Robo test is a testing tool that is integrated with Firebase Test Lab. Robo test analyzes the structure of your app's user interface (UI) and then explores it methodically, automatically simulating user activities. Robo test always simulates the same user activities in the same order when you use it to test an app on a specific device configuration with the same settings. This repeatable testing approach lets you use Robo test to validate bug fixes and test for regressions.
Robo test captures log files, saves a series of annotated screenshots, and then creates a video from those screenshots to show you the simulated user operations that it performed. These logs, screenshots, and videos can help you determine the root cause of app crashes. These Robo test features can also help you find issues with your app's UI.
In addition to running regular Robo tests, you can customize your tests using Robo scripts, which are a feature of Robo tests. To learn more, see Run a Robo script.
Robo test crawl stats
To help you interpret your Robo test results, Robo test records stats during each test crawl. Test Lab displays the stats at the top of the Robo test tab in your test results page:
Actions: The total number of actions performed during the crawl, including Robo script actions, monkey actions, and Robo directives.
Screens: The number of distinct screens visited during the crawl.
Test Lab also uses the stats to create a visual representation of the Robo test in the form of a crawl graph. The graph has screens as its nodes and actions as edges. By following the edges between screens, you can get an idea of how Robo test traversed your app throughout the crawl.
Robo test timeout
Depending on the complexity of your app's UI, Robo test might take five minutes or more to complete a thorough set of UI interactions. We recommend setting the test timeout to at least 120 seconds (2 minutes) for most apps, and 300 seconds (5 minutes) for moderately complex apps. The default value for timeout is 300 seconds (5 minutes) for tests run from the Firebase console and 900 seconds (15 minutes) for tests run from the gcloud command line.
App startup timeout errors
If your app takes a long time to start, Robo test can throw an error, and won't be able to crawl your app. This only happens in cases of extremely long startup times, and can only be resolved by revising your app to make it start faster.
More control with Robo scripts
Sometimes you need more control over your tests. For example, you might want to test a common user journey or provide specific UI input like a username and password. Robo scripts can help. To learn more about Robo scripts, see Run a Robo script and Robo scripts reference guide.
Next steps
- Customize your tests using Robo scripts.