Hardly any modern-day organization would think of functioning without a mobile application. Over 60% of businesses have an app or are in the process of developing one. However, building an app isn’t enough. You must test it across various performance parameters to ensure that it fulfills performance expectations and provides the desired experience to users.
Appium is a mobile app testing automation tool that makes app testing easy. Let’s take a look at how performance testing with Appium works, and what are some free tools that one can also use
Mobile app performance testinghas many benefits. From enhancing the overall performance of an app, to making it more robust, and improving user experience. Mobile app performance testing allows to –
Detect functionality or concurrence issues
Determine how much load is supported
Gauge the actions to be performed to eliminate risks
Determine the application capacity and how much it can be increased
What is Appium?
Appium is a free and open-source tool that lets you automate native and hybrid mobile/web applications. It enables you to use the same API to write tests against multiple platforms, like iOS, Android, and Windows.
Automation with Appium works similarly to Selenium. Both Appium and Selenium are cross-platform test automation frameworks. The only difference is that Selenium supports major desktop browsers and operating systems, whereas Appium is more focused on mobile platforms.
Here are some reasons to use Appium for mobile testing automation.
Free and open-source
Enables testing of native and hybrid applications for desktop and mobile
Offers support for numerous programming languages, including Python, Java, Ruby, and more
Allows cross-platform testing on real devices, simulators, and emulators
Free Tools for App Testing with Appium
There are various free and open-source libraries and programs that you can use for performance testing with Appium. Here’s a look at some of the best programs –
Tcpdump
tcpdump is a network analyzer program and protocol analysis tool based on the libpcap interface. It runs under a command-line interface and allows you to display packets like TCP/IP over a computer system. tcpdump is a free software tool distributed under the BSD license.
This program is available under most Unix/Linux-based operating systems. It lets you save captured packets in pcap format for future analysis.
This packet analyzer helps you track and analyze the network traffic. Thus, it comes as a handy tool when resolving and troubleshooting network issues.
A tcpdump is used in specific applications such as to intercept and display another computer’s or user’s communication. It is also helpful in viewing account credentials of users acting as routers through which unencrypted data like telnet or HTTP passes.
Wireshark
Wireshark is an open-source packet analyzer tool used for network analysis and troubleshooting and software and communications protocols development. It allows you to capture data on the local network and save it for offline analysis.
Wireshark can gather network traffic from the following connections: Bluetooth, Wireless, Ethernet, Token Ring, and Frame Relay.
Wireshark, too, runs on the libpcap format, and hence, it can exchange network traces with tcpdump, CA NetMaster, and other applications using the same format.
Some salient features of Wireshark are:
Capture data from a live network connection
Read live data from multiple network types
Browse captured data using a GUI or terminal
Edit or capture converted files using command-line switches
Refine data display using a display filter
Create plug-ins for dissecting new protocols
Detect VoIP calls in the captured traffic
Capture raw USB traffic
Filter wireless connection
Assign settings, filters, and timers to filter the output
Wireshark allows mobile applications to learn about the network traffic layers used by applications if the application goes direct without honoring proxy settings. The http traffic can be observed to find and fix configuration issues by working at the network traffic level instead of the proxy.
Advanced Network Profiling
The Android Profiler by Google is a replacement for Android Monitor tools in Android Studio 3.0 and higher. It provides real-time insights into how an app uses memory, CPU, battery, and network. It is compatible with Android 5.0 and higher (API level 21).
Profiling is an essential aspect of testing a mobile app’s performance. An app is said to have poor performance if it consumes a lot of power, responds slowly, or crashes/freezes. App profiling helps you determine if your app is consuming excessive device resources.
App profiling helps you track the following components of an app’s performance:
CPU usage
Memory consumption
Battery usage
Network usage
Stetho
Stetho is a free and open-source debug library for Android apps. It enables you to use chrome debugging tools to troubleshoot network traffic, making the debugging process rich and interactive for developers. You can also use the dumpapp tool to add a powerful command-line to app internals.
