Appium server does not launch iOS simulator with --app

Support
1

Mac OSX 10.10.5
Appium server 1.5
Python 2.7.11
Appium Python Client 0.21

I’ve recently migrated from Appium.app to Appium server and ever since then have struggled to get the Inspector to work reliably like it used to.

I can launch appium from the CLI without issue. But I cannot launch appium from the CLI while forcing it to physically launch the simulator with:

 appium --app /Users/<my_username>/Library/Developer/Xcode/DerivedData/<my_derived_data_folder>/Build/Products/InHouse-iphonesimulator/<my_aut>.app

Appium successfully launches, complains about deprecation of --app but still doesn’t launch the sim. The sim is launched once I execute a test.

It would not work on 1.4.16 either, though it didn’t complain about deprecating --app.

I’m assuming I’m doing something super simple wrong.

2

It would be much better if you could post the log. However, am I reading correctly that you are just trying to start the Appium server with ‘–app’? Don’t you at least need ‘–deviceName’?

For the 'depreciated error, I think Appium may want you to give the parameter like this:

caps = {'app':'/path/to/app', 'deviceName':'iPhone 6'}
appium --default-capabilities caps

See here for more info:

http://appium.io/slate/en/master/?python#server-flags

3

Re-reviewing this, I think my real issue is that ever since Appium.app stopped being maintained I migrated to Appium server CLI. I’ve attempted to follow the directions here: https://medium.com/@SimonKaz/dealing-with-outdated-appium-gui-server-version-3cb2be8a9fcc#.yr7gl9jfr for configuring Appium.app to work with the CLI but for whatever reason it fails to launch the server, thus cannot use the Inspector.

See all of the gory details here: Can launch Appium 1.5 server via CLI but not via Appium.app