Getting Started with Mobile Automation with Appium

Introduction

Appium, an open-source automation tool specially designed for mobile apps, offers seamless functionality and flexibility. It provides a cross-platform solution for automating both native and hybrid mobile apps, as well as mobile web applications. What makes Appium particularly powerful is its ability to support multiple programming languages, making it accessible to a wide range of developers. It can seamlessly automate applications on Android, iOS, and even Windows desktop platforms.

How does Appium work?

Appium operates on a client-server architecture. The Appium client interacts with the Appium server, which, in turn, communicates with the UI automation frameworks specific to each platform. For Android, it uses Selendroid, while for iOS, it leverages XCUI Test. Additionally, Appium supports Windows desktop automation through WinAppDriver.

Installing Appium on Windows with node.js

Step 1. Check Node.js Installation

Before installing Appium, it is important to have Node.js already installed on your system. To confirm this, use the command line to execute these commands and check the versions of Node.js and npm (Node Package Manager).

Step 2. Download Node.js Installer

Visit the official Node.js website: https://nodejs.org/en/download and download the Node.js installer.

Step 3. Run the Installer

Run the downloaded installer and follow the instructions to install both Node.js and npm.

Step 4. Install Appium with Node.js

Open the command line and run the following command to install Appium globally.

Installing Appium with Appium DesktopClient

Step 1. Download Appium Desktop Client

Go to the official Appium website: https://appium.io/ or Softonic: https://appium.en.softonic.com/download and download the Appium Desktop Client.

Step 2. Install Appium Desktop Client

Run the downloaded installer for the Appium Desktop Client and follow the installation instructions.

Checking Appium Installation & Dependencies

To ensure that Appium is correctly installed and to check for dependencies, use the Appium Doctor tool.

Step 1. Download Appium Doctor

Visit the Appium Doctor GitHub repository: https://github.com/appium/appium-doctor and download the tool.

Step 2. Install Appium Doctor

Open the command line and run the following command to install Appium Doctor globally.

Step 3. Check Appium Installation

Run the following commands to check Appium installation and dependencies.

Following these steps will ensure that Appium is properly installed on your Windows system and ready for mobile automation. Now, you are equipped to create automated tests for your mobile applications using the versatile capabilities of Appium.