Stetho offers a seamless setup and integration process. Critical features of Stetho are:
Chrome DevTools
Network Inspection
Database Inspection
View Hierarchy
Dumpapp
Javascript Console
Custom dumpapp plug-ins
mitmproxy
mitmproxy is an open-source and interactive HTTPS proxy that enables seamless HTTP and HTTPS communication.
Other tools available with mitmproxy are mitmweb and mitmdump. mitmweb is a web-based interface for mitmproxy, whereas mitmdump is mitmproxy’s command-line version. Think of it as tcpdump for HTTP.
Key features of mitmproxy are:
Intercept HTTPS and HTTP requests
Save HTTP conversations for later analysis
Replay client-side HTTP conversations of previous HTTP responses
Forward traffic to browsers with reverse proxy mode
Transparent proxy mode for Linux and macOS
SSL/TLS certifications
Make changes to HTTP traffic using Python
Conclusion
Various tools for mobile app testing are available, with Appium being one of the most popular. Mobile app performance testing with Appium lets you automate testing across mobile platforms.
The demand for efficient and reliable software testing methods has become paramount as technology evolves. In the realm of LG webOS TV, the need for automation testing is particularly significant. To address this need, Appium emerges as a powerful tool that enables automated testing on LG webOS TV devices.
This blog explores the benefits and approaches of using Appium for LG webOS TV automation testing, the steps to create test cases, and the importance of debugging LG TV. We will also provide useful tips for using Appium for automated testing of LG webOS TVs.
You could explore https://github.com/headspinio/appium-lg-webos-driver as well to see the exact Appium LG WebOS Driver.
What are the Advantages of LG webOS TV Automation with Appium?
Adopting Appium for LG webOS TV automation testing offers several significant benefits, including:
1. Cross-platform Compatibility: Appium is a versatile tool that supports Appium for LG webOS TV testing through cross-platform automation. It enables you to execute test scripts on different operating systems, including Windows, macOS, and Linux, ensuring broad compatibility with different environments.
2. Code Reusability: With Appium, you can write test scripts in popular programming languages like Java, JavaScript, Python, Ruby or C#. This facilitates code reusability, enabling you to leverage existing automation frameworks and libraries to accelerate the development of test cases for LG webOS TV.
3. Real Testing: Appium empowers you to performautomation testing on real LG webOS TV devices, accurately representing the end-user experience. You can identify device-specific issues by testing on real cloud devices, ensuring compatibility, and delivering a robust application.
4. Scalability: Appium supports parallel test execution, allowing you to run multiple tests simultaneously. This scalability feature enhances the efficiency of LG TV testing, enabling faster feedback and shorter testing cycles.
5. Increased Efficiency: Automated testing on LG webOS TV with Appium helps developers and testers reduce the time and effort required to test their applications.
6. Improved Accuracy: Appium-based automated testing on LG webOS TV ensures that all tests are run accurately and consistently, eliminating the risk of errors and bugs.
7. Reduced Cost: Automated testing on LG webOS TV helps developers and testers save money by reducing the time and effort required totest their applications.
Exploring Various Approaches to LG webOS TV Automation Testing Using Appium
When it comes to automating tests using Appium for LG webOS TV, there are different approaches you can take with Appium. These approaches include:
1. Native App Testing: Appium enables you to write test scripts in multiple programming languages, such as Java or Python, to interact with native apps on LG webOS TV. By utilizing the appropriate Appium drivers, you can send commands and validate the expected behavior of native applications seamlessly.
2. Geolocation Testing: Geolocation testing enables developers and testers to ensure their applications work as expected in different geographic locations.
How to Effectively Debug LG TV with Appium?
