Can I use Selenium WebDriver to test mobile websites or apps?

Yes, Selenium WebDriver can be used to test mobile websites by using it in conjunction with tools like Appium or Selendroid. These tools extend the Selenium server and provide the capability to automate mobile web browsers on emulated or real devices. However, Selenium WebDriver by itself cannot directly test mobile apps; that's where Appium and Selendroid come into play.

Testing Mobile Websites with Selenium and Appium

Appium is an open-source tool that allows you to drive iOS and Android apps using the WebDriver protocol. It also supports mobile web browser testing, much like you would test on a desktop browser.

Here's a basic example to test a mobile website using Selenium WebDriver with Appium in Python:

from appium import webdriver

desired_caps = {
    'platformName': 'Android', # or 'iOS'
    'platformVersion': '11.0', # Replace with your mobile OS version
    'deviceName': 'Android Emulator', # or an actual device
    'browserName': 'Chrome', # or 'Safari' for iOS
}

# Connect to Appium server
driver = webdriver.Remote('http://localhost:4723/wd/hub', desired_caps)

# Navigate to the website
driver.get('http://example.com')

# Interact with the website
# ...

# Close the browser
driver.quit()

Before running this script, you need to have Appium Server running, and the device/emulator needs to be set up with the browser you specify in the desired capabilities.

Testing Mobile Apps with Selenium and Appium

To test mobile apps using Appium, you need to adjust the desired capabilities to include the app's details:

from appium import webdriver

desired_caps = {
    'platformName': 'Android', # or 'iOS'
    'platformVersion': '11.0', # Replace with your mobile OS version
    'deviceName': 'Android Emulator', # or an actual device
    'app': '/path/to/your/app.apk', # Replace with the path to your app
    # For iOS: 'app': 'com.example.AppName'
    # ...
}

# Connect to Appium server
driver = webdriver.Remote('http://localhost:4723/wd/hub', desired_caps)

# Interact with the app
# ...

# Close the app
driver.quit()

Testing Mobile Websites with Selenium and Selendroid

Selendroid is another tool that can be used to test Android applications and mobile websites. It is particularly useful for older Android platforms and can be used similarly to Appium through the WebDriver protocol.

Here's a basic example to test a mobile website using Selenium WebDriver with Selendroid in Python:

from selenium import webdriver

desired_caps = {
    'aut': 'io.selendroid.testapp:0.17.0',
    'browserName': '',
    'deviceName': 'emulator-5554',
    'platformName': 'Android',
}

# Connect to Selendroid server
driver = webdriver.Remote('http://localhost:4444/wd/hub', desired_caps)

# Navigate to the website
driver.get('http://example.com')

# Interact with the website
# ...

# Close the browser
driver.quit()

Before running this script, make sure the Selendroid server is running and the Android device or emulator is ready.

Conclusion

While Selenium WebDriver is not designed to interact with mobile apps directly, with the help of Appium or Selendroid, you can test both mobile websites and mobile apps on different platforms. The integration of these tools with Selenium WebDriver allows you to write automated tests in a similar fashion to how you would write them for desktop browsers, making it a convenient choice for developers who are already familiar with Selenium.