Telerik's free Test Studio for iOS offers an exciting new tool for developers. It allows you to record and execute automated tests in your mobile apps and websites. Users can also use the tool to provide feedback to your team as they test. Telerik worked closely with Apple to get this app into the iOS App Store, and it provides an astonishing utility to anyone who develops. It allows you to run tests in separate apps that you create. It also works with stand-alone websites. To make your app Test Studio-compatible, you do need to compile in a small static library so Test Studio can see it on your device or in the simulator. Website testing works straight out of the box. The test suite is aware of all installed applications that have been prepared for use with these tools. In the testing mode, you create a series of validation sequences. These sequences consist of interaction events, which you can record directly from your app, and verification tests, which you specify in the built-in action editor. These tests ensure that user interactions match certain expectations that you set. A special-purpose menu, which appears directly in-app, lets you pause, add tasks, and review the steps that you have already taken. Anyone who's used a UI recording tool will be familiar with this kind of interface. Nicely, the menu can be easily flipped out of your way if it obscures things you need to work with. A lot of work has gone into making this suite usable for developers. This app works in the simulator as well as on devices; it also works in off-line mode, so you can create your tests while on-the-go if you're away from the Internet. Once recorded, you can then play back these interactions directly to the app or website. The integrated library will simulate all user interactions in the test, and confirm that the interface matches all your verification targets. Since these sequences are stored outside of the app/website environment, you can test your evolving product as you work on new features and bug updates for each build. The test suite resumes control when tests fail, so you can inspect where and why the interaction sequences failed. A secondary mode allows you to deploy your app through ad-hoc testing to solicit user feedback. It offers in-app bookmarking, screen shots, and e-mail, so users can respond to you as they work with hands-on deployment during your testing phase. The app is available for free, with the developers monetizing through future cloud services. "The big thing for us," said spokesman Chris Eyhorn, "is offering a tool that scales for us from one-man development shops all the way up to the enterprise." He says they plan to offer free versions indefinitely, to be an active part of the Apple developer ecosystem. DevJuice: Test Studio for iOS originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Thu, 21 Jun 2012 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Source | Permalink | Email this | Comments read more..
Saturday, 23 June 2012
Interaction Sequences-Verification Tests-Automated Tests-Interactions-Test Suite
Sunday, 13 May 2012
John Holdsworth-Injection-Xcode
Are you one of the many devs who miss Xcode's "Fix and Continue" feature? Apple removed "Fix and Continue" in Xcode 4. This option allowed you to patch your binary with updated code, as you ran and debugged it. Well, there's good news. Developer John Holdsworth has released Injection for Xcode. It's an OS X application that lets you inject those same code changes into running applications for development and debugging. It works with both OS X and iOS apps, including those running on devices. It works by allowing your classes to be recompiled selectively as class categories. These are loaded at run time via bundles, and override your originally compiled code. So you can modify, enhance, and adapt your code during run time and tweak elements on the go. Holdsworth has been working with this feature for quite a long time. He writes: In London there were two banks which embraced NeXT for developing front office trading systems in an age before even windows 3.1. The hardware was only just up to it however and build times where at three quarters of an hour so we started using this means of patching the app using bundles rather having to relink the whole thing. I asked him to fill in some of his background about working with Apple and NeXT technology. He responded: I first encountered NeXT in 1989 at IRCAM the computer/music research institute in Paris where I fell in love with Objective-C. It's great to see things coming full circle with all this memory managed stuff, and C++, such a half baked language falling away. How ironic that it should be a mobile device which paved the way. If you ask me the closest we've been to Object-Oriented Nirvana is Smalltalk, and Objective-C is pretty close to that. Steve visited one day spinning the reality distortion field about the new "autorelease" mechanism. Quite the mystic. My only other claim to fame was when the Apple purchase of NeXT came through I sent him an email enthusing greatly and got a reply saying "Thanks John, a Merry Christmas to you and your family."
