Xamarin.UITest is a C# test automation framework that enables testing mobile apps on Android and iOS. Mobile automation is not a piece of cake but Xamarin.UITest aims to provide a suitable abstraction on top of the platform tools to let you focus on what to test. This talk is not only an introduction of framework but also we are going to present its practical aspects, technical details, benefits and disadvantages. We will show a growing process from “Zero” – when you have only few local tests, to “Hero” – when you run your tests simultaneously and have fully integrated solution into CI/CD pipeline.

1. Xamarin.UITest.
FROM “ZERO” TO “HERO”

2. About
speakers
Volodymyr Kimak
Senior .NET Engineer,
Softjourn
Nadiia Pukhta
Automation QA Engineer,
Softjourn

3. ▪ Introduction to Xamarin.UITest
▪ Xamarin.UITest architecture
▪ Local Setup
▪ Xamarin Test Recorder
▪ Selectors, Queries, Tests
▪ Backdoors
▪ Parallelism
▪ Integration with CI/CD
Agenda

4. Mobile
automation?

5. Why
Xamarin.
UITest?

6. Intro to
Xamarin.UITest
Using Xamarin.UITest, you can
test:
● Native app
● Hybrid app
- is a UI Acceptance Testing framework based on
Calabash which uses C# and NUnit test engine.

7. Calabash is a testing library that supports writing
cross platform acceptance tests using Cucumber
and Ruby.
Calabash

8. Architecture
Android

9. Architecture
iOS

10. Local setup

11. Recording example in MacOSXamarin
Test
Recorder

12. ▪ Tap
▪ Scroll
▪ Swipe
▪ Pinch
▪ EnterText
▪ ClearText
▪ Back
▪ Query
▪ WaitFor(No)Element
Commands

13. Queries ▪ Id
▪ Class
▪ Text
▪ Button
▪ Property
▪ Marked
▪ XPath
▪ Css
▪ Child
▪ etc.

14. Input element on the screen:
[AppCompatEditText]id:"userName"
Queries
Usage example
Can be defined as:
- app.Query("userName");
- app.Query(x=>x.Id("userName"));
- app.Query(x=>x.TextField("userName"));
- app.Query(x=>x.Marked("userName"));
- app.Query(x=>x.Class("AppCompatEditText")
.Index(0));

15. app.WaitForElement(c=>c.Marked("OpenNewTab"));
app.Tap(c=>c.Marked("OpenNewTab"));
app.ClearText( c=> c.Id("noteInput"));
app.EnterText( c=> c.Id("noteInput"), "note");
app.ScrollDown();
app.ScrollDownTo(c => c.Id("menu"));
Commands
Usage example

16. Android base configuration
IApp app = ConfigureApp
.Android
.ApkFile("/path/to/android.apk")
.StartApp();
App
Initializing
iOS base configuration
IApp app = ConfigureApp
.iOS
.AppBundle("/path/to/iosapp.app")
.StartApp();

17. Method of initializing REPL in the test:
app.Repl();
REPL

18. ITodoPageElements _elements;
public TodoPage(IApp app, Platform platform)
: base(app, platform)
{
if (Platform == Platform.Android)
{
_elements = new DTodoPageElements();
}
else if (Platform == Platform.iOS)
{
_elements= new iOSTodoPageElements();
}
}
Cross-platform structureOne test:
2 platforms

19. Keep Arrange-Act-Assert patternSimple test
example [Test]
public void CreateNewTodoItem()
{
LoginScreen()
.LoginAsAppUser(UInfo.uname,UInfo.pass);
TodoScreen()
.TapOnAddButton()
.AddTitle()
.ChooseDate()
.TapCreateButton()
.CheckIfItemIsCreated();
}

20. Test project
structure
Before
After

21. BONUS!
Backdoors
Changes in the source code of mobile app
[Export("TodoBackdoor")]
public void TodoBackdoor()
{
Intent i = new Intent(this, typeof(TodoActivity));
StartActivity(i);
}
Using this method in the test
App.Invoke("TodoBackdoor");
Deep Linking

22. ApproachesParallelism
▪ On-premises
- nUnit2 + CI
- nUnit3 (+ CI)
▪ Cloud based (Visual Studio App Center Test)

23. SolutionsCI/CD
Pipeline ▪ TeamCity
▪ VSTS
▪ Visual Studio App Center

24. CI steps: mobile app (VSTS)CI/CD
Pipeline

25. CI steps: UI tests (VSTS)CI/CD
Pipeline

26. CD steps: run tests pipeline (VSTS)CI/CD
Pipeline

27. CD steps: environment tasks (VSTS)CI/CD
Pipeline

28. CD steps: create new release (VSTS)CI/CD
Pipeline

29. Test Cloud
Test running
Test run result (Visual Studio App Center)

30. Test Cloud
Test running
Test run result (Visual Studio App Center)

31. Disadvantages
● Xamarin.iOS app requires a special build
(without a source code automation is not
possible);
● Difference in platform capabilities;
● Application may not respond;
● Doesn’t support some hardware features;
● No integration with other apps installed on the
device;

32. SUMMARY ● Choose a test automation tool based on the
development software;
● Xamarin.UITest is easy to use;
● Don’t think about platform specifics, write tests;
● One test - two platforms, it works;
● Run your mobile tests in parallel using your own
device farm or test cloud;
● CI/CD integration - a must-have for a mobile
project;
● Work with your developers - teamwork forever;

33. Questions?
or ask later:
Nadiia:
nadiakhantia
nkhantia@softjourn.com
Volodymyr:
vova.kimak
vkimak@softjourn.com