When it comes to ensuring your app provides an exceptional user experience, understanding how different aspects of your application impact performance is crucial. This is where the Macrobenchmark library comes in – a powerful tool for testing larger use cases and complex UI manipulations, such as scrolling through a RecyclerView or running animations.
Setting Up Macrobenchmark
To get started with Macrobenchmark, you'll need to set up the library itself, which provides benchmarking results in both Android Studio's console and a JSON file with more detail. Additionally, it generates trace files that can be loaded and analyzed within Android Studio. For those looking to integrate Macrobenchmark into their continuous integration (CI) environment, there are instructions available on how to do so.
Creating Baseline Profiles
Before you can start benchmarking your app, you'll need to create a Baseline Profile using the Macrobenchmark library. This process involves setting up the Macrobenchmark module, configuring the target app, and then creating the baseline profile itself.
Project Setup
To get started with Macrobenchmark, it's recommended that you use the latest version of Android Studio for features that integrate seamlessly with the library. Once you have your project set up, you can proceed to create a new Macrobenchmark module using the benchmarking module template available in Android Studio.
Setting Up the App
When setting up your app for benchmarking, there are a few key steps to keep in mind. First, ensure that your target app is profileable, which allows for detailed trace information without affecting performance. Additionally, make sure that the target app includes ProfilerInstaller 1.3 or higher, which enables profile capture and reset as well as shader cache clearing.
Configuring the Benchmarked App
To get the most out of your benchmarking efforts, it's essential to configure your app as closely as possible to its release version or production state. This can be achieved by creating a copy of the release variant and signing it locally with debug keys.
Running Benchmarks in CI
For those looking to integrate Macrobenchmark into their continuous integration (CI) environment, there are instructions available on how to do so. By setting up Macrobenchmark in CI, you can ensure that your app's performance is consistently evaluated across different environments and configurations.
Additional Tips for Advanced Users
For developers working with multi-module apps or product flavors, there are a few additional steps to keep in mind when setting up Macrobenchmark. For example, if you have multiple product flavors set in your app, you'll need to configure the :macrobenchmark module so that it knows which product flavor of your app to build and benchmark.
By following these guidelines and tips for using Macrobenchmark, you can ensure that your app provides an exceptional user experience across a wide range of scenarios and configurations.