Pickerwheel is the UI element, specific to mobile devices that allows a user to pick a single value from multiple values displayed as a scrollable list. This UI element is available on both Android and iOS. Here, in this article, we will be discussing how to automate Picker Wheel specifically for iOS. 



<div id="toc_container" class="no_bullets">Table Of Contents<ul class="toc_list"><li><a href="#How_to_Automate_Picker_Wheel_UI_Element_Using_Appium">1 How to Automate Picker Wheel UI Element Using Appium?</a></li><li><a href="#How_to_Automate_Picker_Wheel_UI_Element_Using_Testsigma">2 How to Automate Picker Wheel UI Element Using Testsigma?</a></li><li><a href="#Conclusion">3 Conclusion</a></li><li><a href="#Frequently_Asked_Questions">4 Frequently Asked Questions</a><ul><li><a href="#How_to_select_random_values_from_the_iOS_picker_wheel_using_Selenium">4.1 How to select random values from the iOS picker wheel using Selenium?</a></li></ul></li></ul></div>
<h2 id="how-to-automate-picker-wheel-ui-element-using-appium">How to Automate Picker Wheel UI Element Using Appium?</h2>



Automation of an iOS-specific pickerWheel UI element via Appium using the XCUITest driver is quite simple. Let’s look at 2 approaches to do so below:



Approach 1:&nbsp;



The simplest way to automate Picker Wheel is via the “driver.sendKeys()” method. PickerWheel contains values in the form of strings. The same string that needs to be selected can be passed as a value via sendKeys and the needed result can be achieved.



Here, the pickerWheel element is accessed via method “XCUIElementTypePickerWheel” as in the sample code below:



driver.findElement(By.xpath(&#8220;//XCUIElementTypePickerWheel[@value=&#8217;Today&#8217;]&#8221;)).sendKeys(&#8220;Wed 25 Dec&#8221;);



Here:



Element located by pickerWheel is “//XCUIElementTypePickerWheel[@value=&#8217;Today&#8217;]”.



Value picked by pickerWheel is “Wed 25 Dec”.



Refer image below to get more clarity about PickerWheel via Appium Inspector:



<figure class="wp-block-image"><img src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/J_HrgZCkZeut_5Y85cwlWqh4LDE-BoYqqNe7-0AmnVBJfc4M_1QqAOU3B_xx7kgfhdK50XiOf5su0ETpkQOlyg3oNqoppJonJG_VK7c-jzhFM-67kMdZBFwODS__5zWy8mdwl7p2" alt="PickerWheel via Appium Inspector" /></figure>



Approach 2:&nbsp;



In the second approach, javascript’s mobile method selectPickerWheelValue can be used:



{



HashMap&lt;String, Object&gt; params = new HashMap&lt;&gt;();



params.put(&#8220;order&#8221;, &#8220;next&#8221;);



params.put(&#8220;offset&#8221;, 0.15);



params.put(&#8220;element&#8221;, ((RemoteWebElement) pickerWheelElement).getId());



driver.executeScript(&#8220;mobile: selectPickerWheelValue&#8221;, params);



}



And it accesses the pickerWheel values in forward or backward direction, as needed, using the above parameters.&nbsp; &nbsp;



<ul class="list_style_disc"><li>Order: The value of order determines where to pick the next value &#8211; for forward direction “next” value should be passed and for backward “previous” should be passed.</li> <li>Offset: The height of the wheel at which click should be done.</li> <li>Element: PickerWheel element.</li></ul> 



Let’s discuss how the pickerWheel interaction can be automated in an iOS native application using simple natural language in <a href="https://testsigma.com" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener" aria-label="Let’s discuss how the pickerWheel interaction can be automated in an iOS native application using simple natural language in Testsigma: (opens in a new tab)">Testsigma</a>:



&nbsp;&nbsp;“ Pick option by text test data in the UI identifier picker view”



<figure class="wp-block-image"><img src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/MfMACuooCy5IgXb0SdL7D2OZIFhyG7ThZukVMSF8UZ2OhZTlFUZWk6SuQFmgiigWV0qgeI696xlMc-7h6BSWPm0NdBZxb2Rxj01z0p_72SjYfpYuJyxO2I7QuQdCLjAvOzGvfQmL" alt="Automate Picker Wheel using Testsigma" /></figure>



Here,&nbsp;



test data: The pickerWheel value that should be selected regardless of direction. ui identifier:  locator of the PickerWheel Element.



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<h2 id="how-to-automate-picker-wheel-ui-element-using-testsigma">How to Automate Picker Wheel UI Element Using Testsigma?</h2>



It is quite easy to automate picker wheel UI element (for Android and iOS) using Testsigma. The tool uses NLPs, and you must pick out the correct NLP corresponding to the picker wheel UI element detection.



Step 1. Create a project (Android or iOS) and a test case to automate picker wheel UI element testing. Read more on how to <a href="https://testsigma.com/docs/projects/overview/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">create a project in Testsigma</a>.



