Appium Service Builder takes more than 3 minutes

[manivannan184]

The problem

I am trying to start a Appium Android Service with AppiumServiceBuilder() but it takes more than 3 minutes to build

Environment

• Appium version (or git revision) that exhibits the issue: 1.13.0-beta.0 (issue is happening with recent previous appium versions as well)
• Last Appium version that did not exhibit the issue (if applicable): N/A
• Desktop OS/version used to run Appium: Windows 7
• Node.js version (unless using Appium.app|exe): 10.15.3
• Npm or Yarn package manager: npm 6.4.1
• Mobile platform/version under test: Android Oreo
• Real device or emulator/simulator: Real device
• Appium CLI or Appium.app|exe: Appium.Webdriver library 4.0.0.5-beta for C#

Details

I am starting Appium service for android device using below statement:

_service = new AppiumServiceBuilder().UsingPort(4723).WithLogFile(fileInfo).WithArguments(args).Build();

First time when Appium is installed, the service starts within 15 seconds.

However if i restart the Desktop or later, it takes more than 3 minutes to start the session.
(Whether the device already has Appium.settings app or not - the behavior is same)

Link to Appium logs

No appium session is created during the error time, so no logs can be provided.

Code To Reproduce Issue

var args = new OptionCollector().AddArguments(GeneralOptionList.LocalTimezone()).AddArguments(GeneralOptionList.OverrideSession());

            var fileInfo = new FileInfo(Path.Combine(CatUtilityInterface.Instance.Automationpath + @"\Appium_DEV-" +
                                                DateTime.Now.ToString("yyyy-MMM-dd_HH-mm-ss") + ".txt"));

            _service = new AppiumServiceBuilder().UsingPort(4723).WithLogFile(fileInfo).WithArguments(args).Build();

            _service?.Start();

[mykola-mokhnach]

Have you tried to start a session manually with the same arguments? How much time it takes?

[manivannan184]

@mykola-mokhnach may i get the command to run manually. some sample command should help me.

[mykola-mokhnach]

https://www.google.com/search?q=how+to+start+appium+from+command+line

[manivannan184]

@mykola-mokhnach i ran below command in CMD manually

node C:\Users\User\AppData\Roaming\npm\node_modules\appium\build\lib\main.js --local-timezone --session-override --port 4728 --address 127.0.0.1 -g C:\Work\Sync\new2.txt

Appium started quickly.

[mykola-mokhnach]

Now debug the code and get the command line generated by C# lib to compare it with one that you've executed manually. If these two are exactly the same then there might be an issue in the C# client lib

[manivannan184]

I am debugging the appium library and found the delay happens at this statement

this.AppiumJS = this.InstalledNodeInCurrentFileSystem;

Class: AppiumServiceBuilder
Namespace: OpenQA.Selenium.Appium.Service

[manivannan184]

sorry i closed the issue by mistake.

[mykola-mokhnach]

We are not .net experts here. Moving the issue to the appropriate place

[manivannan184]

delay happens at this statement

this.AppiumJS = this.InstalledNodeInCurrentFileSystem;

Class: AppiumServiceBuilder
Namespace: OpenQA.Selenium.Appium.Service

I found the recovery by adding below environmental variable:
APPIUM_BINARY_PATH
C:\Users<user>\AppData\Roaming\npm\node_modules\appium\build\lib\main.js

[broetchenrackete36]

I did a little bit of digging and its (probably) because update-notifier doesn't have a network-connection (maybe you are behind a proxy, update-notifier doesn't honor proxy-settings). See discussion on npm-community: https://npm.community/t/npm-version-takes-3-minutes-to-complete-when-run-in-child-process-and-behind-corporate-proxy/1658/11 and pull-request npm/cli#61 .

Workarounds are to either set the environment variable APPIUM_BINARY_PATH or NO_UPDATE_NOTIFIER="true".