Ultimate Appium Scripts Cheatsheet

Introduction to Appium

Appium is an open-source automation tool for mobile applications, enabling testers to automate native, hybrid, and web applications on iOS, Android, and Windows platforms. Its significance lies in cross-platform compatibility, device flexibility, and integration with popular programming languages and test frameworks.

Core Concepts & Architecture

Setting Up Appium Environment

Prerequisites

• Node.js & npm
• Java Development Kit (JDK 8 or higher)
• Android SDK (for Android testing)
• Xcode (for iOS testing)
• Appium Desktop (optional for inspector)

Installation Commands

# Install Appium globally
npm install -g appium

# Install Appium Doctor for environment verification
npm install -g appium-doctor

# Check environment setup
appium-doctor --android
appium-doctor --ios

# Start Appium server
appium

Desired Capability Examples

Android Capabilities

DesiredCapabilities caps = new DesiredCapabilities();
caps.setCapability("platformName", "Android");
caps.setCapability("deviceName", "Android Device");
caps.setCapability("automationName", "UiAutomator2");
caps.setCapability("app", "/path/to/app.apk");
// For installed app
caps.setCapability("appPackage", "com.example.app");
caps.setCapability("appActivity", "com.example.app.MainActivity");

iOS Capabilities

DesiredCapabilities caps = new DesiredCapabilities();
caps.setCapability("platformName", "iOS");
caps.setCapability("deviceName", "iPhone 12");
caps.setCapability("platformVersion", "14.5");
caps.setCapability("automationName", "XCUITest");
caps.setCapability("app", "/path/to/app.ipa");
caps.setCapability("udid", "device-udid-goes-here"); // For real device

Setting Up Test Scripts

Java (with TestNG)

import io.appium.java_client.AppiumDriver;
import io.appium.java_client.android.AndroidDriver;
import org.openqa.selenium.remote.DesiredCapabilities;
import org.testng.annotations.*;
import java.net.URL;

public class AppiumBasicTest {
    
    private AppiumDriver driver;
    
    @BeforeTest
    public void setUp() throws Exception {
        DesiredCapabilities caps = new DesiredCapabilities();
        // Set desired capabilities
        caps.setCapability("platformName", "Android");
        caps.setCapability("deviceName", "Android Device");
        caps.setCapability("automationName", "UiAutomator2");
        caps.setCapability("app", "/path/to/app.apk");
        
        // Initialize driver
        driver = new AndroidDriver(new URL("http://127.0.0.1:4723/wd/hub"), caps);
    }
    
    @Test
    public void sampleTest() {
        // Test code here
    }
    
    @AfterTest
    public void tearDown() {
        if (driver != null) {
            driver.quit();
        }
    }
}

Python

from appium import webdriver
from appium.webdriver.common.mobileby import MobileBy
import unittest

class AppiumTest(unittest.TestCase):
    
    def setUp(self):
        caps = {
            "platformName": "Android",
            "deviceName": "Android Device",
            "automationName": "UiAutomator2",
            "app": "/path/to/app.apk"
        }
        self.driver = webdriver.Remote("http://localhost:4723/wd/hub", caps)
        
    def test_sample(self):
        # Test code here
        
    def tearDown(self):
        if self.driver:
            self.driver.quit()
            
if __name__ == '__main__':
    unittest.main()

Element Locator Strategies

Common Mobile Gestures & Interactions

Tap/Click

// Java
driver.findElement(By.id("button")).click();

# Python
driver.find_element(MobileBy.ID, "button").click()

Swipe/Scroll

// Java
TouchAction touchAction = new TouchAction(driver);
touchAction.press(PointOption.point(500, 1000))
           .waitAction(WaitOptions.waitOptions(Duration.ofMillis(1000)))
           .moveTo(PointOption.point(500, 200))
           .release()
           .perform();

# Python
from appium.webdriver.common.touch_action import TouchAction

actions = TouchAction(driver)
actions.press(x=500, y=1000).wait(1000).move_to(x=500, y=200).release().perform()

Long Press

// Java
TouchAction touchAction = new TouchAction(driver);
touchAction.longPress(PointOption.point(100, 100))
           .waitAction(WaitOptions.waitOptions(Duration.ofSeconds(2)))
           .release()
           .perform();

# Python
actions = TouchAction(driver)
actions.long_press(x=100, y=100, duration=2000).release().perform()

Multi-touch (Pinch/Zoom)

// Java
TouchAction action1 = new TouchAction(driver);
action1.press(PointOption.point(100, 100))
       .moveTo(PointOption.point(50, 50))
       .release();

TouchAction action2 = new TouchAction(driver);
action2.press(PointOption.point(200, 200))
       .moveTo(PointOption.point(250, 250))
       .release();

MultiTouchAction multiAction = new MultiTouchAction(driver);
multiAction.add(action1).add(action2).perform();

# Python
from appium.webdriver.common.multi_action import MultiAction

action1 = TouchAction(driver)
action1.press(x=100, y=100).move_to(x=50, y=50).release()

action2 = TouchAction(driver)
action2.press(x=200, y=200).move_to(x=250, y=250).release()

multi_action = MultiAction(driver)
multi_action.add(action1, action2)
multi_action.perform()