Debugging plays a crucial role in ensuring the effectiveness of your test scripts while using Appium for LG webOS TV. Appium provides several debugging features that assist in identifying and resolving issues during test execution. Some common techniques to debug LG TV using Appium include:
1. Logging: Appium allows you to capture detailed logs during the test execution process. These logs can be instrumental in diagnosing any failures or unexpected behaviors in your test scripts. By analyzing the logs, you can gain insights into the exact steps executed, identify potential bottlenecks, and debug your tests effectively.
2. Getting the page source: LG webOS provides Chrome Web Inspector availability as the developer tool. Appium allows you to get the page source result over Chromedriver for you. It may have helpful element information to help debugging.
A Step-by-Step Guide to Creating Test Cases on LG webOS TV with Appium
Setting up the Appium for LG webOS TV test case requires a few essential considerations. Firstly, installing the drivers that facilitate communication between your computer and the LG webOS TV device is necessary. Additionally, ensure that all relevant SDKs (Software Development Kits) are installed to support seamless development. Lastly, open the required ports to enable smooth device communication during testing sessions.
Once the setup is complete, you can create test cases for your LG webOS TV application or website. When strategizing test cases, carefully consider the behaviors that need testing and whether they require specific user inputs or conditions to succeed or fail accurately.
To create test cases for LG webOS TV using Appium, follow these steps:
1. Appium 2.0 Environment Setup: Begin by setting up the Appium environment on your machine. Install the necessary dependencies and configure your test scripts’ desired programming language and framework. The Appium environment must be set up to run tests on LG webOS TV devices. This includes installing the Appium server, the Appium dependencies, and the Appium drivers.
2. Identify Test Scenarios: Analyze the LG webOS TV application and identify the key test scenarios based on user interactions, functionality, and critical paths. Consider edge cases and different user personas to ensure comprehensive test coverage.
3. Create Test Scripts: Utilize the chosen programming language and Appium’s APIs to write test scripts that interact with the LG webOS TV application. Design the scripts to simulate user actions, validate expected behaviors, and handle assertions. Once the Appium environment is set up, developers and testers can create test scripts for their LG webOS TV applications.
4. Execute Test Cases: Execute the test scripts on LG webOS TV devices using Appium. Observe the test execution process and capture relevant logs and screenshots for debugging and analysis.
How Can You Write Effective Appium-based Automated Tests for LG webOS TV Apps?
When writing automated tests for LG webOS TV using Appium, consider the following tips to ensure their effectiveness:
1. Clear Test Objectives: Clearly define the objectives of your tests and identify the specific functionality or scenarios you want to validate on LG webOS TV. This clarity will guide the test design and ensure focused and targeted test coverage.
2. Use Explicit Waits: LG webOS TV devices may have variations in response times due to network conditions or device performance and less availability to coordinate timing than mobile devices. Incorporate explicit waits in your test scripts to ensure that the elements or actions you interact with are ready and available before proceeding with further test steps.
3. Maintain Modularity: Structure your test scripts in a modular manner with reusable functions or methods. This modularity promotes code reusability, simplifies maintenance, and allows for easier scalability as the test suite expands.
4. Data-Driven Testing: Employ data-driven testing techniques by parameterizing your test data. This allows you to test various scenarios and inputs without duplicating test scripts, enhancing the efficiency and coverage of your tests on LG webOS TV.
How to Configure LG webOS TV for Appium automation?
Appium achieves LG webOS TV automation with LG webOS SDK and Chromium. LG webOS uses Web technology to build the TV application. It provides Chrome Web Inspector as the development tool. It means once you configure the developer environment, Appium can get the application information via the Chromium toolset.
Your machine should have LG webOS SDK. LG_WEBOS_TV_SDK_HOME environment argument should refer to the path to the installed SDK. Once you make the TV be developer mode, webOS commands such as ares-setup-device can set the TV device up for development. Once the setup is completed, the ares-device-info –device <name> command should work.
It is necessary to achieve the LG webOS TV automation with Appium.
Please read the official setup documentation about the LG webOS TV setup https://webostv.developer.lge.com/develop/tools/sdk-introduction
How to Configure Appium for LG webOS TV Automation?
