UiObject

UiObject is a class in the Android UIAutomator framework that encapsulates a single UI element on the device screen. It is identified by a UiSelector, which specifies attributes such as resource-id, text, className, or description. UiObject enables automated tests to interact with UI controls across apps and system UI.

The class provides a range of interactions and queries. Typical methods include click() and longClick(), as well as entering text via setText() for editable fields. It also supports retrieving information such as getText(), getContentDescription(), and getResourceName(), and querying state with exists(), isEnabled(), isClickable(), and isVisibleToUser(). Many operations may throw UiObjectNotFoundException if the targeted element cannot be located.

Finding and using a UiObject usually involves constructing a UiSelector with the desired attributes and then creating a UiObject from it. For example: UiSelector sel = new UiSelector().resourceId("com.example:id/submit"); UiObject obj = new UiObject(sel); if (obj.exists()) { obj.click(); }

Limitations of UiObject include its association with UiAutomator v1, which can be brittle as UI layouts evolve and may struggle with highly custom or restricted interfaces. It is primarily intended for instrumentation tests on Android devices or emulators and may be slower or less reliable for complex UI structures.

Alternatives and successors include UiObject2, part of the newer AndroidX Testing UiAutomator API, which offers a different set of methods and improved robustness for modern Android versions.

See also: Android UIAutomator, UiSelector, UiDevice, UiObject2, Android Testing Support Library.