How to automatically test mobile device and desktop website connections?

Question

We know that Appium can be used to test mobile device applications. We know that Selenium can be used to test PC desktop websites. We want to know how to test the connections between mobile apps and desktop websites? For example, use the mobile app to send a message to a desktop website, how to automatically send the message from mobile and verify that message is correctly shown on a webpage?

Answer 1

You can always create a Driver Implementation class that initiates and holds both Selenium Webdriver and Appium driver, can make calls to them as per tests demands. Given, that both will work as different processes (browser, mobile emulator/device) there won't be any clashes to trouble the automated testing services you intend to provide.

A sample implementation can be as follows,

Assuming that your testcase is, Given MyWebApp and MyMobileApp are launched When I can some message from MyMobileApp Then I can see the message in MyWebApp

Then, a pseudo code implementation of it can be as follows,

void testCaseMethod(MyDriverImpl myDriverImpl, String message){

myDriverImpl.getWebDriver().get(MyWebAppUrl); myDriverImpl.getMobileDriver().launchApp();

myDriverImpl.getMobileDriver().findElement(myMobileElementField).sendKeys(message); myDriverImpl.getMobileDriver().findElement(myMobileElementButton).click();

String recievedText = myDriverImpl.getWebDriver().findElement(myWebElementLabel).getText();

assertEquals(message, recievedText); }

class MyDriverImpl{

WebDriver webDriver; AppiumDriver mobileDriver;

DriverImpl(){ webDriver = launchSeleniumWebDriver(); //chrome driver, etc. mobileDriver = launchAppiumDriver(); //android or ios }

WebDriver getWebDriver(){ return webDriver; }

AppiumDriver getMobileDriver(){ return mobileDriver; }

}

Answer 2

In my experience, this form of integration testing is rarely done. I've never seen it. Partly, due to the complicated setup that would be involved.

I do see this as a violation of the F.I.R.S.T principle. Commonly used in unit testing, it can also be extended to other types of testing.

• F - Fast
• I - Independent
• R - Repeatable
• S - Self-validating
• T - Timely

If you want to test an action on mobile and verify the results on a desktop browser (or vice versa), this would violate "Independence" and "self-validating". You are now having a dependence on multiple devices in order to complete the test and the assertion is not validated on the same device it started on. It would also take a lot of time to setup the right conditions, so in a sense, would not be "timely" to setup.

My recommendation would to not do this and just stick with testing independently on mobile and independently on desktop.