subject: Mobile Testing Overview: What Is A Client Application And How To Test It? [print this page] In our dynamically developing world, mobile technologies undergo serious changes: they are becoming more and more complicated. Correspondingly, the mobile software developers try to improve your product to the greatest possible extent.
There are several types of mobile applications. One of them is the so-called client application. Let us figure out what it is.
What Is a Client Application?
Client applications are those that are installed on the users mobile device. Such applications are better in functionality, integration and performance if compared to the browser ones. They can be written either in a portable programming language or in a native code.
There are two types of client applications:
portable applications;
native applications.
Portable applications are those that run on a virtual machine. Native applications are those that are written to run directly on a particular target device.
Portable applications dont have a possibility to use special features of certain devices, because they run on an idealized platform. Native applications, on the contrary, have specific features provided by a physical device. Usually, these applications run faster than the portable ones.
Some Facts about Portable Applications:
The first standard platform using which certain program could be installed on any of mobile devices is called Java Micro Edition ( Java ME).
Other platforms include:
FlashLite;
JavaFX;
SilverLight.
Let us focus on Java ME. Java ME is a reduced version of Java (standard edition). The former lacks some of the Java features (namely, those concerning development and debugging). The software is bundled in a form of a JAR file, together with a JAD file that describes the JAR file.
Some Facts about Native Applications:
As was already mentioned above, native applications are able to use all the features offered by particular phone models. Usually native applications are developed in C/C++ or any similar programming language.
The development process for such types of applications is more demanding and time-consuming.
Some of the tools that were used in creating native applications can easily be incorporated into the process of automated testing. However, not all of them can. Some tools are hard even to run.
How to Perform Software Testing of Client Applications?
No matter how good the created software is, you should necessarily test it. It would be good if you used the services of a professional software testing company that would provide an independent evaluation of your software. To do it, they will conduct various types of software testing.
In order to test client applications automated testing should be integrated into mobile testing.
However, you should also pay special attention to manual testing. There are several reasons for that:
These applications have a high percentage of UI code and it should be checked manually;
Unit testing frameworks dont seem to fit automated testing.
So the best way to test a client application is to combine automation with simple on-screen rendering.
by: QATestLab
welcome to Insurances.net (https://www.insurances.net)
