Set up WinAppDriver in Katalon Studio

This document shows you how to install and run Windows Application Driver (WinAppDriver) on a Windows 10 machine before performing Windows Desktop Apps tests.

Note:

• What is the test machine?

  • The test machine is where you have the Application Under Test installed and tested.

• What is the test runner machine?

  • The test runner machine is where you install Katalon Studio and store the test scripts.
  • The test runner machine and the test machine can be the same machine or different ones (remote connection)

Install and run WinAppDriver on Windows 10 machine

Install WinAppDriver

Note:

• Install and run WinAppDriver on the test machine.

There are two ways to install WinAppDriver on a Windows 10 machine:

1. From the Katalon Studio toolbar, select Tools > Windows > Install WinAppDrivers. The Windows Application Driver Setup window opens. Follow the instructions to install the Windows Application Driver.

2. You can also refer to the WinAppDriver Github project document here: Installing and Running Windows Application Driver for the installation.

Run WinAppDriver

1. Enable Developer Mode on the test machine. You can refer to the Microsoft document here: Enable your device for development for instructions.

   
   
   

2. By default, WinAppDriver is installed at C:\Program Files (x86)\Windows Application Driver. To run WinAppDriver, double-click the WinAppDriver.exe file from the installation directory.

   Alternatively, you can also add the code below to your script to automate WinAppDriver launching:

   String command = "C:\\Program Files (x86)\\Windows Application Driver\\WinAppDriver.exe";
   ProcessBuilder builder = new ProcessBuilder(command).inheritIO();
   startWinAppDriver = builder.start();

Set up WinAppDriver for the remote connection

On the Windows 10 test machine

Note:

• While the test is being run, make sure to have WinAppDriver open and configured for the remote connection on the Windows 10 test machine.

After installing WinAppDriver and enabling Developer Mode, to configure WinAppDriver for the remote connection, follow these steps:

1. Open Task Manager > Select File > Create a new task.

2. Select Create this task with administrative privileges and enter cmd in the Open text box, then click the OK button.

   
   
   

3. Run cd to your WinAppDriver installation folder. By default, it is at C:\Program Files (x86)\Windows Application Driver.

4. Run WinAppDriver.exe <IP_Address> <Port>.

   • IP_Address: is the public IP address of the test machine. Run ipconfig.exe to determine the IP address.
   • Port: is the public port of the remote machine. By default, it should be 4723.

   
   
   

   Note:

   • If the test machine is in a highly secured environment with firewall, you might need to create an Inbound Port Rule for the test machine to receive inbound requests. To set up the inbound rule, you can follow the steps here in the WinAppDriver project document: Create an Inbound Port Rule.

On the test runner machine

Note:

• The test runner machine can be Windows, macOS or Linux.

While building your test script, make sure to have the WinAppDriver URL point to the public IP address of the remote test machine. In the above example, it should be: http://192.168.37.95:4723/.

The application file path is the absolute path to the Windows Executable File (*.exe) file of the remote test machine.