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@qawolf/flows/ios defines iOS flows and advanced simulator or device control.

​
Primary Exports

  • flow(...)
  • launch(...)
  • device
  • expect
  • testContextDependencies
It also exports iOS-specific target, launch, device, callback context, and flow definition types. Example: 
import { device, flow } from "@qawolf/flows/ios";

const profile = `<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<!DOCTYPE plist PUBLIC "-//Apple//DTD PLIST 1.0//EN"
  "http://www.apple.com/DTDs/PropertyList-1.0.dtd">
<plist version="1.0"><dict></dict></plist>`;

export default flow(
  "Open iOS app",
  { target: "iOS - iPhone 15 (iOS 26)", launch: true },
  async ({ driver }) => {
    await driver.pause(1000);
    await device.installConfigurationProfile(driver, profile);
  },
);

​
Flow Callback Context

All iOS flow callbacks receive:
  • input
  • setOutput(...)
  • test(...)
Launch-enabled iOS flows also receive driver.

​
testContextDependencies

testContextDependencies is exported for runner and tooling integration. Flow authors should usually use the public callback parameters above instead of depending on the raw runner dependency list.

​
Target Model

The current target input model is: 
type IosFlowTargetInput =
  | IosFlowTarget
  | {
      target: IosFlowTarget;
      launch?: false | undefined;
    }
  | {
      target: IosFlowTarget;
      launch: true | LaunchOptions;
    };
The implementation accepts either:
  • a target directly for the common path
  • { target, launch } when startup behavior should be part of the flow
Example: 
import { flow } from "@qawolf/flows/ios";

export const targetOnlyFlow = flow(
  "Target-only path",
  "iOS - iPhone 15 (iOS 26)",
  async () => {
    // call launch() imperatively when startup should happen in the callback
  },
);

export const launchedFlow = flow(
  "Launch-enabled path",
  { target: "iOS - iPhone 15 (iOS 26)", launch: true },
  async ({ driver }) => {
    await driver.pause(1000);
  },
);

​
flow(...)

Use flow(...) for iOS authoring. Behavior from the implementation:
  • without launch, the callback receives input, setOutput(...), and test(...)
  • with launch: true, the flow calls launch() with default iOS startup
  • with launch: <options>, the flow calls launch(options)
  • when launch is enabled, the callback also receives driver
Example: 
import { flow } from "@qawolf/flows/ios";

export default flow(
  "Launch in flow definition",
  { target: "iOS - iPhone 15 (iOS 26)", launch: true },
  async ({ driver }) => {
    await driver.pause(1000);
  },
);

​
launch(...)

launch() starts iOS automation for the active flow and returns: 
type LaunchResult = {
  driver: Awaited<ReturnType<Dependencies["wdio"]["startIos"]>>;
};
This API is only available while a flow is running. Example: 
import { flow, launch } from "@qawolf/flows/ios";

export default flow(
  "Launch explicitly",
  "iOS - iPhone 15 (iOS 26)",
  async () => {
    const { driver } = await launch();
    await driver.pause(1000);
  },
);

​
Launch Shape

type LaunchOptions = {
  app?: {
    path?: string;
    env?: string;
    url?: string;
  };
  autoAcceptAlerts?: boolean;
  autoDismissAlerts?: boolean;
  browserName?: string;
  bundleId?: string;
  capabilities?: Record<string, unknown>;
  noReset?: boolean;
  platformVersion?: string;
  respectSystemAlerts?: boolean;
  snapshotMaxDepth?: number;
  udid?: string;
  waitForIdleTimeout?: number;
  webDriverAgentUrl?: string;
};
Example: 
import { flow, launch } from "@qawolf/flows/ios";

export default flow(
  "Launch app bundle",
  "iOS - iPhone 15 (iOS 26)",
  async () => {
    const { driver } = await launch({
      app: { path: "ios/MyApp.app" },
      bundleId: "com.example.ios",
      snapshotMaxDepth: 500,
    });

    await driver.pause(1000);
  },
);

​
Launch Defaults

The current implementation applies these defaults:
  • when app is omitted, launch falls back to the runner-provided executable input path and then to installed-app startup through bundleId
  • respectSystemAlerts defaults to true
  • snapshotMaxDepth defaults to 999
  • noReset defaults to false
Example: 
import { flow, launch } from "@qawolf/flows/ios";

export default flow(
  "Use iOS defaults",
  "iOS - iPhone 15 (iOS 26)",
  async () => {
    const { driver } = await launch({
      bundleId: "com.example.ios",
    });

    await driver.pause(1000);
  },
);

​
App Resolution

When app is provided, the current resolution order is:
  1. app.path
  2. app.env
  3. app.url
When app is omitted, launch falls back to RUN_INPUT_PATH. Relative paths are resolved against RUN_INPUTS_EXECUTABLES_DIR when that environment variable is present. Explicit app source examples: 
await launch({ app: { path: "ios/MyApp.app" } });
await launch({ app: { env: "IOS_APP_PATH" } });
await launch({ app: { url: "https://example.com/MyApp.zip" } });
RUN_INPUT_PATH fallback example: 
// The runner sets RUN_INPUT_PATH before the flow starts.
await launch({
  bundleId: "com.example.ios",
});
If app is present but does not resolve to a value, launch does not fall back to RUN_INPUT_PATH.

​
device

device is a runtime proxy over the iOS simulator or device API. Use it for device-level operations that sit outside the main flow(...) and launch() path. Example: 
import { device, flow, launch } from "@qawolf/flows/ios";

const profile = `<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<!DOCTYPE plist PUBLIC "-//Apple//DTD PLIST 1.0//EN"
  "http://www.apple.com/DTDs/PropertyList-1.0.dtd">
<plist version="1.0"><dict></dict></plist>`;

export default flow("Install profile", "iOS - iPhone 15 (iOS 26)", async () => {
  const { driver } = await launch();
  await device.installConfigurationProfile(driver, profile);
});

​
expect

The exported expect value is a type-safe stub in package code and is replaced by the runner during execution. Example: 
import { expect, flow } from "@qawolf/flows/ios";

export default flow(
  "Use runner expect",
  { target: "iOS - iPhone 15 (iOS 26)", launch: true },
  async ({ driver }) => {
    await expect(driver).toBeDefined();
  },
);
Last modified on April 24, 2026