Appium utilizes the WebDriver protocol to interact with LG webOS TV devices, allowing you to simulate user actions and validate application behavior. When properly configured, Appium setup for LG webOS TV can create robust tests that provide excellent coverage and give you the confidence that your app functions as expected.
You can ensure successful test runs every time by following the steps outlined above and utilizing best practices when configuring Appium for LG webOS TV automation.
Step 1: Install Node.js
Appium relies on Node.js, so the first step is to install it on your machine. Visit the official Node.js website (https://nodejs.org), and download the appropriate installer for your operating system. Follow the installation instructions provided to complete the setup.
Step 2: Install Appium
After successfully installing Node.js, you need to install Appium 2.0 itself. To do this, open a command prompt or terminal on your machine. Then, run the following command:
npm install -g appium
This command will download as well as install the latest version of Appium globally on your system.
Step 3: Install Appium LG webOS TV Driver
Appium requires a specific driver to interact with LG webOS TV devices. To install the Appium LG webOS TV driver, run the following command in your command prompt or terminal:
This command will install the necessary driver files to enable communication between Appium and LG webOS TV devices.
Step 4:
Desired Capabilities are essential for configuring the behavior and settings of Appium. They include key-value pairs that specify the device, platform, and other relevant information. In your test script, you should configure the desired capabilities specific to LG webOS TV, such as the deviceName.
For example, in the webdriverio, you can define the desired capabilities as follows:
import { remote } from ‘webdriverio’
const driver = await remote({
connectionRetryCount: 0,
capabilities: {
‘platformName’: ‘LGTV’,
‘appium:automationName’: ‘WebOS’,
‘appium:deviceName’: ‘<configured device name>’,
‘appium:appId’: ‘<test app id>’
}
});
These desired capabilities provide Appium with the necessary information to identify and connect to your LG webOS TV device during test execution. The deviceName is defined by one of the LG webOS SDK tools. The appId is a debuggable application ID as the application under test.
Navigating Common Challenges in Automated Testing with Appium on LG webOS TV
During LG webOS TV automation testing with Appium, you may encounter some common problems. Understanding these challenges will help you address them effectively:
1. Limited Available Command: LG webOS TV provides a limited developer mode environment. You cannot use common methods such as finding an element. Instead, you may need to coordinate scenarios only with keys like enter, right/left/up/down listed here.
2. Device Connectivity: Establishing a stable connection between Appium and LG webOS TV devices can sometimes be problematic. Ensure that the devices are connected to the testing machine and that the necessary drivers and configurations are in place.
3. Device Compatibility: LG webOS TV applications may behave differently on various device models and versions. Testing your application on a diverse range of LG webOS TV devices is crucial to ensure compatibility and a consistent user experience.
How HeadSpin’s Unique Appium-based Capabilities Empower Organizations to Conduct LG webOS TV Test Automation?
HeadSpin is a cloud-based platform that empowers organizations to optimize their LG webOS TV test automation with Appium. It provides a comprehensive set of tools that help teams quickly and easily set up and execute tests on real devices. It also helps identify and debug any issues that may arise during testing.
Some of HeadSpin’s Appium testing on LG webOS TV capabilities include:
1. Real Device Cloud: HeadSpin’s vast global device infrastructure provides access to a vast array of real LG webOS TV devices for seamless test execution. With a wide device coverage, you can ensure your test cases run on the exact devices your users utilize, eliminating the risks associated with device fragmentation. Maintaining TV devices is also difficult to keep them working. HeadSpin will help to maintain them.
2. Collaborative Testing: HeadSpin facilitates collaboration among team members by allowing them to share test results, logs, and screenshots. This promotes effective communication and issue resolution, leading to faster and more efficient LG webOS TV test automation.