Been a disciple ever since. Shame I didn't buy the stock. Unfortunately, Apple has been a bit squirrelly about letting Injection into the OS. Holdsworth first hoped to start selling Injection on the Mac App Store back in February. Apple has been sitting on the app for months, failing to give it a thumbs up or down. Do you want to help out? Drop Apple a note at appreview@apple.com and ask them to expedite approval on Injection for Xcode (App number #id498448895). Until then, Injection for Xcode is available on Holdsworth's personal site. It offers a two-week trial period and costs US$9.99 (individual license) or $25.00 (corporate) after that. Licenses are issued per-machine. To purchase, the app guides you through PayPal (via a web view) after the trial period.DevJuice: Injection for Xcode originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Thu, 10 May 2012 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Source | Permalink | Email this | Comments read more..
Monday, 7 May 2012
DevJuice: Sim Launcher updated
Landon Fuller of the Plausible Labs cooperative has just updated simlaunch, a github project that allows you to create iOS Simulator application bundles that launch from the desktop. This utility helps developers to share builds for testing, for promotion, and for fun that run on the Mac without need for hardware, special signing permissions, or ad hoc provisions. Although I contributed to the original project, all the updates were performed by Landon and all kudos and thanks should be aimed in his direction. Simlaunch is released under the MIT license (which is similar to BSD).DevJuice: Sim Launcher updated originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Thu, 03 May 2012 18:04:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Source | Permalink | Email this | Comments read more..
Thursday, 19 April 2012
Developer Center-Mountain Lion
Apple has pushed the third preview of OS X Mountain Lion to developers. A number of known issues are still present in the preview, including booting issues with FileVault enabled and installing Mountain Lion on a system running OS 10.7.2 or earlier with FireVault turned on could fail. Other known issues include involve sandboxing apps, iTunes, Mail, a delay in Back to My Mac, DVD Player, Time Machine, QuickTime and a number of problems with Game Center. Full release notes are available in Apple's Developer Center. The second developer's preview was released on March 16.Apple releases third preview build of OS X Mountain Lion for developers originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Wed, 18 Apr 2012 16:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Source | Permalink | Email this | Comments read more..
Sunday, 1 April 2012
Iphone-Apps-Ipad
Unfortunately, I haven't been able to afford a new iPad yet (nor have I had time to drool over one at the Apple Store), but I've heard from many of you just how amazing that Retina display is. I'm not surprised. The iPhone's transition to the Retina was great, and it must be even better on a larger scale. Of course, there's a tradeoff for having graphics that look this great in a universal app. Developer Justine Pratt has run through a few of the pros and cons of going universal. The most obvious drawback is app size. Those bigger graphics take up more space, and for many graphics-heavy applications, that could put them over the cellular data download limit (now at 50 MB). Universal apps specifically are taking this hit, even if they're not running with the new iPad-sized graphics on the iPhone hardware. There are good reasons to stick with universal as well, of course. Customers like apps that run on both devices. Given how different iPhone and iPad versions of an app can be, a universal often feels like getting two apps for the price of one. But each developer has to decide for themselves whether universal is the right way to go or not. In the past, universal was almost a no brainer, but I think as more and more devs figure out just what the differences are in the experience on the iPad and the iPhone, we'll see more and more devs (with limited resources, at least) choosing to split their apps up and run them device only more often.The trouble with universal apps and the new iPad originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Tue, 20 Mar 2012 08:05:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Source | Permalink | Email this | Comments read more..
