[Flutter] Integrating Patrol with GitHub Actions for Automated Flutter Integration Tests

I am working on setting up a continuous integration pipeline with automated integration tests for a Flutter application. My goal is to run the tests using Patrol and subsequently deploy to Firebase Test Lab. However, I'm encountering issues with building the test APK using Patrol in the GitHub Actions workflow.

I have configured my workflow to set up the environment, install dependencies, and build the test APK for Android and iOS. Despite multiple attempts and different configurations, the build process fails, and I have not been able to efficiently run an emulator within the pipeline.

on:
push:
branches: [ staging ]
pull_request:
branches: [ staging ]
workflow_dispatch:

jobs:
setup:
runs-on: ubuntu-latest

steps:
- name: Checkout Repository
uses: actions/checkout@v2

- name: Set Git user info
run: |

- name: Install Google Cloud SDK
run: |
curl -sSL https://sdk.cloud.google.com | bash
echo "$HOME/google-cloud-sdk/bin" >> $GITHUB_PATH
- name: Decode and Write Service Account to File
run: |
echo "${{ secrets.KEY}}" | base64 -d > /tmp/temp.json
echo "GOOGLE_APPLICATION_CREDENTIALS=/tmp/temp.json" >> $GITHUB_ENV
- name: Extract Project ID from Service Account
run: |
PROJECT_ID=$(jq -r '.project_id' /tmp/temp.json)
echo "PROJECT_ID=$PROJECT_ID" >> $GITHUB_ENV
- name: Install Firebase CLI
run: curl -sL firebase.tools | bash

- name: Install Google Cloud SDK
run: |
curl -sSL https://sdk.cloud.google.com | bash
echo "$HOME/google-cloud-sdk/bin" >> $GITHUB_PATH

- name: Authenticate with Google Cloud
run: |
gcloud auth activate-service-account --key-file=/tmp/temp.json
gcloud config set project "$PROJECT_ID"
- name: Retrieve and Mask all GCP Secrets
run: |
secrets=$(gcloud secrets list --format='get(name)')
for secret_full_name in $secrets; do
secret_name=${secret_full_name##*/}
secret_value=$(gcloud secrets versions access latest --secret="$secret_name" --project="$PROJECT_ID" --quiet)
echo "::add-mask::***"
echo "$secret_name"='***' >> $GITHUB_ENV
done





android-tests:
needs: setup
runs-on: ubuntu-latest
steps:
- name: Checkout Repository
uses: actions/checkout@v2

- name: Set up Flutter
uses: subosito/flutter-action@v1
with:
flutter-version: '3.16.5'

- name: Install Dependencies
run: flutter pub get

- name: Install Patrol
run: flutter pub global activate patrol

- name: Build Android App and Test APK with Patrol
run: patrol build android -t integration_test/example_test.dart --flavor production

- name: Run Tests on Firebase Test Lab (Android)
run: |
gcloud firebase test android run \
--type instrumentation \
--app build/app/outputs/apk/debug/app-debug.apk \
--test build/app/outputs/apk/androidTest/debug/app-debug-androidTest.apk \
--device model="nexus6", version="30", locale=en, orientation=portrait \
--timeout 10m \
--results-bucket="patrol_runs" \
--use-orchestrator \
--environment-variables clearPackageData=true
- name: Fastlane Android Deployment
run: fastlane android deploy

ios-tests:
needs: setup
runs-on: macos-latest
steps:
- name: Checkout Repository
uses: actions/checkout@v2

- name: Set up Flutter
uses: subosito/flutter-action@v1
with:
flutter-version: '3.16.5'

- name: Install Dependencies
run: flutter pub get

- name: Install Patrol
run: flutter pub global activate patrol

- name: Build iOS App for Testing
run: patrol build ios --target integration_test/example_test.dart --release

- name: Package iOS Tests
run: |
pushd build/ios_integ/Build/Products
zip -r ios_tests.zip Release-iphoneos Runner_iphoneos16.2-arm64.xctestrun
popd
- name: Run Tests on Firebase Test Lab (iOS)
run: |
gcloud firebase test ios run \
--test build/ios_integ/Build/Products/ios_tests.zip \
--device model=iphone13, version=16.2, locale=en_US, orientation=portrait \
--timeout 10m \
--results-bucket="patrol_runs"
- name: Fastlane iOS Deployment
run: fastlane ios deploy


I attempted to use an emulator build directly in the pipeline, but it proved to be inefficient. I'm now exploring how to best utilize Firebase Test Lab for running the tests.

I would appreciate any guidance on the following points:

How can I successfully build the test APK with Patrol in a GitHub Actions workflow?

What is the most efficient way to run these tests on Firebase Test Lab?

Are there best practices or recommended approaches for setting up this type of CI/CD pipeline for a Flutter app?

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