This document discusses using Appium backdoors to address common issues in mobile test automation. It presents problems like flaky apps, driver limits, and slow login times. The solution of backdoors is demonstrated, such as changing backend URLs, app locale, and disabling tutorials. Methods of implementing backdoors via instrumentation and the Appium client are also covered.

1. Rajdeep Varma
Application Backdoor Via Appium

2. Up, Up, Down, Down, Left, Right, Left, Right

3. Rajdeep Varma
My name is

5. • Common issues in Mobile test Automation
• Solution — Backdoors
• Demo
• How we use Backdoors at Badoo
Agenda

6. Problem #1
FLAKY App

7. Problem #2
Driver Limits

8. Problem #2
Weather refreshing every 30
min.
How to automate this case?

9. Problem #3
• Firstly, Login takes 30 seconds
• And Then dismissing “What’s new” takes another 30 sec
• I don’t want to repeat this in each test
Our tests are so slow.

10. Appium
Backdoors

11. public class LoginActivity extends Activity {
public void foo() {
// code to set some app state
// Or seed DB before test
// Or Disable ‘Rate Us’ popup
}
}

12. public class LoginActivity extends Activity {
public void foo() {
// code to set some app state
// Or seed DB before test
// Or Disable ‘Rate Us’ popup
}
}

13. Demo

14. • Change Backend URLs
• Change App Locale
• Getting session_id from app
• Disable “What’s new” tutorials after login
Where do we use Backdoors?

15. • Disable client side A/B tests
• Faking SIM card for payments
• Get Analytics data from app to validate it
Where do we use Backdoors?

16. How?

17. Appium
Client
AppUnderTest apk
J
S
O
N
W
P
Android DeviceAutomation Code
androidTest
apk
Uiautomator2Server
apk

18. Appium
Client
AppUnderTest apk
J
S
O
N
W
P
Android DeviceAutomation Code
androidTest
apk
Uiautomator2Server
apk
Instrumentation
UiAutomator2

19. Appium
Client
AppUnderTest apk
J
S
O
N
W
P
Android DeviceAutomation Code
androidTest
apk
Uiautomator2Server
apk
Instrumentation
UiAutomator2

20. Appium
Client
AppUnderTest apk
J
S
O
N
W
P
Android DeviceAutomation Code
UiAutomator2
androidTest
apk

21. Appium
Client
AppUnderTest apk
J
S
O
N
W
P
Android DeviceAutomation Code
UiAutomator2
androidTest
apk
Instrumentation

22. Moving to single uiautomator2
server apk

24. •https://github.com/rajdeepv/appium-uiautomator2-
server/tree/single_apk
•There is a special backdoor handler in above fork
•gradle clean assembleServerDebugAndroidTest

25. <instrumentation
android:name=
"android.support.test.runner.AndroidJUnitRunner"
android:functionalTest="false"
android:handleProfiling="false"
android:label="Tests for io.appium.uiautomator2.server"
android:targetPackage="io.appium.uiautomator2.server"
/>
appium-uiautomator2-server-debug-androidTest.apk

26. <instrumentation
android:name=
"android.support.test.runner.AndroidJUnitRunner"
android:functionalTest="false"
android:handleProfiling="false"
android:label="Tests for io.appium.uiautomator2.server"
android:targetPackage="io.appium.uiautomator2.server"
/>
appium-uiautomator2-server-debug-androidTest.apk

27. <instrumentation
android:name=
"android.support.test.runner.AndroidJUnitRunner"
android:functionalTest="false"
android:handleProfiling="false"
android:label="Tests for io.appium.uiautomator2.server"
android:targetPackage="our.application.package"
/>
appium-uiautomator2-server-debug-androidTest.apk

28. $ gem install 'appium_instrumenter'
$ appium_instrumenter instrument my_app.apk

29. $ gem install 'appium_instrumenter'
$ appium_instrumenter instrument my_app.apk
$ adb install appium-uiautomator2-server-debug-
androidTest.apk
$ adb install appium-uiautomator2-server-
v0.3.0.apk

30. On Client side..
curl -X POST -H "Content-Type: application/json"
http://localhost:<forwarded_port>/wd/hub/sess
ion/:sessionId/backdoor
-d
'{"methods":[{"name":"<method>",
"args":["<method_arg>"]}]}'

31. On Client side..
def backdoor(*args)
url =
"http://localhost:#{FORWARDED_PORT}"+
“/wd/hub/session/:sessionId/backdoor"
body = {'methods' => args}.to_json
# code to post data
end

32. On Client side..
def backdoor(*args)
url =
"http://localhost:#{FORWARDED_PORT}"+
“/wd/hub/session/:sessionId/backdoor"
body = {'methods' => args}.to_json
# code to post data
end
backdoor({name:”methodName",args:["Arg"]})

34. Quiz
1. Add a backdoor method to change refersh interval:
changeRefreshInterval(time)
2. Add a backdoor method to refresh weather
refreshWeather()
Weather refresh every 30 min. How will you
test this case?

35. • https://developer.android.com/reference/android/app/Instrumentation.html
• https://developer.xamarin.com/guides/testcloud/calabash/working-with/backdoors/
• https://techblog.badoo.com/blog/2014/10/09/calabash-android-query/
• https://github.com/calabash/calabash-android
• https://github.com/calabash/calabash-android-server
References

36. Thank you!
Rajdeep Varma
mail.rajvarma@gmail.com
rajdeepv
@varmarajdeep