Tuesday, 13 March 2012
Game Developers Conference-Fishlabs Entertainment-Galaxy On Fire-Game Content
Fishlabs Entertainment is a German-based gaming studio that scored a hit with the Galaxy on Fire series for iOS. The latest, most popular iteration is Galaxy on Fire 2, which Fishlabs has kept fresh with updates and extra content since launch. Players fight pirates, loot, mine asteroids and perform several other Elite-style tasks. The latest update is called Valkyrie, which debuted as I chatted with Fishlabs at the Game Developers Conference (GDC) in San Francisco last week. The HD update makes the game look stunning. Even iPhone owners will benefit, as those with the standard version get Valkyrie's HD graphics for free. Valkyrie meets fan requests like larger ships and a new storyline, which Fishlabs says will run as long as the game content is available. Galaxy on Fire is a gorgeous game, and Fishlabs says it's ready for the new iPad. As soon as they get hands on the new hardware, they'll "optimize the assets" and be ready to go. They are excited about the new quad core processors, but for Galaxy on Fire itself, Fishlabs probably won't add any extra features. Instead, they'll just make the game look better. "We'd rather use the hardware to improve the visual quality," I was told. Fans can expect another DLC pack coming soon. Supernova, which will have its own unique storyline and graphical updates. By the year's end, Fishlabs expects to release another new game they're not ready to discuss. "A free-to-play title set in the Galaxy on Fire universe" is all I was told. Fishlabs is doing quite well. Space-trading simulators have a limited audience. While Galaxy on Fire is an excellent game, it might not appeal to casual gamers. But Fishlabs continues to prove that as long as you have a dedicated and interested audience, you can assemble a successful franchise on Apple's platform.Fishlabs sets the Galaxy on Fire with Valkyrie update originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Mon, 12 Mar 2012 08:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Source | Permalink | Email this | Comments read more..
Thursday, 23 February 2012
Mac Development-Mac App Store-Gatekeeper-Apps
Apple issued a three month extension on application sandboxing today, giving devs a little more breathing room before new rules take over. June 1 2012 is now the enforcement date. We've been having many discussions about Mac development in the TUAW backchannel over the last week. The introduction of GateKeeper and the notion of signed apps, sandboxing, and developer IDs have us talking about where Apple is taking the Mac, and will be moving Mac development in general. Overall, we think things are moving towards a win for consumers and better opportunities for devs. Read on to learn more about these technologies, and how they affect developers and App Store. GateKeeper is Apple's new approach to making your Mac safer by giving you control over which applications may download and run on your computer. With GateKeeper, developers sign apps to authenticate them with the OS -- both apps that you purchase from the Mac App Store and, at the developer's option, also apps you purchase elsewhere. With Mountain Lion, you choose which apps are allowed to run. You'll be able to disable GateKeeper and run apps from anywhere if you like, although this is not the default setting. The thing is this: Apple continues moving towards a more controlled, less open, more appliance-like concept of what a Mac means. That redefinition is causing ripples, affecting app development more and more. Applications can do fewer things, access fewer system resources, and control other apps less than they did in the past. Developers who choose to enroll in the Mac development program pay a $99/year fee just as those who enroll in the iOS development program do. Once enrolled, they can sign their apps as identified developers -- as well as gain access to early beta versions of unreleased operating systems. When the iPhone SDK first debuted, many people including yours truly complained about what couldn't be done with the APIs: what files could be accessed, what routines could be called, and so forth. Coming from a general computing background, one learns to expect to build whatever one can imagine. If the building blocks are there, then why not build whatever tools you need? That all ties into a background of fully open computing. Apple's policy split the dev community into the jailbreak world and the App Store world, with many people crossing over depending on what they were building. Under jailbreak, developers gain full access to the entire iOS file system and run apps in a fully privileged mode. This gives devs a much broader development vocabulary to work with. The jailbreak world became known for its innovation, with Apple mining those forward-looking ideas and free R&D and bringing them into successive iterations of their operating system. At the same time, developers had to change. If they wanted to market through App Store, they had to relinquish product ideas that wouldn't work within the more closed-off system that App Store submission required and look instead for opportunities of development that were allowed. No one can look at App Store today, with its countless apps, and say that Apple denied developers opportunity. It's just a somewhat different opportunity than many developers expected. It's an opportunity that restricted certain kinds of applications, most typically OS enhancements and utilities (which have flourished on other mobile platforms with less oversight of developer access). Overall, Apple has provided better tools, better marketing, and better sales avenues than had existed before. The end result has been apps that are significantly better than previous generations. And now, Apple is doing the same thing for the Mac. This is emotionally hard for some long-term devs like me. We want Linux-y freedom for whatever we want to build and distribute. Now, with sandboxing (a technique that restricts application access to full system files; all apps that are not sandboxed will be removed from the Mac App Store starting June 1st [Update: Older read more..