Step 2. Navigate to the website or the application with the number picker element. 



Step 3. Select the text (number you want to pick) and the element (id, xpath, name) to locate the object.



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img loading="lazy" width="1918" height="830" src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/blog-assets-production.testsigma.com/blogs/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/01163913/picker-wheel-value.png" alt="Testsigma - Test automation platform" class="wp-image-47022" srcset="https://s3.amazonaws.com/blog-assets-production.testsigma.com/blogs/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/01163913/picker-wheel-value.png 1918w, https://s3.amazonaws.com/blog-assets-production.testsigma.com/blogs/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/01163913/picker-wheel-value-768x332.png 768w, https://s3.amazonaws.com/blog-assets-production.testsigma.com/blogs/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/01163913/picker-wheel-value-1536x665.png 1536w" sizes="(max-width: 1918px) 100vw, 1918px" /></figure>



Step 4. You can either record the test steps using Testsigma’s record-and-playback option or write the test cases yourself. Both the options generate tests in plain English.



Step 5. The results of running the tests are available in images with a detailed breakdown of each test step.



If you compare the two methods used here, one using Appium and the other using Testsigma, both perform the same task differently. Appium is code-based, while Testsigma takes the no-code approach and gets the work done in a few minutes.



<a href="https://testsigma.com/compare-test-automation-tools" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Compare different testing tools</a> and see how Testsigma differs from them.





Mobile Testing Tools
https://testsigma.com/mobile-testing-tools


Android App Automation 
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deeplink testing
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<h2 id="conclusion">Conclusion</h2>



A picker wheel is a dynamic UI element with multiple values that allow users to pick one at a time. They are used on websites and mobile apps, which makes testing them quite significant.



However, validating the function and UI of a picker wheel is more challenging than checking any other UI element. Picker wheels are dynamic and require an advanced testing tool that can identify dynamic elements and capture them in the test.



While other tools require you to manually determine the element path, Testsigma’s AI-powered feature automatically captures the element and adds it to the test case. For this, you can also use the record-and-playback method enabled in Testsigma.



The idea is to accurately create test cases for an element that is quite challenging to recognize when it comes to <a href="https://testsigma.com/automated-testing" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">automation testing</a>. Testsigma reduces the time spent manually scouring the page to identify the picker wheel element.



Read here &#8211; <a href="https://testsigma.com/testsigma-vs-appium" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Testsigma vs Appium</a>



<h2 id="frequently-asked-questions">Frequently Asked Questions</h2>



<h3 id="how-to-select-random-values-from-the-ios-picker-wheel-using-selenium">How to select random values from the iOS picker wheel using Selenium?</h3>



To <a href="https://stackoverflow.com/questions/37120103/how-to-select-random-value-from-ios-picker-wheel-using-selenium" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">select random values from the iOS picker wheel using Seleniu</a>m, you have to use the random module and generate a random index within the range of the picker options. Locate the picker wheel element, get its options, and select the option corresponding to the random index. Use the send_keys method to send the selected value to the picker wheel.

Automate Picker Wheel Using Testsigma

In this article, we will learn to <a href="https://testsigma.com/automated-mobile-app-testing" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener" aria-label="automate mobile applications (opens in a new tab)">automate mobile applications</a> using <a rel="noreferrer noopener" aria-label="In this article, we will learn to automate mobile apps using Testsigma in 3 simple steps.
Mobile apps can be tested using &nbsp;various platforms and testing frameworks. (opens in a new tab)" href="https://testsigma.com" target="_blank">Testsigma</a> in 3 simple steps. Mobile applications can be automated using &nbsp;various platforms and testing frameworks.



<ul class="list_style_disc"><li>Android apps using AndroidSDK/UIAutomator2</li><li>iOS apps using Xcode-swift / XCUITest </li></ul>



 



Let us look at the steps one by one.







<div id="toc_container" class="no_bullets">Table Of Contents<ul class="toc_list"><li><a href="#Step_1">1 Step 1</a></li><li><a href="#Step_2nbsp">2 Step 2&nbsp;</a></li><li><a href="#Step_3">3 Step 3</a><ul><li><ul><li><a href="#SCHEDULE_A_DEMO">3.0.1 SCHEDULE A DEMO</a></li></ul></li></ul></li></ul></div>
<h2 id="step-1">Step 1 </h2>



Keep the app required to automate ready for Upload into Testsigma Lab. Installed on Test mobile Device(Local Hybrid Execution). The application can also be located on local machine or server accessible via direct link on internet. You may read more about the execution models in Testsigma <a href="https://support.testsigma.com/support/solutions/articles/32000021669-how-to-create-edit-delete-executions-" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener" aria-label="Keep the app required to automate ready for Upload into Testsigma Lab. Installed on Test mobile Device(Local Hybrid Execution). The application can also be located on local machine or server accessible via direct link on internet. You may read more about the execution models in Testsigma here.
 (opens in a new tab)">here.</a> 



Testsigma Lab is Testsigma’s dedicated device cloud that has over 100+ real web, mobile devices and different versions of Android OS, iOS platforms to choose from to execute the tests.



