Java-client v8.x - How to add listeners to an instance of AppiumDriver?

[cliffgibb]

I am in the process of migrating from java client v7.x to v8.x and need to update the process of attaching listeners to the instance of AppiumDriver.

Old v7.x method:
AppiumDriver driver;
(initialization omitted)
driver = EventFiringWebDriverFactory.getEventFiringWebDriver(driver, new AppiumDriverEventListener());

New v8.x method:
AppiumDriver driver;
(initialization omitted)

WebDriverListener listener = new AppiumDriverEventListener();
driver = (AppiumDriver) new EventFiringDecorator(listener).decorate(driver);

I am not able to cast the WebDriver to AppiumDriver:
java.lang.ClassCastException: class net.bytebuddy.renamed.java.lang.Object$ByteBuddy$4VFg5tn3 cannot be cast to class io.appium.java_client.AppiumDriver (net.bytebuddy.renamed.java.lang.Object$ByteBuddy$4VFg5tn3 is in unnamed module of loader net.bytebuddy.dynamic.loading.ByteArrayClassLoader @27d98bef; io.appium.java_client.AppiumDriver is in unnamed module of loader com.miw.mcb.shared.classloaders.JarClassLoader @1992eaf4)

What is the correct approach to add listeners to an instance of AppiumDriver?

[mykola-mokhnach]

driver must be an interface in the code above. Assigning it to a class instance won't work

[mykola-mokhnach]

driver = (AppiumDriver) new EventFiringDecorator(listener).decorate(driver);

also this typecast won't work, the result of the decorate method could only be cast to an interface

[cliffgibb]

Thank you for your response @mykola-mokhnach. Since my implementation relies on an instance of AppiumDriver, do you have a recommendation as how I can add listeners to an instance of AppiumDriver?

I could do this using v7.x:
driver = EventFiringWebDriverFactory.getEventFiringWebDriver(driver, new AppiumDriverEventListener());

I can't simply replace AppiumDriver with WebDriver.

Would this be considered a bug of v8.x? (I'd be happy to submit a ticket) or perhaps there is another approach of which I am not aware.

[mykola-mokhnach]

No, the behaviour is expected.
You could create an improvement request to https://github.com/SeleniumHQ/selenium though as we import the decorator implementation from there without any changes.

[cliffgibb]

Hi @mykola-mokhnach, it appears that Selenium has made a fix in version 4.5.0 (the EventFiringDecorator accepts a target Class):
SeleniumHQ/selenium@fcc549a

So once the Appium java-client uses the Selenium 4.5.0 dependency, I will be able to give this a test.