Appium-desktop: Unable to use Appium.app UI to locate elements on iOS

[hunzai]

The problem

Briefly describe the issue you are experiencing (or the feature you want to see added to Appium). Tell us what you were trying to do and what happened instead. Remember, this is _not_ a place to ask questions. For that, go to http://discuss.appium.io!

Environment

• Appium version (or git revision) that exhibits the issue: Appium v1.18.0
• Last Appium version that did not exhibit the issue (if applicable): Appium v1.16.0
• Desktop OS/version used to run Appium: macOS Mojave
• Node.js version (unless using Appium.app|exe): v12.18.0
• Npm or Yarn package manager: '6.14.4'
• Mobile platform/version under test: iOS 11.3
• Real device or emulator/simulator: simulator
• Appium CLI or Appium.app|exe: Appium.app

Details

I upgraded from Appium.app 1.16 to 1.18.1 and now can not use UI to locate elements on the app. I am running a react-native app.

Link to Appium logs

https://gist.github.com/hunzai/f835ecd8d98b58f4463e0153f97dc094

Code To Reproduce Issue [ Good To Have ]

1. Open Appium.app
2. Load application with following configs
   {
   "deviceName": "iPhone X",
   "platformVersion": "11.3",
   "language": "en",
   "locale": "DE",
   "unicodeKeyboard": false,
   "resetKeyboard": true,
   "newCommandTimeout": 500,
   "autoAcceptAlerts": true,
   "app": "XYZ.app",
   "platformName": "ios",
   "includeNonModalElements": true,
   "automationName": "Instruments"
   }
3. Hover over elements in the app UI

Actual:
Top element is highlighted and the source is shown in the resource tree. No child elements are selected and highlighted on the RHS window

[hunzai]

thanks, @mykola-mokhnach for moving to right place.

[ova2]

We have the same problem with the Appium v1.18.3. If we load an ipa file from the file system, is everything ok - we can inspect elements. But if we load the app from the BrowserStack, no child elements are selected and highlighted. I can only see the top elements. It seems to be the wrong structure / wrong page.

The same, if we access the app on BrowserStack programmatically by java-client. If I call getPageSource() by Appium driver, the same wrong page structure with only top level elements is shown. Is it a big in the Appium? My OS is Windows 10. A similar issue: https://github.com/appium/appium-desktop/issues/1424

Here some screenshots:

[KazuCocoa]

if we access the app on BrowserStack programmatically by java-client. If I call getPageSource() by Appium driver, the same wrong page structure with only top level elements is shown.

If it occurred only on BrowserStack, it would be great to ask them.
I don't know how they handle Appium.

[ova2]

BrowserStack doesn't handle Appium. AFAIK, it doesn't know Appiium. Appium driver communicates with the app running in BrowserStack. As I said, if an ipa / ipa file is loaded locally into the Appium Desktop, I can inspect elements. The same app, uploaded to BrowserStack, can not be driven by Appium because the app structure is not recognized correct.

BTW, this is a Flutter app, compilied for iOS and Android platforms.

[wswebcreation]

@ova2

When using Appium Desktop to connect to Browserstack Appium Desktop is using the Appium Server from Browserstack, not from Appium Desktop. So what @KazuCocoa is referring to is correct.
You can also only find the Appium logs within Browserstack, not AD.

Maybe you can provide the Appium version in the capabilities when you connect to Browserstack so it will use the latest version of Appium and all drivers as it would on your local machine

[ova2]

@KazuCocoa @wswebcreation I have tried to set the appium version explicitly per capability

"browserstack.appium_version"
"1.19.1"

The problem remains. It doesn't matter if we communicate with the app on BrowserStack via Java-Client or Appium-Desktop.

[KazuCocoa]

The source depends on XCTest (by Apple) framework. Appium shows elements by it.

If AD and Java client have gotten the same source structure, then Apple XCTest framework returned only them. Nothing we can do as Appium. Only Apple can improve it.
(Potentially, you can get elements that were not in the source, but in the case also XCTest framework behaved so.)