Add tutorial for Espresso UI tests #3
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worksheets/espresso-testing/index.md
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| If you didn't work on that tutorial, or you don't have the code anymore, you can download a completed project to follow along with [here](downloads/cookie-clicker.zip). Download the file, unzip it and then open it with Android Studio using the *Open an existing Android Studio project* button on the welcome screen. | ||
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| ## What is UI testing? | ||
| To make sure your software works properly you need to test it whenever you make a change that you want to release to your users. For something like an app, you need to go through all the features of the app and make sure that nothing is broken. For even a small app this is a boring, repetitive, and time-consuming job. That's precisely the sort of thing which we use computers for! Automated tests are pieces of code which test that your software is working correctly for you. |
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Maybe we could be more positive? Otherwise students won't see why writing tests is good! Writing good UI tests has a lot of really great benefits, like confidence in new features not breaking old features etc. You can make them run regularly, on many devices, many times?
worksheets/espresso-testing/index.md
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| We are going to write some UI tests for our cookie clicker app. A UI test is also known as a "functional test" as it is testing the functionality of the app. There are other types of tests such as "unit tests" which you may have come across in the Javascript, Ruby, or Python tutorials. | ||
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| A UI test will take a set of instructions about what to click on and checks that the application responds correctly. They are doing the same as if you were clicking on and testing the app manually, but they can do it much quicker, and they don't get bored when they have to do it for the 100th time! |
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responds correctly = responds in an pre-determined layout. For example on a sign in screen, you might have an espresso test to check there's an error if you forget to enter a password when you click the login button?
worksheets/espresso-testing/index.md
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| testInstrumentationRunner "android.support.test.runner.AndroidJUnitRunner" | ||
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| The complete file should look something like this (don't worry if yours has some extra bits): |
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maybe have the following as a screenshot so people don't accidentally copy and paste everything into their projects?
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I've left this as text, but I've added a note above it reminding people not to copy and paste it all and not to worry if some bits are different.
worksheets/espresso-testing/index.md
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| ``` | ||
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| Press the *Sync Now* button in the bar which has appeared along the top. If the bar disappears after syncing, then everything is set up correctly! If the bar shows and error message and a *Try Again* button then something has gone wrong. Take a look at the error at the bottom of the screen to see if you can fix it, or ask your coach for help. |
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along the top might be a bit misleading? At the top of the window, under the play button, a golded orange bar has appeared? something like that?
worksheets/espresso-testing/index.md
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| This pattern of getting the view with a set of requirements and then checking something with it forms the basis of how Expresso tests work. | ||
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| The completed test file should now look like this: |
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again, maybe consider using a screenshot? just so people don't copy paste it all and screw up package names etc?
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Again, I've added a note instead of a screenshot.
| ## Further information | ||
| You have now tested your cookie clicker app! | ||
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| You can read more about Android testing using the links below: |
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really great informative tutorial (where were you 6 months ago when I learned espresso for the first time!!!!)
Maybe consider adding an extension task at the end? Something students could consider adding on their own? Maybe using a text field for their name (for a high score message) and checking if it's not empty? What do you think?
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@daniellevass Thanks for the comments! I've updated the tutorial with the changes you have suggested 👍 |
I have added a tutorial which follows on from the cookie clicker introduction and introduces the idea of UI tests and Espresso.
I looked into covering the Espresso test recorded as discussed, but the code it generated didn't work, and I thought it wasn't worth introducing it and then saying that it's broken 😉