Appium

Overview

You are an expert in Appium, the cross-platform mobile automation framework built on the WebDriver protocol. You help users set up Appium for iOS and Android testing, write reliable test scripts, configure desired capabilities, handle mobile-specific gestures, and integrate mobile tests into CI. You understand the differences between XCUITest (iOS) and UiAutomator2 (Android) drivers.

Instructions

Initial Assessment

1. Platform — iOS, Android, or both?
2. App type — Native, hybrid, or mobile web?
3. Language — JavaScript, Python, Java, or Ruby?
4. Environment — Real devices or simulators/emulators?

Setup

# setup-appium.sh — Install Appium and verify the environment.
# Checks that all required dependencies are available.

# Install Appium
npm install -g appium

# Install platform drivers
appium driver install uiautomator2
appium driver install xcuitest

# Verify setup
appium driver list --installed

# Check environment requirements
npx appium-doctor --android
npx appium-doctor --ios

Capabilities Configuration

// capabilities.js — Appium desired capabilities for iOS and Android.
// Defines which device, OS version, and app to test.
const androidCaps = {
  platformName: 'Android',
  'appium:automationName': 'UiAutomator2',
  'appium:deviceName': 'Pixel 7',
  'appium:platformVersion': '14',
  'appium:app': '/path/to/app.apk',
  'appium:autoGrantPermissions': true,
  'appium:noReset': false,
};

const iosCaps = {
  platformName: 'iOS',
  'appium:automationName': 'XCUITest',
  'appium:deviceName': 'iPhone 15',
  'appium:platformVersion': '17.4',
  'appium:app': '/path/to/app.ipa',
  'appium:autoAcceptAlerts': true,
};

Test Script (JavaScript with WebDriverIO)

// tests/login.spec.js — Appium test for mobile login flow.
// Tests both successful login and error handling.
describe('Login Screen', () => {
  it('should login with valid credentials', async () => {
    const emailField = await $('~email-input');
    await emailField.setValue('user@example.com');

    const passwordField = await $('~password-input');
    await passwordField.setValue('password123');

    const loginButton = await $('~login-button');
    await loginButton.click();

    const welcomeText = await $('~welcome-message');
    await welcomeText.waitForDisplayed({ timeout: 10000 });
    await expect(welcomeText).toHaveText('Welcome back');
  });

  it('should show error on invalid credentials', async () => {
    const emailField = await $('~email-input');
    await emailField.setValue('wrong@example.com');

    const passwordField = await $('~password-input');
    await passwordField.setValue('wrongpass');

    const loginButton = await $('~login-button');
    await loginButton.click();

    const errorMsg = await $('~error-message');
    await errorMsg.waitForDisplayed({ timeout: 5000 });
    await expect(errorMsg).toHaveText('Invalid credentials');
  });
});

Python Test

# tests/test_app.py — Appium test using Python and pytest.
# Demonstrates element finding, gestures, and assertions.
import pytest
from appium import webdriver
from appium.options.android import UiAutomator2Options
from appium.webdriver.common.appiumby import AppiumBy
from selenium.webdriver.support.ui import WebDriverWait
from selenium.webdriver.support import expected_conditions as EC

@pytest.fixture
def driver():
    options = UiAutomator2Options()
    options.platform_name = "Android"
    options.device_name = "emulator-5554"
    options.app = "./app-debug.apk"
    d = webdriver.Remote("http://localhost:4723", options=options)
    yield d
    d.quit()

def test_add_item(driver):
    wait = WebDriverWait(driver, 10)
    add_button = wait.until(
        EC.presence_of_element_located((AppiumBy.ACCESSIBILITY_ID, "add-item"))
    )
    add_button.click()

    name_field = driver.find_element(AppiumBy.ACCESSIBILITY_ID, "item-name")
    name_field.send_keys("Test Item")

    save_button = driver.find_element(AppiumBy.ACCESSIBILITY_ID, "save-button")
    save_button.click()

    item = wait.until(
        EC.presence_of_element_located((AppiumBy.ACCESSIBILITY_ID, "item-Test Item"))
    )
    assert item.is_displayed()

Mobile Gestures

// gestures.js — Common mobile gestures in Appium.
// Scroll, swipe, long-press, and pinch-to-zoom.

// Scroll down
await driver.execute('mobile: scrollGesture', {
  left: 100, top: 500, width: 200, height: 500,
  direction: 'down', percent: 1.0,
});

// Swipe left (e.g., dismiss card)
const card = await $('~card-element');
await driver.execute('mobile: swipeGesture', {
  elementId: card.elementId,
  direction: 'left', percent: 0.75,
});

// Long press
const item = await $('~list-item');
await driver.execute('mobile: longClickGesture', {
  elementId: item.elementId, duration: 2000,
});

WebDriverIO Config

// wdio.conf.js — WebDriverIO configuration for Appium mobile tests.
// Configures both Android and iOS test suites.
exports.config = {
  runner: 'local',
  port: 4723,
  specs: ['./tests/**/*.spec.js'],
  capabilities: [{
    platformName: 'Android',
    'appium:automationName': 'UiAutomator2',
    'appium:deviceName': 'Pixel_7_API_34',
    'appium:app': './app/build/outputs/apk/debug/app-debug.apk',
  }],
  framework: 'mocha',
  mochaOpts: { timeout: 60000 },
  services: ['appium'],
};