Robot Framework in Python

In this article, we will see the robot framework and we will cover standard libraries and underlying functions and going forward we will also cover test cases, keywords, variables and finally organizing the test cases.

Robot Framework Overview

Robot Framework is a widely used open-source automation framework designed for:

• Acceptance Testing
• Acceptance Test-Driven Development (ATDD)
• Robotic Process Automation (RPA)

It follows a keyword-driven testing approach, making it user-friendly and suitable for both technical and non-technical users. The framework is highly extensible through libraries, which can be implemented in either Python or Java.

1. Acceptance Testing

Acceptance Testing is a technique used to validate whether the system meets business requirements and is ready for delivery. The goal is to evaluate the capability of the system from the perspective of the end user.

• Ensures that all functionalities align with business expectations.
• Helps stakeholders determine if the system behaves as intended under real-world conditions.

2. Acceptance Test-Driven Development (ATDD)

ATDD is an advanced development methodology that emphasizes collaboration between customer, developers and testers.

The process involves writing acceptance tests before the implementation of functionality. These tests are based on business requirements and serve as a shared understanding of what needs to be developed.

Key Benefits:

• Promotes clear communication.
• Helps prevent misunderstandings in requirements.
• Ensures that development stays aligned with business goals.

3. Robotic Process Automation (RPA)

RPA is a technology that automates repetitive and rule-based tasks, often performed by humans, using artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML).

RPA tools can mimic human interactions with software systems, significantly reducing manual effort and increasing efficiency.

Use Cases Include:

• Data entry and migration
• Invoice processing
• Report generation

Architecture of Robot Framework

Robot Framework uses a simple, table-based format for writing test data, which makes editing and maintaining tests straightforward. When the framework is started, it parses this test data, executes the specified tasks and generates detailed output.

The core framework itself is independent of the system under test. It does not contain built-in knowledge of the target application. Instead, it relies on external libraries to handle communication and interaction with the system. These libraries can be custom-built or imported and they may use application interfaces directly or employ low-level tools like drivers (e.g., Selenium) to perform actions.

Key Aspects:

• Test or task execution is initiated from the command line.
• The framework parses test data and uses keywords from libraries during execution.
• Libraries may communicate directly with the system or through external tools.
• Robot Framework follows a modular architecture, allowing it to be bundled and expanded with custom or self-declared libraries.

After execution, Robot Framework produces:

• A log file in HTML format.
• A report file in HTML format.
• An output file in XML format.

These outputs help in understanding test execution flow, failures and overall results, making the framework powerful for automation and reporting.

Installation

Step 1: Python Installation

Check if Python is installed on your system.

python --version
pip --version

Step 2: Install Robot Framework

The suggested route to install the robot framework on Python is to use pip. We can use the undermentioned command to install the framework.

pip install robotframework

Step 3: Verifying Installation

After the well-turned installation, we should be able to see both interpreter and robot framework versions using the --version option.

robot --version
rebot --version

Step 4: Check robot framework is installed properly

pip show robotframework

Standard Libraries in robot framework

There are a bunch of standard libraries in the robot framework. Let's discuss one by one

• Builtin is a Robot Framework standard library that provides a set of common keywords that are needed very often so are automatically imported and always available.
• Collection is a standard library that provides a set of keywords to handle python lists and dictionaries. The library has keywords to modify and derive values from lists and dictionaries.
• DateTime is a robot framework that supports the creation and transformation of date and time values.
• Dialogs is a Robot Framework standard library that provides a means to pause execution and receive input from users.
• OperatingSystem enables the various operating system-related tasks which are going to perform in the system when the robot framework is running. It can among other things executing commands, can also create and remove files directly as well.
• Process is used for running processes, this library utilizes python submodules and its open class. The main use of the library is to wait for the running process in the system and compile using the run process keyword.
• Screenshot is a test library for taking screenshots on the machine where the tests are being run.
• String is a library used for string manipulations and verification.
• Telnet provides communication over a telnet connection. The telnet library makes it possible to connect to a telnet server and execute commands over an open connection.
• XML is also a robot framework text library for verifying and modifying XML documents.

Built-in Tools

There are mainly four built-in tools that are used in robot framework that are:

• Testdoc - Robot Framework generates high-level HTML documentation based on test cases.
• Rebot - Tools to generate logs and reports based on XML output and merge multiple outputs simultaneously.
• Tidy - Robot Framework Tools for cleaning and changing the format of data files.
• Libdoc - Tools for generating keyword documentation for libraries and resource files.

Test-Cases

The test cases in the robot framework are allowed to write in simple English language rather than automated test cases. It follows a Keyword Test driven approach that resonates with natural language in terms of action rather than expectations. Test cases are created from available keywords in test case table and keywords can be imported from test library or resource file or we can also create a keywords table for test case file.

Workflow Tests

The first column in a test case table has the test names and the test case starts with something in the column and is continuous with the next test case name or the end of the table.

Higher-level Tests

The second column usually contains a keyword name and the exception to this rule is to set variables with keyword written values.

Data-Driven Tests

Data-driven testing allows test data to be isolated without mimicking workflows. The [template] setting in the robot framework sets the test case for a data-driven test.

Keywords

Test cases in Robot Framework are created with keywords coming from two sources.

• Library Keywords: All the lowest level keywords are defined in the standard library which can be implemented using programming languages like Java, Python, etc. Robot Framework comes with test libraries that can be divided into standard and custom libraries, so the standard libraries are in the main framework such as built-in screenshots and external libraries are installed separately like the Selenium library.
• User Keywords: One of the powerful features of robot framework is that we can create custom high-level keywords using other keywords.

Organizing Test Cases

Robot test cases are created in test case files, but we can organize them in directories that make up the test suite hierarchy. A collection of test cases is called a test suite. Each file containing test cases also forms a test suite. It is possible to organize test cases into a hierarchy by using directories, all of which form a higher-level test suite that derives their names from directory names.

Creating First Robot Test

Step 1: Check robot framework is installed

Step 2: Go to the project Eclipse > Robot project >New Test Suite

A simple test of the robot:

*** Test Cases ***
MyFirstTest
Log Hello World!!!

To run our Test Case, simply right click on the screen and select Run tests: 'MyFirstTest' and the console will open

As we can see all the details about the test and we can see the output, log and report by following the given address link

Here we can clearly see the project report, it gives the time of the report creation. It gives some summary information about the test like Status, Start Time, End Time, Elapsed Time and Log File. 

And we visit the Log File by clicking on the link given:

Here, we can see the statistics and also check the pass/fail/skip number of test cases. We can check the test execution log and test suite status.

Advantages of Robot Framework

1. It is convenient to use and install.
2. It is an open-source framework, anyone with or without programming experience can drive.
3. It is suited to various operating systems and external libraries such as the Selenium library.
4. The Robot framework supports behavior-driven, keyword-driven and data-driven styles of building test cases.
5. We can use any Robot Integrated Development Environment (RIDE) or any text editor to write the test cases.

Disadvantages of Robot Framework

1. Scarcity of parallel test execution.
2. Customizing HTML reports is not straightforward.
3. Lacks support for if-else, nested loops, which are required when the code gets complex.

Conclusion

The Robot Framework is an open-source test automation framework for acceptance testing and acceptance test-driven development. The test cases in the robot framework are based on keywords written in a tabular format, which makes it clear and readable and reveals true information about the intent of the test case. For example, to open a browser, the keyword used is "open browser".