Mobile app development has always been complex, and the challenges of testing and writing automated tests for apps can be especially difficult. This probably led to the development of Flutter, Google’s open-source mobile UI framework.
Flutter is a great tool for creating visually stunning and high-performance mobile applications. However, testing the user experience and functionality of apps created with Flutter can be tricky. This is because Flutter apps don’t fit the traditional model of mobile app testing—they require a more sophisticated and unique approach due to their unique architecture.
Fortunately, a tool has been developed to address these issues. Appium-Flutter-Driver is an open-source library that allows software testers to write automated tests for Flutter apps. It enables software testers to write tests that are more efficient and reliable, as well as more comprehensive. Appium-Flutter-Driver is based on Appium, an open-source automation testing tool for mobile applications. It was specifically designed to work with Flutter apps, allowing testers and even developers to write tests that can interact with the UI elements of the app.
We spoke to Ademola Bhadmus a Quality Assurance Engineer who specializes in automation and uses a wide range of tools and A Senior QA Engineer, on the easy ways to conduct tests on Flutter.
According to him, software testers can write tests that can simulate user interactions with the app, such as tapping buttons or entering text. In addition, Appium-Flutter-Driver provides a number of helpful features such as the ability to easily find and interact with UI elements, the ability to record and playback scripts, and the ability to run tests on multiple devices simultaneously.
“As a tester, I’ve observed that QA engineers find it challenging to automate and test flutter applications. To assist others, I’ve made several YouTube videos and written a blog article on how to use Appium-flutter-driver to test and automate flutter apps,” Bhadmus said.
He says that using Appium-Flutter-Driver to write automated tests for Flutter apps is relatively straightforward. First, software testers need to install the library, which is available for free on GitHub. Once the library is installed, software testers can begin writing test scripts in either Java, TypeScript, or JavaScript.
When creating the test scripts, one needs to include the necessary imports from the Appium-Flutter-Driver library. The test scripts should also include the necessary setup and tear-down methods, as well as any necessary test steps. Once all of the necessary setups have been completed, one can begin writing these tests. Appium-Flutter-Driver makes it easy to write automated tests for Flutter apps. With its intuitive and powerful features, software testers can quickly create tests that are reliable and comprehensive. This makes it an invaluable tool for any tester looking to create automated tests for their Flutter apps.
Bhadmus shares three steps quality software engineers would encounter and how to tackle them.
Writing Automated Tests for Flutter
Many testers tend to shy away from using Java as the programming language to automating largely because it is a strongly typed language that many would argue have a huge learning curve, especially for testers with non-tech background. Luckily, JavaScript is loosely typed and easy to learn. Another thing is, there is a way to write a single script in JavaScript that will test the Android and iOS platforms respectively.
Setting up Appium-Flutter-Driver
The first step in using Appium-Flutter-Driver and JavaScript to write automated tests for Flutter apps is to set up Appium-Flutter-Driver. This can be done by installing the Appium-Flutter-Driver package through NPM. Once the package is installed, Appium-Flutter-Driver should be configured in their Flutter project. This can be done by adding the Appium-Flutter-Driver dependency to the pubspec.yaml file, importing the flutter-driver, and adding the flutterDriverExtension() in the main.dart file.
Writing Automated Tests
Flutter elements are not identified with resource IDs, accessibility IDs, and so on like traditional mobile apps. Its elements are identified by tooltips, text, type, ValueKey, and so on. The Flutter Inspector can be used to identify these elements. Once Appium-Flutter-Driver is set up, testers can begin writing automated tests for their Flutter apps. Appium-Flutter-Driver provides testers with a wide range of commands that can be used to interact with their apps. The commands can be used to launch the app, navigate through the app, click on elements, and enter text into fields. Additionally, the commands can also be used to verify the expected behaviour of the app.
Running Automated Tests
The final step in writing automated tests for Flutter apps is to run the tests. Appium-Flutter-Driver provides testers with a command-line interface (CLI) that can be used to run the tests. The CLI allows testers to specify which tests to run and which device or emulator to use. Once the tests are run, the CLI provides the testers with the results of the tests.
Appium-Flutter-Driver and JavaScript provide testers with a powerful and flexible way to write automated tests for their Flutter apps. By following the steps outlined in this article, testers can quickly and easily set up Appium-Flutter-Driver, write automated tests, and run them on their apps.