platform-tools 
    export PATH=$PATH:$ANDROID_HOME/tools 
    export PATH=$PATH:$ANDROID_HOME/tools/bin 
    export PATH=$PATH:$ANDROID_HOME/emulator
    Save ~/.bash_profile 
    source ~/.bash_profile 
    echo $ANDROID_HOME
    /Users/pushkar/Library/Android/sdk

    Follow these steps for setting up ANDROID_SDK_ROOT:

    vi ~/.bash_profile
    Add following 
    export ANDROID_HOME=/Users/pushkar/Android/sdk
    export ANDROID_SDK_ROOT=/Users/pushkar/Android/sdk
    export ANDROID_AVD_HOME=/Users/pushkar/.android/avd
    Save ~/.bash_profile 
    source ~/.bash_profile 
    echo $ANDROID_SDK_ROOT
    /Users/pushkar/Library/Android/sdk

    Follow these steps for setting up JAVA_HOME:

    java --version
    vi ~/.bash_profile
    Add following 
    export JAVA_HOME=/Library/Java/JavaVirtualMachines/jdk-16.0.1.jdk/Contents/Home.
    echo $JAVA_HOME
    /Library/Java/JavaVirtualMachines/jdk-16.0.1.jdk/Contents/Home

    Fig:- Environment Variables in Appium

     

    Fig:- Appium Server Starts 

     

    Fig:- Appium Start Inspector Session

    Fig:- Inspector Session Configurations

    Note – Make sure you need to install the app from Google Play Store. 

    Fig:- Android Emulator Launch  

     

    Fig: – Android Emulator with Facebook React Native Mobile App

     

    Fig:- Success of Appium with Emulator

     

    Fig:- Locating Elements using Appium Inspector

    How to write E2E React Native Mobile App Tests 

    Fig:- Test Suite Structure of Mocha

    ‍Here is an example of how to write E2E test in Appium:

    Positive Testing Scenario – Validate Login & Nav Bar

    1. Open Facebook React Native App 
    2. Enter valid email and password
    3. Click on Login
    4. Users should be able to login into Facebook 

    Negative Testing Scenario – Invalid Login

    1. Open Facebook React Native App
    2. Enter invalid email and password 
    3. Click on login 
    4. Users should not be able to login after receiving an “Incorrect Password” message popup

    Negative Testing Scenario – Invalid Element

    1. Open Facebook React Native App 
    2. Enter invalid email and  password 
    3. Click on login 
    4. Provide invalid element to capture message

    Make sure test_script should be under test/specs folder 

    var expect = require('chai').expect
    
    beforeEach(() => {
     driver.launchApp()
    })
    
    afterEach(() => {
     driver.closeApp()
    })
    
    describe('Verify Login Scenarios on Facebook React Native Mobile App', () => {
     it('User should be able to login using valid credentials to Facebook Mobile App', () => {   
       $(`~Username`).waitForDisplayed(20000)
       $(`~Username`).setValue('Valid-Email')
       $(`~Password`).waitForDisplayed(20000)
       $(`~Password`).setValue('Valid-Password')
       $('~Log In').click()
       browser.pause(10000)
     })
    
     it('User should not be able to login with invalid credentials to Facebook Mobile App', () => {
       $(`~Username`).waitForDisplayed(20000)
       $(`~Username`).setValue('Invalid-Email')
       $(`~Password`).waitForDisplayed(20000)
       $(`~Password`).setValue('Invalid-Password')   
       $('~Log In').click()
       $(
           '//android.widget.TextView[@resource-id="com.facebook.katana:id/(name removed)"]'
         )
         .waitForDisplayed(11000)
       const status = $(
         '//android.widget.TextView[@resource-id="com.facebook.katana:id/(name removed)"]'
       ).getText()
       expect(status).to.equal(
         `You Can't Use This Feature Right Now`     
       )
     })
    
     it('Test Case should Fail Because of Invalid Element', () => {
       $(`~Username`).waitForDisplayed(20000)
       $(`~Username`).setValue('Invalid-Email')
       $(`~Password`).waitForDisplayed(20000)
       $(`~Password`).setValue('Invalid-Pasword')   
       $('~Log In').click()
       $(
           '//android.widget.TextView[@resource-id="com.facebook.katana:id/(name removed)"'
         )
         .waitForDisplayed(11000)
       const status = $(
         '//android.widget.TextView[@resource-id="com.facebook.katana"'
       ).getText()
       expect(status).to.equal(
         `You Can't Use This Feature Right Now`     
       )
     })
    
    })

    How to Run Mobile Tests Scripts  

    $ npm test 
    This will create a Results folder with .xml report 

    Reporting

    The following are examples of the supported reporters:

    • Allure Reporter
    • Concise Reporter
    • Dot Reporter
    • JUnit Reporter
    • Spec Reporter
    • Sumologic Reporter
    • Report Portal Reporter
    • Video Reporter
    • HTML Reporter
    • JSON Reporter
    • Mochawesome Reporter
    • Timeline Reporter
    • CucumberJS JSON Reporter

    Here, we are using Allure Reporting. Allure Reporting in WebdriverIO is a plugin to create Allure Test Reports.

    The easiest way is to keep @wdio/allure-reporter as a devDependency in your package.json with

    $ npm install @wdio/allure-reporter --save-dev

    Reporter options can be specified in the wdio.conf.js configuration file 

    reporters: [
       [
         'allure',
         {
           outputDir: 'allure-results',
           disableWebdriverStepsReporting: true,
           disableWebdriverScreenshotsReporting: false
         }
       ]
     ]

    To convert Allure .xml report to .html report, run the following command: 

    $ allure generate && allure open
    Allure HTML report should be opened in browser

    This is what Allure Reports look like: 

    Fig:- Allure Report Overview 

     

    Fig:- Allure Categories

     

    Fig:- Allure Suites

     

    Fig: – Allure Graphs

     

    Fig:- Allure Timeline

     

    Fig:- Allure Behaviors

     

    Fig:- Allure Packages

    Limitations with Appium & WebDriverIO

    Appium 

    • Android versions lower than 4.2 are not supported for testing
    • Limited support for hybrid app testing
    • Doesn’t support image comparison.

    WebdriverIO

    • It has a custom implementation
    • It can be used for automating AngularJS apps, but it is not as customized as Protractor.

    Conclusion

    In the QA and developer ecosystem, using Appium to test React native applications is common. Appium makes it easy to record test cases on both Android and iOS platforms while working with React Native. Selenium, a basic web developer, acts as a bridge between Appium and mobile platforms for delivery and testing. Appium is a solid framework for automatic UI testing. This article explains that this framework is capable of conducting test cases quickly and reliably. Most importantly, it can test both Android and iOS apps developed by the React Native framework on the basis of a single code.

    Related Articles –

    References