Robot Framework

An ATDD Framework

Apua, PyCon TW 2016

Unit Test? 

Acceptance Test?

Robot Framework?

Robot Framework is a Python-based, extensible keyword-driven test automation framework for end-to-end acceptance testing and acceptance-test-driven development (ATDD). It can be used for testing distributed, heterogeneous applications, where verification requires touching several technologies and interfaces.

User and Functional

Implementation

Acceptance Test

Determine if requirements are met

Examples:

  • Minimal Accpetance Test
  • End-to-End Acceptance Test

Break down

Break down

User Story

...

Acceptance Test

Break down

As a (role)

I want (something)

so that (benefit)

Given (initial)

When (event)

Then (outcomes)

Flow

  1. Break down user story
  2. Create acceptance test
  3. Implement keywords
  4. Debug with log
  5. Automated test and get report

Framework?

Format

  • Pipe, space separated, table ...
  • Plain text, TSV, HTML, reStructuredText ...
  • Tool for cleaning and transformation

Programmability

  • Limited flow control:
    • for loop
    • ternary operator
  • Convenient variable syntax:
    • shell script-like
    • collection and pack/unpack

Hierarchical Structure

  • Variable files in YAML, Python
  • Resource files to collect keywords and libraries
  • File and directory to organize setup/teardown

Tagging

  • Categorize to select
    (eg: RAT, FAST, FET)
  • Set critical cases
    (eg: smoke test)

Documentation

  • Meta data and syntax support
  • Documentation of suites
  • Documentation of cases and keywords
  • Tool to generate cases / keywords document

Remote Library

In additon...

  • Official user guide
  • Customization of report
  • IDE support
  • Keywords creating tool
  • API
  • CI plugin

Third Party

Summary

  • Focus on design and maintain test
  • Extensible, scalable, powerful
  • Acceptance test-driven development:
    breakdown story
    → acceptance test
    → implement/reuse keywords
    → automation for continuous delivery

References

Q & A

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