instruments -t /Developer/Platforms/iPhoneOS.platform/Developer/Library/Instruments/PlugIns/AutomationInstrument.bundle/Contents/Resources/Automation.tracetemplate <full_path_to_application> -e UIASCRIPT <path_to_script.js> -e UIARESULTSPATH <output_results_path>
for xcode >= 4.5
instruments -t /Applications/Xcode.app/Contents/Applications/Instruments.app/Contents/PlugIns/AutomationInstrument.bundle/Contents/Resources/Automation.tracetemplate <full_path_to_application> -e UIASCRIPT <path_to_script.js> -e UIARESULTSPATH <output_results_path>
There a few important things to note though:
- the -w parameter is not required unless you want to run the scripts on your device. If you want to run your scripts on the simulator, simply omit this parameter from the command.
-
full_path_to_application is the path to your .app file that is created by your simulator. For me, the path was
/Users/fwasim/Library/Application Support/iPhone Simulator/5.0/Applications/AA6BA2E1-D505-4864-BECC-29ADEE28194D/name_of_application.app
this path might be different for anyone else depending on what iOS version are you running on your simulator. Also remember to put this path in double quotation marks.
The path_to_script.js should be the FULL PATH to where your automation script written in javascript is saved. Also remember to put this path in double quotation marks.
Lastly output results path is the path where you want to save the output results. Also remember to put this path in double quotation marks.
These were the points I had been missing on and thus was getting some of the errors mentioned above.
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You can run your tests from command line and configure a hudson job to always deploy stable build automagically. You can run your tests from CLI using the following command.
$ instruments -t templateFilePath targetAppName
By default the tests will be executed on the simulator, you could execute the tests on actual device using the following command:
$ instruments -w deviceID -t templateFilePath targetAppName
You could execute any instruments template using command line, for example to trigger a UIAutomation template from command line you would use the command as follows:
$ instruments -t /Developer/Platforms/iPhoneOS.platform/Developer/Library/Instruments/PlugIns/AutomationInstrument.bundle/Contents/Resources/Automation.tracetemplate <path-to-your-app>/<appname>.app/ -e UIASCRIPT <path-to-your-js-test-file> -e UIARESULTSPATH <path-to-results-folder>
This is really helpful in terms of achieving CI compliance, I’ve basically written a py script that does the following:
- create a new tag from svn trunk with minor release version update
- grab the tag from svn
- complile the app from command line for xocde
- run the uiautomation smoke tests from command line (mentioned above)
- if tests are green, publish the build on the web server for OTA test distribution.
- repeat for new release
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Once you want to automate your ui automation tests you are faced with two questions.
- How to run automation script from the command-line?
- How to change testing device on a Simulator?
Let’s find out!
1. Command line
Answer is pretty straightforward. There is an instruments (lowercased) binary in the devtools suite.
Usage can be found in Apple’s docs and by running it with no params:
instruments, version 4.5 (46000)
usage: instruments [-t template] [-D document] [-l timeLimit] [-i #] [-w device] [[-p pid] | [application [-e variable value] [argument ...]]]
You will have to install Command Line Tools package from developer.apple.com.
https://developer.apple.com/downloads/index.action
Or use xcrun.
Usage: xcrun [options] <utility> ... arguments ...
Find and execute the named command line utility from
the installed Xcode.
Syntax is also simple:
xcrun instruments -v -t <path to Automation instrument template> <path to app> -e UIASCRIPT <path to testing script> -e UIARESULTSPATH <path to results file>
-v for verbose output
-t <path to Automation instrument template> will likely point to:
/Applications/Xcode.app/Contents/Applications/Instruments.app/Contents/PlugIns/AutomationInstrument.bundle/Contents/Resources/Automation.tracetemplate
<path to app> is a just an app name for testing on device (e.g. “Mobile EMR.app”) or a full path to application in simulator on local filesystem, e.g.:
~/Library/Application\ Support/iPhone\ Simulator/6.1/Applications/00C7521A-92D9-4627-BB1D-2CD7CA605B9B/Mobile\ EMR.app)
-e is for passing params, where we specify our JS script and path to results file.
For Simulator it will look like:
xcrun instruments -v -t /Applications/Xcode.app/Contents/Applications/Instruments.app/Contents/PlugIns/AutomationInstrument.bundle/Contents/Resources/Automation.tracetemplate ~/Library/Application\ Support/iPhone\ Simulator/6.1/Applications/00C7521A-92D9-4627-BB1D-2CD7CA605B9B/Mobile\ EMR.app -e UIASCRIPT /Volumes/Data/SoftServe/Projects/mEMR/imHealth/Testing/testUI.js -e UIARESULTSPATH /Volumes/Data/SoftServe/Projects/mEMR/imHealth/Testing/results.txt
-w <udid> has to be added for testing on device:
xcrun instruments -v -t /Applications/Xcode.app/Contents/Applications/Instruments.app/Contents/PlugIns/AutomationInstrument.bundle/Contents/Resources/Automation.tracetemplate -w bd553b386b52b6c61b8a107xxxxxxfe6675 "Mobile EMR.app" -e UIASCRIPT /Volumes/Data/SoftServe/Projects/mEMR/imHealth/Testing/testUI.js -e UIARESULTSPATH /Volumes/Data/SoftServe/Projects/mEMR/imHealth/Testing/results.txt
2. Changing active device on Simulator
Default device in Simulator is always iPad. There is no way to alter this setting.
So we will do a little trick. Info.plist of the app contains UIDeviceFamily key, which contains array with 1 (iPhone)and 2 (iPad) values.
Leaving just 1 will make Simulator launch in iPhone mode.
When device family already specified, concrete device simulation can be managed via writing to Simulator preferences:
defaults write com.apple.iphonesimulator SimulateDevice -string "iPhone (Retina 4-inch)"
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