SuitestDrive - automation control unit

Much like the CandyBox, SuitestDrive is also a control unit made by Suitest. It is a desktop application which operates locally installed browsers, Android TVs and mobiles, Apple iPhones and iPads, Apple TVs, Apple iOS/tvOS Simulators, LG webOS, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Roku, Samsung Tizen, VIDAA, Vizio, Xbox (One, Series X/S) and Xfinity (Comcast) devices in your local network (see details below).

You can also configure the CandyBox to run SuitestDrive. Read more about SuitestDrive on CandyBox.

Download SuitestDrive for:

SuitestDrive version 1.2.0 or older

SuitestDrive versions older than 1.2.0 are no longer supported and will not be automatically updated. If you are still using any of the old versions, please manually download the latest SuitestDrive from your profile page. For more information how to uninstall old version please check the FAQ.

Devices operated by SuitestDrive

  • Android TV and mobile devices with operating system based on Android version 5.0 or higher - many TV's (including Amazon Fire TV), set-top boxes, tablets and mobile phones.
  • Apple iPhone / iPad devices with iOS version 13.0 or higher, or with iPadOS.
  • Apple TV devices with tvOS version 11.2 or higher, this includes Apple TV 4th generation and Apple TV 4K.
  • Google Chrome browser installed locally. Currently version 66 and greater is supported.
  • LG webOS TVs.
  • Microsoft Edge browser installed locally.
  • Mozilla Firefox browser installed locally. Currently version 57 and greater is supported. This version of Firefox supports the HybridTvViewer for HbbTV app emulation.
  • PlayStation 4/5 DevKit and TestKit.
  • Roku devices with system version of 7.5 or later.
  • Safari browser installed locally.
  • Samsung Tizen TVs.
  • VIDAA TVs
  • Vizio TVs.
  • Xbox (One, Series X/S) family developer kits (OS version 10.0.15063 or higher) and retail versions (OS version 10.0.17134 or higher).
  • Xfinity (Comcast) devices.

To operate TV's and set-top boxes with an infrared port take a look at the CandyBox.

Installing SuitestDrive

Simply unzip the downloaded package into the directory of your choice and then run the SuitestDrive.exe file. SuitestDrive has a built-in auto update function.

To make SuitestDrive work properly on macOS and receive automatic updates, please move SuitestDrive from the Downloads folder to any other folder (e.g. Desktop or Applications) via Finder.

Warning

Do not unzip the package into a location in which the path contains any special characters (# $ % & etc.) or diacritics. The path must contain only alphanumeric characters or underscores.

Pairing SuitestDrive with an organization

On the first start-up SuitestDrive will ask to be paired with a Suitest organization.

SuitestDrive pairing screen

Press Pair my SuitestDrive to get to the pairing wizard screen, then enter a name for this SuitestDrive and select an organization where the devices operated by this SuitestDrive should appear.

Device wizard pairing screen

When the pairing is successful, your Control Units page should show the newly added SuitestDrive as online:

Successfully paired SuitestDrive on the Control Units page

You can have many SuitestDrive apps paired with your Suitest organization. If you ever need to move your SuitestDrive to a different Suitest organization you have to delete it from the current organization first and then repeat the pairing process. You also have the option of sharing a device that is connected to your SuitestDrive, read more on sharing and access rights.

Before using any device with SuitestDrive, make sure that the device works correctly without SuitestDrive. This is especially important for the emulators and browsers. Be sure to try to open an app in the emulator before attempting to add it to SuitestDrive.

Setting up devices

Different devices have a slightly different setup process, so we have written separate articles for Android TVs and mobile devices, Apple iPhones/iPads, Apple TVs, Apple iOS/tvOS Simulators, browsers, LG webOS, PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5 devices, Roku devices, Samsung Tizen TVs, VIDAA TVs, Vizio TVs, Xbox (One, Series X/S) devices and Xfinity (Comcast) devices.

After set-up of the device has been completed, the device will be shown in your Suitest account. For the device to remain ready to use, SuitestDrive must be running in the background. If one of the devices operated by this SuitestDrive shows up with status SUITESTDRIVE TURNED OFF then SuitestDrive is not running or the computer does not have a stable Internet connection.

It is a good idea to add SuitestDrive to the list of your auto-start applications, so that your devices are available right after you boot the computer. If you intend to use the configured devices together with other people in your organization consider running SuitestDrive on a dedicated machine rather than on your personal computer.

SuitestDrive configuration file

In the configuration file of SuitestDrive you can further customize the runtime environment for Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, Microsoft Edge and Safari. To access the configuration file select File -> Open config folder from the main menu. The folder will open in your system's file explorer. Look for a file called sd-config.yaml.

When editing the configuration file be sure to maintain a valid YAML syntax. Basic rules are:

  • Lines starting with # are ignored.
  • Indents are important and made with the space character.

For all browsers (except for Microsoft Edge Legacy) the following properties can be configured:

  • User Agent - specify the user agent string of the browser.
  • User profile - change the browser profile folder.

Please note that all configuration options are commented out the first time you are accessing the configuration file. To make the option effective, uncomment the line (remove the leading # symbol).

The sd-config.yaml file is commented throughout, for further information please read through the comments.

If something goes wrong

Here are a few tips on how to resolve potential problems.

Submitting logs from SuitestDrive

Please, submit your SuitestDrive logs after an error occurred to help us with identifying your potential issues.

In the Control Units page, you can submit logs from any of the SuitestDrive in your organization (including SuitestDrive running on the CandyBox).

Submit logs from SuitestDrive

Submit logs from SuitestDrive on CandyBox

Browser extensions and plug-ins

SuitestDrive creates a temporary fresh browser profile every time it starts the browser. This is being done in order to invalidate any caches that may cause your test to break in deterministically. This however causes that all the plug-ins and browser extensions disappear every time you start the browser from SuitestDrive.

If you need to use a particular browser extension or plug in you need to:

  1. Set a specific browser profile.
  2. Launch the browser through SuitestDrive and install plug-ins in that instance.

For instructions on how to set a browser profile refer to the Configuration file section.

Testing Smart TV apps in browsers

SuitestDrive makes no attempt to alter the browser behavior to support specific Smart TV features. Therefore when launching Smart TV apps in Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, Microsoft Edge or Safari you should expect certain incompatibility issues. Consult with the app developer if and to what extent the app is intended to work in either browser. Also have a look at TV specific keys in browser article for information about key codes sent to your TV app during test execution.

Something went wrong?

Please check the SuitestDrive troubleshooting section for guidance.