In native iOS development with UIKit, ensuring that app views are easily accessible during testing is an essential part of the quality assurance process. Developers often utilize various properties like text, accessibility labels, and accessibility identifiers to make their views distinguishable and testable. Here's a detailed guide to how these properties work and how Mockingjay simplifies testing for native iOS applications.

Interacting with Views by Text in UIKit

In iOS UIKit apps, views such as buttons or labels can often be identified simply by their text. For instance, developers can assign a visible text string to a UIButton or UILabel, making it easily accessible during testing.

let button = UIButton()
button.setTitle("Hello World", for: .normal)

In this example, the text "Hello World" acts as the identifier for the button. This is a straightforward approach, but it does rely on ensuring the text remains unique across your app's views, which can sometimes be challenging in complex UIs.

Interacting with Views by Accessibility Labels

Another key method to identify and interact with UIKit views is by using accessibility labels. Accessibility labels serve the dual purpose of enhancing app inclusivity for users with disabilities while also acting as effective identifiers for automated tests.

By assigning an accessibility label to a view like a button, you make it possible to refer to that element in a test script, even if its visible text is ambiguous or overlaps with other views.

let button = UIButton()
button.accessibilityLabel = "Hello World button"

Accessibility labels are particularly useful for defining non-text elements (like images or icons) or complex views, as they provide a custom, descriptive identifier that the test engine can easily recognize.

Interacting with Views by Accessibility IDs

For precise and scalable testing, accessibility identifiers (or IDs) are often the preferred property. Accessibility IDs allow developers to define unique, programmatically-assigned properties for views that are specifically designed to aid in testing.

let button = UIButton()
button.accessibilityIdentifier = "hello_world_id"

Unlike accessibility labels, which may have descriptive overlap with the visible text, accessibility IDs are unique across the app, ensuring there’s no ambiguity when identifying elements during a test run.

How Mockingjay Handles These Properties

Mockingjay takes the complexity out of interacting with views for automated testing. It translates accessibility identifiers (accessibilityIdentifier) into id, while accessibility labels (accessibilityLabel) become text. For example, in the case of a button with text and an accessibility label assigned, the Mockingjay Test Engine prioritizes the accessibility label as the text for the view. This streamlined approach reduces confusion, boosts testing intelligence, and ensures consistent handling of app views regardless of unique UI setups. Whether you're working on mobile, web, or API applications, Mockingjay simplifies the entire process.

Take Your iOS Testing to the Next Level

Interacting with views in native iOS UIKit apps using text, accessibility labels, or accessibility IDs is foundational to robust quality assurance. Mockingjay simplifies this process, giving you the confidence that every element of your app is tested with accuracy and reliability.

With Mockingjay’s managed QA services and humans-in-the-loop capabilities, your iOS app testing becomes completely seamless. Don’t settle for anything less—let Mockingjay handle your quality assurance needs. Get started today!