Mobile Test Automation with Tosca

This guide explains how to create and execute a mobile test with Kobiton devices in Tosca, from project setup to test execution on a device.

Prerequisites

  • An active Kobiton account. Get the following information from your Kobiton account in the Portal:

  • Tosca Commander installed and activated.

Create or open a Tosca workspace

Follow Tosca’s guidelines to create or open a workspace in Tosca Commander.

Connect to a Kobiton mobile device and scan mobile objects

In your workspace, go to the Modules tab. Select Scan → Mobile from the Modules menu.

Tosca Modules tab showing options for scanning mobile applications and other formats.

In the Mobile Scan window, under Select connection, click Add connection.

Mobile scan setup screen in Tosca with only Local connection selected and no device or app configured.

In the Add connection window:

Add connection screen in Tosca with connection named 'Kobiton Cloud' using Appium (Generic) type.

  • Enter a name for your connection, such as Kobiton Cloud or Kobiton Standalone.

  • Set Type to Appium (Generic).

  • For Server address:

    • For Cloud/Hybrid environments, enter https://api.kobiton.com/wd/hub.

    • For Cloud/Hybrid environments with custom domain, enter https://api-<custom-domain>.kobiton.com/wd/hub.

    • For Standalone/On-Prem environments, enter [http|https]://[dell_ip_or_hostname]/wd/hub.

  • Select Add.

Under Select device, select Add device.

Add device screen with Galaxy Tab A7 Lite specified as a real Android device with its device ID.

  • Enter a device name, such as Galaxy Tab A7 Lite or iPhone 14.

  • Enter the device’s UDID.

  • Select Android or iOS, and choose Real.

  • Select Add.

Under Select application, choose Add app.

Add native or hybrid application screen with Android option selected and APIDemos package specified.

  • Enter a name for the app.

  • For app path, use either:

    • A direct download URL to the app, or

    • The app’s appPackage/appActivity (e.g., io.appium.android.apis/io.appium.android.apis.ApiDemos) for Android app, or bundleId for iOS app.

If you are using appPackage/appActivity or bundleId, you must also provide the Kobiton store app ID (appium:app) under Set capabilities.

  • Choose Add.

Select Set capabilities to add required Appium capabilities.

Tosca mobile scan setup screen with selected connection, device, and application ready for capability assignment.

  • Select Add capability set.

    Tosca capabilities screen prompting the user to add a new capability set.

  • Add the following capabilities at minimum:

    Capability Value Required?

    appium:username

    <your_kobiton_username>

    Yes

    appium:accessKey

    <your_kobiton_access_key>

    Yes

    appium:app

    kobiton-store:<app_id>

    No (used for apps from the Kobiton App Repo)

    kobiton:runtime

    appium

    No (used for Appium Basic 2)

    Tosca capabilities screen showing a populated capability set for Android Cloud including accessKey, app, and runtime.

  • Choose Select Capability Set.

Ensure that the created connection, device, app, and capability set have been selected before continuing.

Tosca mobile scan setup screen with Kobiton Cloud, Galaxy Tab A7 Lite, and APIDemos application selected.

(Optional) To scan using Live View, ensure Run Live View is checked.

If using Live View on Android, you must set kobiton:runtime to appium in Set capabilities to navigate the app from the Live view. Otherwise, launch a Kobiton manual session on the device to navigate the app.

Select Connect to start the connection.

Select Scan to start scanning. Use your mouse to interact with the app’s interface and navigate as needed. Follow Tosca’s official guidelines for more details about mobile scan controls.

Mobile scan screen in Tosca showing connection established with the APIDemos app interface and Appium session details.

When scanning is complete, select Close.

After closing the Mobile Scan window, your session on Kobiton is still active until timed out. Go to the Kobiton Portal to manually terminate the session to make the device available for others or reduce public minutes use.

Scanned elements are stored under the Modules folder and can be used across test cases.

Modules section in Tosca listing scanned modules including Mobile App - Select Animation and Bouncing Balls.

Create a new test case with scanned objects

Follow Tosca’s guidelines to create a test case and add scanned modules to the test case.

Configure Appium server parameter

Select the created test case.

In the Details plane, switch to the Test Configuration tab.

Right-click anywhere in the Test Configuration tab and select Create Test configuration parameter icon.

Tosca interface showing a context menu to create a test configuration parameter for the Test APIDemos case.

Add the configuration parameter AppiumServer and set its value to:

Tosca test configuration screen showing the AppiumServer parameter set as a string.

  • For Cloud/Hybrid environments, enter https://api.kobiton.com/wd/hub.

  • For Cloud/Hybrid environments with custom domain, enter https://api-<custom-domain>.kobiton.com/wd/hub.

  • For Standalone/On-Prem environments, enter [http|https]://[dell_ip_or_hostname]/wd/hub.

Import standard subset

Select Import Subset from the Home menu.

Tosca Project menu with the Import Subset button highlighted under the Subset section.

Navigate to C:\Tosca_Projects\ToscaCommander and select the standard.tsu subset.

File explorer window used to import a Tosca subset file from the ToscaCommander directory.

After importing, select the Modules tab and expand the newly added Modules_import…​ folder: Standard modules → TBox Automation Tools → Engines → Mobile. All standard modules to be added in the next section are located here.

Expanded view of standard Tosca modules including Mobile app management and capabilities.

Add mobile automation modules

Drag and drop the following modules to your test case in this order:

  • Set Desired Capabilities (located under Mobile > Capabilities).

    Set Desired Capabilities test step in Tosca showing fields like udid, app, runtime, username, and accessKey.

    This should be the first step in your test case. Enter the following capabilities at the minimum:

    Capability Value Required?

    appium:username

    <your_kobiton_username>

    Yes

    appium:accessKey

    <your_kobiton_access_key>

    Yes

    appium:udid

    <your_device_udid>

    Yes

    appium:app

    kobiton-store:<app_id>

    No (used for apps from the Kobiton App Repo)

    kobiton:runtime

    appium

    No (used for Appium Basic 2)

  • Open Mobile App.

    Open Mobile App step in Tosca displaying input fields for app package, activity, and path.

    Fill in the following:

    Mobile OS Parameter Description Example

    Android

    Application

    Direct URL to the app or AppPackage/AppActivity

    https://www.example.com/app.apk

    io.appium.android.apis/io.appium.android.apis.ApiDemos

    iOS

    Application

    Direct URL to the app or bundleId

    https://www.example.com/app.ipa

    com.example.app

    • (Optional) add End Appium Session as the last test step to cleanly exit the Kobiton session.

Final Test Case Structure (Example)

Test APIDemos
├── Set Desired Capabilities
├── Open Mobile App
├── Mobile App - Test step 1
├── Mobile App - Test step 2
└── End Appium Session

This structure ensures the session is properly initialized with Kobiton and cleanly terminated afterward. Without the End Appium Session step, your session might stay active on the Kobiton Portal until timed out.

Execute the test case on a device

Select the created test case.

Right-click and choose Run in ScratchBook or use Run in ScratchBook on the toolbar to run the test case.

Tosca context menu showing 'Run in ScratchBook' option highlighted for test execution.

During execution, you can launch a Kobiton mixed session on the device to monitor the test case in a manual session.

You can also add the test case to test execution if needed.