using pythonista to open app via phone using appium

Question

I want to automate a task from my phone with python. I have been looking for modules that are compatible with IOS, but none have worked. I'm not sure about appium hence why im asking the question. Is it possible to run appium , open an app on my phone, and then click a button in the app? I have tried using pyautogui to click the button, and webbrowser to open the app via url schemes(that worked), but pyautogui will not run on IOS. I haven't got to start on the code yet, because i am still looking for a place to start.

Answer 1

Yes, it is possible, that's what Appium is essentially there for.

There are plenty of tutorials online on how to get Appium up and running: https://medium.com/@ilovemark/appium-installation-and-configuration-under-macos-edd2375dcce

Desired capabilities tells Appium which, OS, app version, etc. to run: http://appium.io/docs/en/writing-running-appium/caps/

You also need Appium Python client: pip install Appium-Python-Client

Now you can run your tests inside Simulator, running app on your local real device is not straightforward, so I'd recommend Xcode Simulator for start.

from appium import webdriver

URL = 'http://localhost:4723/wd/hub'

DESIRED_CAPABILITY = {
    'app': 'full/path/to/app/location.app'
    'platformName': 'iOS',
    'platformVersion': '12.1',
    'automationName': 'XCUITest',
    'browserName': '',
    'deviceName': 'iPhone X',
}


def test_open_app():
    driver = webdriver.Remote(URL, DESIRED_CAPABILITY)