3. Analytics and Insights: HeadSpin provides comprehensive analytics and AI-powered insights into LG webOS TV test execution. By monitoring key metrics such as Video quality, test pass rates, failure rates, and execution times, you can make data-driven decisions to enhance your app quality.
4. Test Automation: Seamless Appium Integration: HeadSpin seamlessly integrates with Appium, allowing you to leverage the benefits of Appium’s cross-platform automation framework specifically for LG webOS TV testing. You can write and execute Appium-based test scripts effortlessly within the HeadSpin platform.
5. Extensive Device Support: HeadSpin offers a vast inventory of real LG webOS TV devices, allowing you to perform automated tests on various models. This extensive device support ensures accurate and comprehensive testing across different LG webOS TV configurations.
6. Parallel Test Execution: With HeadSpin, you can run multiple Appium-based tests in parallel across various LG webOS TV devices. This parallel test execution capability significantly reduces testing time and enables faster feedback on the quality and performance of your LG webOS TV applications.
Summing Up
In conclusion, leveraging Appium for automated testing of LG webOS TV brings numerous advantages to organizations seeking robust and efficient test automation. By adopting Appium, you can benefit from cross-platform compatibility, code reusability, real device testing, and scalability.
Additionally, HeadSpin empowers organizations to optimize their LG webOS TV test automation with Appium through its extensive global device infrastructure, performance testing capabilities, and valuable analytics and insights.
Experience the transformative power of the Appium-integrated HeadSpin Platform for elevated LG webOS TV automation testing.
In the ever-evolving landscape of digital media, companies are under constant pressure to deliver high-quality and engaging content. The cornerstone of achieving this objective lies in effective software testing. This article delves into the challenges faced by media companies in software testing and outlines practical solutions, highlighting how QA testing services, such as those provided by p99soft, can be pivotal.
Challenges in Software Testing for Media Companies
Diverse User Demographics: Media companies cater to a global audience with varied preferences and devices, making it challenging to ensure content quality across different platforms. Statistically, a media website’s audience can range from millions to billions, with users accessing the site from various devices and network conditions.
High Performance Expectations: With the average website load time being under three seconds, media companies face the challenge of maintaining swift load times while delivering rich content, including videos and interactive elements.
Content Accuracy and Reliability: Ensuring the accuracy, timeliness, and reliability of content is paramount. A mistake or delay can lead to loss of credibility and audience.
Security and Compliance: With increasing cyber threats and stringent regulations, media companies must rigorously test their software for security vulnerabilities and compliance with laws like GDPR and CCPA.
Solutions to Overcome These Challenges
Comprehensive Testing Strategies: Implementing a broad range of testing types, including functional, performance, security, and compatibility testing, can help address the diverse needs of media content delivery.
Automated Testing Tools: Utilize automated testing tools to expedite the testing process, increase coverage, and ensure consistency in testing. Automation can significantly reduce the time to market for new features and content.
Cloud-Based Testing Platforms: Leveraging cloud-based platforms can facilitate testing across a wide range of devices and networks, ensuring content quality and performance under various conditions.
Continuous Integration and Delivery (CI/CD): Adopting CI/CD practices allows for quicker feedback and more frequent releases, ensuring that the content remains fresh, relevant, and error-free.
Security and Compliance Testing: Regular and thorough security audits, along with compliance checks, can safeguard against threats and ensure adherence to legal standards.
In the context of these solutions, p99soft can offer robust QA testing services tailored for media companies. Their expertise in handling large-scale digital content and understanding of the media landscape can help companies navigate the complexities of software testing, ensuring that the content delivered is not only high-quality but also engaging and compliant with industry standards.
In delving deeper into the intricacies of software testing for media companies, it’s essential to explore additional dimensions that impact the delivery of high-quality, engaging content. These include the rapid pace of technological advancements, the need for personalized content delivery, the integration of various data sources, and the importance of user experience testing.
