Open Source Objective C Test Frameworks

KIF, which stands for Keep It Functional, is an iOS integration test framework. It allows for easy automation of iOS apps by leveraging the accessibility attributes that the OS makes available for those with visual disabilities. KIF builds and performs the tests using a standard XCTest testing target. Testing is conducted synchronously in the main thread (running the run loop to force the passage of time) allowing for more complex logic and composition. This also allows KIF to take advantage of the Xcode Test Navigator, command line build tools, and Bot test reports. KIF uses undocumented Apple APIs. This is true of most iOS testing frameworks, and is safe for testing purposes, but it's important that KIF does not make it into production code, as it will get your app submission denied by Apple. Follow the instructions below to ensure that KIF is configured correctly for your project.

EarlGrey is a native iOS UI automation test framework that enables you to write clear, concise tests. With the EarlGrey framework, you have access to enhanced synchronization features. EarlGrey automatically synchronizes with the UI, network requests, and various queues; but still allows you to manually implement customized timings, if needed. EarlGrey’s synchronization features help to ensure that the UI is in a steady state before actions are performed. This greatly increases test stability and makes tests highly repeatable. EarlGrey works in conjunction with the XCTest framework and integrates with Xcode’s Test Navigator so you can run tests directly from Xcode or the command line (using xcodebuild). To prioritize and improve EarlGrey, the framework collects usage data and uploads it to Google Analytics. More specifically, the framework collects the MD5 hash of Bundle ID, Test Class Names and Test Method Names.

Kiwi is a Behavior Driven Development library for iOS development. The goal is to provide a BDD library that is exquisitely simple to setup and use. The idea behind Kiwi is to have tests that are more readable than what is possible with the bundled test framework. Tests (or rather specs) are written in Objective-C and run within the comfort of Xcode to provide a test environment that is as unobtrusive and seamless as possible in terms of running tests and error reporting. In modern iOS and OS X development, you inevitably end up using open source libraries (e.g. AFNetworking) in your projects. This results in additional complexity in library management. CocoaPods makes this less painful and is our preferred library management tool. Before adding Kiwi to your project, you need a Unit Test Target that is run by Xcode during testing. If you're using Xcode 5, this unit test target is included by default when you create a new project.