Testing a Mobile application

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Overview
Test in the simulator
Test in the emulator
Test in native mode
Direct test on the device
Stopping the project test
Stopping a project test in the simulator
Stopping the test of a project in the emulator
Stopping a project test on the mobile device
Remarks
Directory of the data files used for testing

WINDEV

WEBDEV

WINDEV Mobile

Others

See also

Testing a Mobile application

Overview

By testing the project you can simulate how the application will run when launched by the user (executable file, package, etc.). This allows you to test the entire application, even if it is still being developed.

Available tests by platform:

	Simulator (Development computer)	Emulator	Native (on the device)

Android	X	X (on PC)	X (USB connection) New in SaaS X (Wi-Fi connection)
Android widget	X (windows only)
iOS	X	X (on MAC)	X (WMDev required)
iOS widget	X (windows only)	X (on MAC)
Apple Watch	X (windows only)	X (on MAC)
Catalyst	X (windows only)	X (on MAC)

Overview of the different types of tests
Several types of project tests are available in WINDEV Mobile:

Test in a simulator (Test on the development computer):
This test simulates a mobile device on the development computer. No connection to a mobile device is required during this test. You can use the debugger. However, since the test is run on a PC and not on the device itself, the application may behave differently.
Test in an emulator:
The SDK includes a device emulator. The application can be tested in an emulator. This option does not require a real device to run the tests but it provides a more accurate execution than the simulator.
Note: The emulator must be run on a Mac.
Direct test on the device connected to the development computer (via USB)
In this case, the application file that corresponds to the project is created, copied directly to the device and executed. Once the program is running on the device, you can disconnect the device from the PC. The debugger is available in Android and iOS.
New in SaaS
Android devices can also be connected to the PC via Wi-Fi.
Note: This feature is only available from WINDEV Suite SaaS 2025 - Update 2.
For more details, see Using new features exclusive to WINDEV Suite SaaS 2025.

Test in the simulator

To test the current project on the development computer (in the simulator):

Click in the quick access buttons (or press Ctrl + F9).
If you have not yet defined the first window of the project, a window appears allowing you to select it.
If the application is intended to be used on phones and tablets, two windows are displayed:
- a window for defining the first window of the project on phones.
- a window for defining the first window of the project on tablets.
Close the warning window for the simulator mode.
The editor is automatically minimized and the project is run.

Remarks:

The result of some features depends on the platform used (OS, string format, etc.). There may be some differences when testing the application in the simulator or directly on the device.
You can debug your application in the simulator. This mode allows you to quickly debug a new function or test an algorithm, but implies some significant differences. For example:
- Windows file paths are used.
- string format.
- WLanguage functions or mobile-specific features not available on Windows.
To define the test mode options:
- On the "Project" tab, in the "Test mode" group, expand "Test mode" and select "Test mode settings".
- Specify:
  - the command line to pass to the application during testing. This command can be personal or common to all users.
  - New in version 2025
    the mode used by the vault during testing. For more details, see Secret string vault.
    Note: This feature is only available from version 2025 Update 1.
  For more details, see Test mode settings.
iOS14 widgets: You can directly test iOS 14 widget windows in the WINDEV Mobile simulator. The characteristics of widget windows are taken into account.

Test in the emulator

To test the current project in the emulator:

Expand in the quick access buttons: "Test project (xxx emulator)".
The application is automatically generated.
A window allows you to select the emulator or the device onto which the application will be copied and run. This window is used to create an emulator if necessary.
Select the desired emulator and validate.
The emulator and the application start.

Android emulator
The Android emulator is supplied with the Android SDK. To use an emulator, you must first create it in Android Studio (refer to the Android Studio documentation for more details). If the emulator has been created, it will automatically appear in the list of available devices for testing via the "GO" option.

Remarks:

The emulator may take a long time to start. It is recommended not to close the emulator between 2 project tests.
The debugger is not attached to the application. The breakpoints are ignored.
This type of test does not take the speed of the phone into account. The test takes the speed of the development computer into account.
Some WLanguage functions are not available in the emulator. The documentation of the different functions indicates whether the function can be used in the emulator. The functions fail when they are not available.

iOS emulator (Xcode)

iOS 14 Widgets: When testing from Xcode, a widget mode is forced by default. If necessary, you change the configuration in Xcode (refer to the Xcode documentation).

Test in native mode

Direct test on the device

To test the current application on a device connected to the development computer:

Expand in the quick access buttons.
Select:
- "Debug on mobile device". The mobile device can be:
  - directly connected to the PC via USB.
  - New in SaaS
    connected to the PC via Wi-Fi.
    Note: This feature is only available from WINDEV Suite SaaS 2025 - Update 2.
    For more details, see Using new features exclusive to WINDEV Suite SaaS 2025.
- "Debug on <Mobile device name>".
  In this case, it is necessary to download an application to the device first.
  For more details, see Testing an iOS application on a mobile device.
If the application has not been generated, the application generation wizard will automatically start.
The application is copied to the device and is then run.

For more details, see:

Stopping the project test

Stopping a project test in the simulator

There are several methods to stop a test in the simulator:

1st method: Close the application being tested. WINDEV or WINDEV Mobile displays the editor that was open when the test was started.
2nd method: Close the application test window.
3rd method: Go back to the editor via the taskbar (or Alt + Tab) and stop the test. WINDEV or WINDEV Mobile displays the editor that was open when the test was started.

Stopping the test of a project in the emulator

To stop the test of a project in the emulator, all you have to do is close the application in the emulator.

You can also close the emulator. However, if you are going to test other applications, it is recommended to keep it open since it can take quite a long time to open.

Stopping a project test on the mobile device

When testing directly on the device, simply stop the application on the device.

Remarks

Directory of the data files used for testing

To configure the data files used when testing the site in the editor:

Open the project description window. To do so, go to the "Project" tab, "Project" group, and select "Description".
In the "Data files" tab, select the location of the test files:
- Current directory: Data files will be located in the project's EXE subdirectory.
- Specific directory: Data files will be located in the specified directory.

Reminder: When testing the application, the data files used are those located on the development computer. The file system also corresponds to the Windows system for PC. To avoid any problems when the application is used in a real-case scenario, use InTestMode to differentiate between the access to the data files in test mode and at runtime.