22 April 2024 Leave a comment Tech-Help
When working with Android devices, the Android Debug Bridge (ADB) is an indispensable tool for communicating with the device. However, users may encounter the frustrating issue of the system not recognizing the ‘adb’ command. This typically returns an error message similar to:
$ adb install -r /path/to/your/app.apk
-bash: adb: command not found
Let’s explore how to resolve this issue.
Setting Up ADB Correctly
To ensure that the ‘adb’ command is recognized, you must include the path to the ADB executable in your system’s PATH environment variable. Here are the steps to follow:
- Locate your Android SDK directory. The ADB tool is typically found in the
platform-toolsfolder within the SDK. - Open your
.bashrcfile in a text editor. This file is located in your home directory and may be hidden. You can open it with a command likegedit ~/.bashrcornano ~/.bashrc. - Add the following line to the end of the file, replacing
/path/to/android-sdkwith the actual path to your Android SDK: - Save the file and close the editor.
- Apply the changes by running
source ~/.bashrcin the terminal. - Verify that ADB is properly set up by typing
adb devicesin the terminal. You should see a list of connected devices.
export PATH=${PATH}:/path/to/android-sdk/platform-toolsCreating a Symlink
Another approach is to create a symlink to the ADB executable in a directory that’s already in your PATH, such as /usr/local/bin:
sudo ln -s /path/to/android-sdk/platform-tools/adb /usr/local/bin/adbThis way, you can use ‘adb’ directly without modifying the PATH.
Installing ADB via Package Manager
If ADB is not installed on your system, you can easily install it via your distribution’s package manager. For example, on Ubuntu:
sudo apt install adbRepeato Integration
Once you have resolved the ‘adb’ command not found issue, you can leverage tools like Repeato to enhance your testing process. Repeato is a no-code test automation tool that supports all sorts of app frameworks and comes with ADB onboard, allowing you to execute ADB commands via script steps. This can be particularly useful for automating and running tests on your Android apps, ensuring that they function correctly across different devices and scenarios.
Repeato’s computer vision and AI capabilities can help you identify UI components and interactions more effectively, making it faster to create and maintain automated tests. This integration with ADB ensures that you can handle a wide range of testing tasks without having to delve into complex coding, saving time and resources.
By following the steps outlined in this article and utilizing tools like Repeato, you can streamline your development and testing workflows, leading to more robust and reliable Android applications.