Handling Waiting Mechanisms

Implicit Wait

// Java
driver.manage().timeouts().implicitlyWait(10, TimeUnit.SECONDS);

# Python
driver.implicitly_wait(10)

Explicit Wait

// Java
WebDriverWait wait = new WebDriverWait(driver, Duration.ofSeconds(10));
wait.until(ExpectedConditions.visibilityOfElementLocated(By.id("element_id")));

# Python
from selenium.webdriver.support.ui import WebDriverWait
from selenium.webdriver.support import expected_conditions as EC

wait = WebDriverWait(driver, 10)
element = wait.until(EC.visibility_of_element_located((MobileBy.ID, "element_id")))

Fluent Wait

// Java
Wait<WebDriver> wait = new FluentWait<WebDriver>(driver)
    .withTimeout(Duration.ofSeconds(30))
    .pollingEvery(Duration.ofSeconds(5))
    .ignoring(NoSuchElementException.class);

WebElement element = wait.until(driver -> {
    return driver.findElement(By.id("elementId"));
});

Advanced Appium Commands

App Management

// Java
// Install app
driver.installApp("/path/to/app.apk");

// Check if app is installed
boolean isInstalled = driver.isAppInstalled("com.example.app");

// Launch app
driver.launchApp();

// Close app
driver.closeApp();

// Reset app
driver.resetApp();

// Run app in background
driver.runAppInBackground(Duration.ofSeconds(10));

# Python
# Install app
driver.install_app('/path/to/app.apk')

# Check if app is installed
is_installed = driver.is_app_installed('com.example.app')

# Launch app
driver.launch_app()

# Close app
driver.close_app()

# Reset app
driver.reset()

# Run app in background
driver.background_app(10)

Device Interactions

// Java
// Lock device
driver.lockDevice();

// Check if device is locked
boolean isLocked = driver.isDeviceLocked();

// Unlock device
driver.unlockDevice();

// Get device time
String time = driver.getDeviceTime();

// Set device orientation
driver.rotate(ScreenOrientation.LANDSCAPE);

// Press key code (Android)
((AndroidDriver) driver).pressKey(new KeyEvent(AndroidKey.BACK));

// Hide keyboard
driver.hideKeyboard();

# Python
# Lock device
driver.lock()

# Check if device is locked
is_locked = driver.is_locked()

# Unlock device
driver.unlock()

# Get device time
time = driver.device_time

# Set device orientation
driver.orientation = "LANDSCAPE"

# Press key code (Android)
from appium.webdriver.extensions.android.nativekey import AndroidKey
driver.press_keycode(AndroidKey.BACK)

# Hide keyboard
driver.hide_keyboard()

Working with Context (Hybrid Apps)

// Java
// Get all contexts
Set<String> contexts = driver.getContextHandles();
for (String context : contexts) {
    System.out.println(context);
}

// Switch to WEBVIEW
driver.context("WEBVIEW_com.example.app");

// Switch back to NATIVE_APP
driver.context("NATIVE_APP");

# Python
# Get all contexts
contexts = driver.contexts
for context in contexts:
    print(context)
    
# Switch to WEBVIEW
driver.switch_to.context('WEBVIEW_com.example.app')

# Switch back to NATIVE_APP
driver.switch_to.context('NATIVE_APP')

Common Challenges & Solutions

Best Practices for Appium Scripts

1. Use unique and stable locators: Prioritize accessibility IDs and IDs over XPath
2. Implement Page Object Model: Separate page elements and actions from test logic
3. Handle waits properly: Use explicit waits over implicit waits for better control
4. Keep test data separate: Externalize test data in JSON/CSV/Excel files
5. Implement proper reporting: Use frameworks like Extent Reports or Allure for detailed test reports
6. Set up proper logging: Implement detailed logging for easier debugging
7. Handle device diversity: Test on different screen sizes and OS versions
8. Configure timeouts appropriately: Set session, command, and idle timeouts based on app needs
9. Clean up resources: Properly terminate driver sessions in tearDown methods
10. Version control your tests: Keep test scripts in version control systems like Git

Example Test Framework Structure

appium-test-framework/
├── src/
│   ├── main/
│   │   ├── java/
│   │   │   └── com/example/
│   │   │       ├── pages/       # Page objects
│   │   │       ├── utils/       # Helper utilities
│   │   │       └── constants/   # App constants
│   ├── test/
│   │   ├── java/
│   │   │   └── com/example/
│   │   │       ├── tests/       # Test classes
│   │   │       └── base/        # Base test setup
│   │   └── resources/
│   │       ├── testdata/        # Test data files
│   │       └── config/          # Configuration files
├── pom.xml                      # Dependencies (Maven)
└── README.md                    # Project documentation

Resources for Further Learning

• Documentation
  • Official Appium Documentation
  • Appium GitHub Repository
• Books
  • “Appium Essentials” by Manoj Hans
  • “Mobile Test Automation with Appium” by Nishant Verma
• Online Courses
  • Udemy: “Appium – Mobile App Automation Testing from Scratch”
  • Pluralsight: “Automated Mobile Testing with Appium”
• Blogs & Forums
  • Appium Pro Blog
  • Stack Overflow – Appium
  • Appium Discuss Forum