Rapid Technological Advancements
The media industry is continually evolving, with new technologies emerging at a rapid pace. Keeping up with these advancements is a significant challenge for media companies. For instance, the transition from standard definition to high definition and now to 4K and 8K resolution content requires constant updates and testing of media software to ensure compatibility and performance. Furthermore, the advent of immersive technologies like virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) necessitates a new testing approach to guarantee a seamless and engaging user experience.
Personalized Content Delivery
Today’s consumers expect content that is tailored to their preferences, necessitating sophisticated algorithms and analytics to curate personalized experiences. Testing these features requires a nuanced approach, ensuring that the recommendation engines are accurate and provide value to the user. This involves complex data analysis and machine learning algorithms, which must be rigorously tested for efficiency and effectiveness.
Integration of Diverse Data Sources
Media companies often rely on various data sources to deliver content, including live feeds, user-generated content, and syndicated media. Ensuring the seamless integration of these sources presents a significant challenge. It requires robust testing frameworks to manage the complexities of data synchronization, accuracy, and timeliness. Effective integration testing ensures that disparate data systems work together without errors, providing a cohesive and uninterrupted content delivery experience.
User Experience Testing
The end-user experience is paramount in the media industry. User experience (UX) testing goes beyond traditional functionality testing to encompass the overall feel, navigation, and accessibility of the content. This involves a combination of manual and automated testing, including usability studies, A/B testing, and user feedback loops to refine and improve the content delivery platforms. Ensuring an intuitive and engaging user interface can significantly enhance viewer satisfaction and loyalty.
Leveraging Advanced Analytics and AI in Testing
The use of advanced analytics and artificial intelligence (AI) in software testing can provide media companies with deeper insights into user behavior, preferences, and potential technical issues. Predictive analytics can help in anticipating user trends and testing software accordingly, while AI-driven testing tools can automate complex test scenarios, improve accuracy, and reduce the time and cost associated with manual testing.
The Role of p99soft
In this complex and fast-paced environment, p99soft’s QA services can be a game-changer for media companies. By providing advanced testing solutions that encompass automation, AI, and analytics, p99soft can help media companies stay ahead of the curve, ensuring that their content is not only high-quality and engaging but also delivered through a platform that is robust, reliable, and user-friendly.
In summary, the landscape of software testing for media companies is broad and dynamic, with challenges and solutions that span technological, operational, and user-experience domains. By adopting a holistic and forward-thinking approach to software testing, media companies can ensure the delivery of content that is not only high-quality and engaging but also resonant with the ever-evolving expectations of today’s digital audience. As we look to the future, the question remains: how will media companies continue to innovate in their testing strategies to meet and exceed the demands of the digital era?
FAQs
What is the significance of automated testing in media content delivery? Automated testing can significantly reduce the time and effort required to test media applications, ensuring that content is delivered faster and with fewer errors.
How does performance testing affect media companies? Performance testing is crucial for media companies to ensure that their content loads quickly and efficiently across all devices and networks, directly impacting user engagement and satisfaction.
Can security testing affect the content quality? Yes, security testing ensures that the content delivered is safe and trustworthy, which enhances the overall quality and reliability of the media company’s offerings.
Why is continuous testing important for media companies? Continuous testing allows for the ongoing assessment of software quality, helping media companies to maintain high standards of content accuracy and reliability.
How can media companies ensure compliance with data protection regulations? Media companies can ensure compliance by conducting regular compliance testing, staying updated with the latest regulations, and implementing necessary changes in their content delivery processes.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the challenges in software testing for media companies are multifaceted, ranging from meeting diverse user expectations to ensuring security and compliance. However, with the right strategies, including comprehensive testing, automation, cloud-based platforms, CI/CD practices, and the support of specialized QA testing services like those from p99soft, media companies can overcome these hurdles. This will enable them to deliver high-quality, engaging, and reliable content that meets the dynamic needs of their audience. As we advance in the digital age, the role of effective software testing in content delivery will only grow in importance. Does your media company have the right testing strategy in place to thrive in this competitive landscape?
