Detailed explanation of automated testing with Robot Framework for Python automated testing

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overview

Are you still testing manually? Let's take a look at a more efficient, accurate and simple testing method - using Python's Robot Framework for automated testing.

What is Robot Framework?

Robot Framework is an open source Python automated testing framework, which is based on the keyword-driven idea and has the characteristics of easy reading, easy expansion, and easy writing. Robot Framework supports a variety of test types, such as UI testing, API testing, database testing, etc., and also supports the integration of various testing tools and libraries, such as Selenium, Appium, Requests, Pandas, etc.

Install and configure Robot Framework

Before using Robot Framework, you need to install and configure the relevant environment. Specific steps are as follows:

1. Install Python

Needless to say.

2. Install Robot Framework

There are many ways to install Robot Framework, including pip, source code compilation, installation package, etc. Here we use pip to install:

pip install robotframework

3. Install Selenium2Library

Selenium2Library is a library for UI testing in Robot Framework and needs to be installed:

pip install robotframework-selenium2library

4. Install the browser driver

Selenium2Library needs browser drivers, such as ChromeDriver, GeckoDriver, etc. You need to download the corresponding driver according to the browser and operating system used, and add it to the environment variable.

5. Configure the IDE

You can choose to use any IDE to write and execute test cases, such as PyCharm, Visual Studio Code, etc. It is necessary to install the Robot Framework plug-in and configure related parameters in the IDE. Here we take PyCharm as an example, the specific steps are as follows:

1. Install the Robot Framework plugin: Search for Robot Framework in PyCharm's plugin center and install it.

2. Configure the Python interpreter: In the settings of PyCharm, select Project Interpreter and set the Python interpreter to the installed Python version.

3. Configure Robot Framework: In the settings of PyCharm, select Tools → Robot Framework, and set the parameters required by Robot Framework, such as path, version, etc.

Write test cases

After installing and configuring Robot Framework, you can start writing test cases. The writing of test cases mainly includes the following steps:

1. Create a test suite

A test suite is a collection of test cases, used to organize and manage test cases. Test suites can be created using a text editor or IDE as follows:

*** Settings ***
Documentation  This is a test suite
Library  Selenium2Library

*** Variables ***
${URL}  https://www.baidu.com

*** Test Cases ***
Open Browser Test
    Open Browser  ${URL}  chrome
    Maximize Browser Window

Among them, *** Settings ***global parameters for setting test suites, *** Variables ***variables for defining test suites, and *** Test Cases ***test cases for defining.

2. Write test cases

Test cases are specific test steps and results, which can be written using keywords or custom keywords. As follows:

*** Settings ***
Documentation  This is a test suite
Library  Selenium2Library

*** Variables ***
${URL}  https://www.baidu.com

*** Test Cases ***
Open Browser Test
    Open Browser  ${URL}  chrome
    Maximize Browser Window
    Capture Page Screenshot
    Close Browser

Among them, Open Browser, Maximize Browser Windowetc. are keywords in Selenium2Library, which are used for operations such as opening a browser and maximizing a window.

3. Execute the test case

Test cases can be executed using command line or IDE. The way to execute test cases using the command line is as follows:

robot test_suite.robot

where, test_suite.robotis the file name of the test suite. After executing the test case, Robot Framework will output the test result and log information.

Practical example: UI testing with Robot Framework

In order to better understand and master the use of Robot Framework, a practical example will be demonstrated below: UI testing with Robot Framework.

1. Preparations

First, Robot Framework and Selenium2Library need to be installed and configured. At the same time, ChromeDriver needs to be downloaded and added to environment variables.

2. Write test cases

In this example, we will write a test case to test the search function of Baidu homepage. The code of the test case is as follows:

*** Settings ***
Documentation  This is a test suite
Library  Selenium2Library

*** Variables ***
${URL}  https://www.baidu.com

*** Test Cases ***
Search Test
    Open Browser  ${URL}  chrome
    Maximize Browser Window
    Input Text  id=kw  Robot Framework
    Click Button  css=#su
    Capture Page Screenshot
    Close Browser

This test case includes the following steps:

1. Open your browser and maximize the window.

2. Enter the keyword "Robot Framework" in the search box.

3. Click the Search button.

4. Take a screenshot of the current page.

5. Close the browser.

3. Execute the test case

The way to execute test cases using the command line is as follows:

robot search_test.robot

After executing the test case, Robot Framework will automatically open the Chrome browser and search for the keyword "Robot Framework" on the Baidu homepage. After the execution is completed, Robot Framework will output the test results and log information, and save the screenshot.

Technical summary

This article introduces how to use Python's Robot Framework for automated testing and demonstrates a practical example. Through learning and practice, you can better master the methods and techniques of automated testing, and improve testing efficiency and accuracy.

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