Other Cloud Lab solutions that Testsigma offers include Sauce Labs and BrowserStack.



 



To upload the mobile application, navigate to&nbsp;Test Development &gt;&gt; Uploads 



In the Uploads page, click on the Upload button in the top right corner.



 



<figure class="wp-block-image"><img src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/GlEMhQS6wRtkfEHgaKmwi2zt68sG70V9IbsRQMsCe9HdMLqFplGazAHeWabyr8vvC2GZ_O4crMez6H2mG0dvinCni38OGA0PZ5hVjqSmH0GRO2jzBe8h6tYV9iC3LczoW4VWafxz" alt="Uploads_Testsigma"/></figure>



<h2 id="step-2">Step 2&nbsp; </h2>



Start writing the Test Steps.



If you are new to creating Test Steps in Testsigma, refer the below links to short videos that explains this. Writing automated tests in Testsigma is quite easy as they can easily be written and understood by everyone since the tests are written in plain simple English. Testsigma uses <a href="https://dev.to/lvnya_c/smart-test-automation-using-nlp-h9b" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener" aria-label="If you are new to creating Test Steps in Testsigma, refer the below links to short videos that explains this. Writing automated tests in Testsigma is quite easy as they can easily be written and understood by everyone since the tests are written in plain simple English. Testsigma uses NLP grammar to automate complex tests easily and involves no coding! (opens in a new tab)">NLP grammar</a> to automate complex tests easily and involves no coding!



 



<figure class="wp-block-gallery has-nested-images columns-default is-cropped">
<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><a href="https://testsigma.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img loading="lazy" width="3001" height="830" data-id="3560" src="https://testsigma.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/7.jpg" alt="Test automation simplified with Testsigma,Test automation without coding, TryTestsigma" class="wp-image-3560"/><figcaption>Test automation simplified!</figcaption></a></figure>
</figure>







Let us write the steps to launch a mobile application, tap on a few elements on the application.



<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Gf-0tK-N-c" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener nofollow">Entering Test Steps-Quick video</a> <a href="https://youtu.be/4tNN1r-CdyM" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener nofollow">Assigning values to the Test Step elements</a> 







The below screenshots the steps for these in Testsigma. In case of doubt, you may refer the Examples tab under the Help(?) icon in the tool.







<div class="wp-block-image"><figure class="aligncenter is-resized"><img loading="lazy" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/cz7hupDBopUpPUFRIc7F-lErhl48cs-RD09kNItcS-k0xhtixKYqeNQ8de9L_eKsH-XxotHgue6v3CdT0-dohVBfxr1tjx5Tqf9cXpH3D0rTrtnCIeTw953CivzY-SrnDapW7qBw" alt="Test steps" width="1445" height="541"/></figure></div>



 



<h2 id="step-3">Step 3 </h2>



Run your test. <a rel="noreferrer noopener" aria-label="Run your test. Testsigma provides multiple device environments to choose from. Choose your preferred combination and click Create and Run.
 (opens in a new tab)" href="https://testsigma.com" target="_blank">Testsigma</a> provides multiple device environments to choose from. Choose your preferred combination and click&nbsp;Create and Run. 



 



<figure class="wp-block-image is-resized"><img loading="lazy" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/4pHd8JNhnFNsJuPph6i8nlUbmhlEWrshk7LdkGwRvr6oiq5sHcxERLWdHQbxVdImk_L9yiXS3xlzVkvx2srlefd8xf11Wv4VJD5xYrteuA8M0FYuy88lD30aXAIQvefmYtJCe7AX" alt="create test run" width="603" height="473"/></figure>



 



Run the execution and get customized run results including screenshots, videos, and logs of the run.



 



<figure class="wp-block-image is-resized"><img loading="lazy" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/xMwwiw36-VtG7MSpZaZ7MwaTwQgo5H5CEf_8Q4O5g1_FTmiRxwXVZNRpsDU1h4N4BLiJ1uBcsypDxWozPKAye6pZ4Hat_uObUAouMnx4iUJ4AJrEPPrunEux_qLKp2JxZKRfxBYx" alt="test result" width="1450" height="773"/></figure>



 



That’s all you need to automate a mobile application in Testsigma. If you’d like to see more examples like this, let us know in the comments. 



Start a <a rel="noreferrer noopener" aria-label="Start a free trial and try it yourself! Feel free to contact our team by writing to support@testsigma.com or leave us a message in the chat section. (opens in a new tab)" href="https://testsigma.com/signup" target="_blank">free trial</a> and try it for yourself ! Feel free to contact our team by writing to support@testsigma.com or leave us a message in the chat section.







Thank You..Happy Testing!



 



<h4 id="schedule-a-demo"><a href="https://calendly.com/testsigma/demo" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener" aria-label="SCHEDULE A DEMO (opens in a new tab)">SCHEDULE A DEMO</a></h4>

3 Steps to Automate Mobile Applications Using Testsigma