Automation tests are a crucial part of the process that makes sure your iOS app is up-to-par with the required standards. We can say without any doubt that the bar has been raised to new heights because of the standards set by Apple. Automation testing on their end is highly standardized. The apps must go through rigorous checks before they can be approved for the App Store. The parameters include numerous guidelines set by Apple that are followed up with strict implementation rules. The XCUITest framework not only allows you to execute automated functional and performance checks but also shares information across devices in order to identify any inconsistencies between them before it’s too late! So in this blog, we will discuss how the XCUITest framework will be instrumental in helping you meet the high standards set by Apple.
Though the XCUITest framework is a popular tool from Apple, it’s still an independent module with many features that can be harnessed by any developer in the industry – even beginners! We know that XCUITest provides a framework that can be used for testing your iOS app. Since it supports Swift and Objective-C languages, it allows you to write tests in either of these programming languages instead of coding directly with Xcode or using another tool like StoryTest. These interactions are more realistic since they reflect how users will interact with your mobile application on their own devices rather than just simulating this behavior through code while being tethered by wires during development – it makes integration easy!
As one of the best mobile app testing companies, we have been able to use XCUITest in our projects to reap the wonderful benefits it has to offer. So let’s explore the tool’s potential by understanding the need.
UI Automation Testing
UI Automation Testing is a relatively new practice and has only recently started becoming popular among software engineers who want more control over how their work gets tested before it goes live. Frameworks like XCUITest allows testers to develop clean automation test suites for an app’s UI. These tests can run on different devices to check if the apps work properly regardless of the type or size of the screen you use them on. This makes it very convenient when testing apps that have international versions available but aren’t yet localized. Now let’s take a look at a few benefits UI automation testing has to offer.
Preserving Time and Money
Automation will pay off your investment with far greater returns as time goes on. The primary reason is that UI has such an important role to play in helping the customer feel satisfied with any application. A poorly designed UI has the potential to single-handedly derail your app’s success.
Automating Code isn’t Sufficient
UI testing shouldn’t be seen as something that has to be ticked off in your checklist. It is one of the best methods to ensure that your application works perfectly. Many developers use third-party frameworks like Appium to automate repetitive tasks to save time and to be more thorough. Developers must also perform code test cases to check the behavior and interactivity with the other modules. But the issue here is that they do not have any metrics that show how development sprint cycles or new builds affect UI functionality.
For example, if it takes more than the expected time to load or if some change has rendered any component from the previous release to become non-functional now. There are so many more similar scenarios that could happen. So the developers will be at risk when automating manual tasks using Test Automation Frameworks like Appium. These tools are only useful to automate parts of an automated assessment, whereas, the entire context needs attention. That is why tools like XCUITest and XCTest are very crucial.
Basics of the XCUITest Framework
With XCUITest, testers can write test cases to check how an application behaves when user actions are performed and compare the results they get with the expected outcomes. Using the two fundamental concepts behind XCUITest, they will be able to precisely monitor what a person would experience while using your app by utilizing their input device or system. They would also be able to validate the current state at any given time based on the documented interactions from the earlier tests to simulate real-life use conditions before the release.
XCTest
XCTest is the base testing framework for both iOS and OSX apps. It provides testers with various tools to write test cases in either Objective-C or Swift, to create UI tests classes (e.g., methods), and to assert the behavior validation when running them through Xcode. So all of this would be seamlessly integrated at your fingertips with XCTest!
Accessibility Features
QAs can also add accessibility features to the apps for people with disabilities. Accessibility technology has given QAs a new way of testing the app’s functionality when it is being used by someone who may not be able to use conventional input methods or have full access to all the components on the screen. So the UI test cases are created using functions provided within the Accessibility Core library that executes and validates tests against various parameters including size changes in width/height values. Changing these values will paint us a clear picture of how our program behaves differently depending on the user’s perspective.
XCUIApplication
Every time testers need to automate a test for an app, they have to ensure that it’s launched by specifying the XCUIApplication instance and calling the launch method on this object before the testing even begins. It should also terminate once all of its tasks have been completed so that no lingering processes are left behind after the tests have finished running. It will help to avoid any problems with sensitive data being leaked or tampered with during the analysis stage.
XCUIElement
The XCUITest framework provides a suite of components to help UI testers with their tests. These elements can be used in different ways, such as navigating & interacting within the view or performing actions like tapping & swiping on the screen. The class is responsible for handling these interactions between the user input devices (such as touchscreens) and the app logic. It also grants you access to look into how an element hierarchy unfolds — this way; we know which parts will respond when interacted with by our users!
XCUIElementQuery
The XCUIElementQuery is one of the most important classes in the UI framework. This class will allow testers to search for a particular element on that user interface, perform some action, and then move on to another task!
Conclusion
Xcode has many built-in features which allow developers of all levels to quickly explore potential bugs in their software before releasing them on the App Store. Plus, getting started is fairly easy for any iOS developer as it can be done without having to learn a new framework or language. As one of the best software testing companies in India, we always make sure to use the best tools and wrote this blog to help others understand the importance of XCUITest.
XCUITest is a powerful tool to help you find issues in your app’s code and pinpoint the root cause. With XCUITest, we can fiddle with our apps’ UI elements and ensure that end-users do not encounter unexpected results or have poor experiences. It provides an excellent way to test mobile apps, but it will only work if the tests are running on real devices or in emulated environments with XCUI Automation Platform integration enabled – which gives us total control over the computing resources during our automated testing sessions.
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