Implementing JUnit Testing For Robust Android Emulator Test Automation

In this fast-paced world,  mobile phone use is rapid, and a user-oriented experience is necessary. So, to ensure a user-friendly experience, testing becomes an integral part of the software development cycle. Android testing verifies and evaluates the Android application’s quality, performance, and functionality. It utilizes special techniques and frameworks to recognize and fix defects. 

There are different types of Android testing, each aiming at various aspects of an application’s performance and functionality. Unit testing is one of them. It examines the individual units of a segregated application, which can be done using a real device or emulators. 

JUnit is a popular unit testing framework that makes testetesters’ tasks easier when creating and running automated tests on different Android devices and emulators. Implementing JUnit testing helps developers gain insights into the application’s performance and behavior under diverse conditions.

This article will discuss the JUnit testing framework, its working features, and why it is preferred over other testing frameworks. We will also discuss how Android emulator tests work and implement  JUnit testing for robust Android emulator test automation.

JUnit: A Java-based testing framework

JUnit is an open-source Java-based robust testing framework. It provides advanced and basic concepts of unit testing in Java and makes writing tests reliable and efficient. JUnit can be used for apps made in most languages but is particularly suitable for testing Java applications. It can also create automated tests and support robust assertions, extensive reporting capabilities, and varied test cases. 

JUnit is a versatile framework that allows testing in different languages. It is designed to assist various tests, such as functional, encompassing units, and integration tests. JUnit provides many graphs that represent test progress. The graph displays a green color if the test runs smoothly and a red color if the test fails. With the help of JUnit, developers can develop reliable and bug-free code. 

After briefly describing JUnit, let’s also give you an idea of its features and benefits.

How does JUnit work?

As JUnit is a Java-based testing platform, it allows developers to write and run tests on the Java platform. It also prints out the test results with the help of a built-in reporter. The main goal of automation testing in Java is to find errors in code and ensure that the software is doing what it is supposed to do. 

JUnit also provides many tests. Running these tests simultaneously rather than running them individually is helpful. The JUnit tests are listed below: 

• Unit test- Individual test codes are tested in unit tests.
• Integration test- Integration tests tell how the parts work together.
• System test- System tests, such as web servers, test the entire system. 

JUnit features such as assertions confirm expected system behavior and simplify the creation and execution of tests. It also gives test runners the tools to present and execute test results. 

Features of JUnit

Some key features of JUnit are listed below:

• JUnit is an open-source network used for writing and running tests. 
• It identifies test methods by providing annotations.
• It provides error-free quality code.
• It runs tests automatically and provides feedback for intermediate results.
• It enables developers to write code faster and of better quality.
• It has test runners to run tests.
• The test results do not require manual checking.
• It provides assertions to expect results.
• It provides a way to create test suites that can be run together.
• It makes the code stable, relatable, and error-free. 

Why is JUnit preferred over other frameworks?

Some benefits of JUnit are mentioned below:

• JUnit ensures that every part or function is tested in the software. It tests the software even before System-level testing. 
• Even if there is a big or small change in the code, JUnit ensures that the function performs well.
• JUnit easily creates and manages a rich unit test suite for the entire software.
• All IDEs support JUnit as it has become a standard for testing in the Java programming language.
• Ant can also be integrated to allow executing test suites as part of the build process. 
• JUnit maintains code readability and organization. It provides a structured testing approach, enabling developers to create organized and clear test suites. This simplifies navigating and understanding of the codebase. 
• The ability to detect and rectify errors in code lies in JUnit. It executes tests systematically, which makes it easier for the developers to detect mistakes.
• JUnit uplifts the overall quality of the software. It enforces an inclusive testing methodology. This ensures the intended functioning of the codebase.
• It facilitates efficiency gain in the development process. Automation of test cases simplifies repetitive testing tasks. It allows developers to focus more on complex aspects of code, resulting in code refinement. This leads to an improved testing process. 

Getting started with JUnit automation testing

Automation testing involves testing an application through an automated process. It increases the success rate and test accuracy and provides faster and more reliable results, so it is preferred over manual testing.

JUnit plays a crucial role in automation testing, creating repeatable test cases. Combining JUnit with automation testing is sufficient because automation testing has significantly less error margin. LambadTest is an all-in-one test automation platform that manually and automatically tests web and mobile applications at scale. 

LambdaTest is an AI-powered test orchestration and execution platform that allows testers to perform real-time and automation testing by providing access to more than 3000 environments, real mobile devices, and online browsers.

It also provides integrated debugging and testing features. It allows users to conduct cross-browser testing to ensure website compatibility so that it renders the same across all browser versions. By using automation testing in the development process, testers can reduce manual work and boost efficiency.

What is an Android emulator test?

Android emulators imitate the software and hardware of an Android mobile. If developers lack the necessary features or devices, they can use Android emulators to test the application on other devices, mimicking the Android OS and interface.

Android emulator tests are necessary while developing an Android mobile with many features. It includes testing a function and making sure it does not break. The developers can implement JUnit testing in Android Emulator Test to make the process easier and less time-consuming. JUnit has set a benchmark for Java-based applications. Nowadays, it is also being used to perform test automation. 

In short, Android emulator testing provides testing for Android phones or applications on other devices due to the lack of Android devices. Developers often use Android emulators in app development. It provides developers with options like testing, running, and debugging their apps without a physical Android device.

How do Android emulators work?

Android emulators, such as BlueStack, Genymotion, or NoxPlayer, are software apps preinstalled on the computer. They can simulate the experience of using Android devices and software. 

Since emulators imitate the architecture of any system targeted, it is easier for the tester to find emulators for all kinds of hardware and software. Below are some capabilities and limitations of Android emulator testing. Testers will surely benefit from knowing these capabilities and limitations.

Capabilities

The emulator is useful when working with physical sensors such as the accelerometer. If testing a specific app feature that depends on sensors, it will be easier to arrange the settings through the visual, extended controls of the emulator.

Data transfer is quicker on a virtual device than on physical devices connected via USB. .apk files can be moved from the computer to the virtual mobile devices with the help of drag-and-drop. This is especially great when developers need to test apps quickly under context. 

Limitations

Separate directories created by the AVD Manager store each virtual device’s devices and SD card. A single virtual device can occupy 3.5 GB of disk space. After some time, a library of virtual devices can eventually take up the user’s wouser’sion.   

Since the workstation affects virtual devices, the emulator will burn and crash without free disk space to launch.   

Implementing JUnit testing for robust Android emulator test automation

JUnit has several annotations and features implemented in the code. These annotations and features help for robust Android Emulator test automation. JUnit annotations are indicators that tell the compiler what to do with the code. Some of the annotations are:

@Test- This annotation contains the code for the initial test. It identifies the actual test cases. This annotation is required as JUnit allows multiple tests to be grouped as one. 

@Before-  Before annotation, write codes that run tasks before every test. 

The @After-After annotation indicates the task that must be run after the code has been executed. For example, the test results might have to be sent to a monitoring service after every test.

@BeforeClass- This indicates the code to be run before running all the tests. @BeforeClass is only run once. 

@AfterClass- AfterClass indicates that the code is executed after all tests are executed.

When implemented, these annotations of JUnit are extremely helpful for building robust Android emulator test automation.

Conclusion

JUnit testing is most preferred for robust Android emulator test automation as it is a vital testing framework. It makes writing tests reliable and efficient. JUnit can be used for apps created in most languages, but it is mainly used to test Java applications. It also supports robust assertions, extensive reporting capabilities, and varied test cases. Being a versatile framework, JUnit allows for testing in different languages. 

This article helps you implement JUnit testing for robust Android emulator test automation.

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