5 April 2024 Leave a comment Tech-Help
If you are working with Appium and Android Studio on a Mac and encounter an error when launching uiautomatorviewer from the command line, you are not alone. This issue typically presents with an error message indicating a problem with Java Virtual Machine creation and a suggestion to use -classpath instead of -Djava.ext.dirs. This guide will help you resolve this common problem in a few simple steps.
Understanding the Issue
The error message you encounter is generally related to the Java version installed on your system. UIautomatorviewer is compatible with Java 8 and may not work properly with later versions of Java. This is due to changes in the way Java handles certain system properties and class paths.
Steps to Resolve the Java Virtual Machine Error
- Check Your Java Version: Open the Terminal and type
java -versionto determine the Java version installed on your Mac. - Uninstall Java 9: If you find that Java 9 is installed, you will need to uninstall it. You can do this by running the uninstall command specific to Java 9 or by manually removing the Java 9 installation directory.
- Install Java 8: After removing Java 9, install Java 8 on your system. You can download Java 8 from the official Oracle website or use a package manager like Homebrew to install it.
- Verify Installation: Once Java 8 is installed, verify the installation by running
java -versionagain in the Terminal. You should now see that Java 8 is the active version. - Launch UIautomatorviewer: With Java 8 in place, try launching uiautomatorviewer from the command line once more. It should now initialize without the Java Virtual Machine error.
Conclusion
By reverting to Java 8, you should be able to resolve the initialization error with UIautomatorviewer on your Mac. This solution is straightforward and allows you to continue working with Appium and Android Studio without further disruptions. If you encounter any other issues or have questions regarding the setup, feel free to seek additional guidance or consult the documentation for the respective tools you are using.
