Why bother writing tests using keywords and the robot-framework syntax in RobotFramework?

Question

Why bother writing tests using keywords and the robot-framework syntax in RobotFramework?

I'm pondering the benefits of utilizing RobotFramework for writing tests in its syntax compared to creating custom libraries. For instance, imagine we need to create a test that scans a directory and confirms no files have been altered. This could be achieved using RobotFramework with keywords like Get Files In Directory and Get Modified Time, along with its loop syntax. Alternatively, one could simply code a Python script to iterate through files in the directory and verify each file's modified time against the current time.

As someone who primarily works with Python rather than RobotFramework, my inclination is to develop tests solely in Python and use RobotFramework's syntax to validate these custom tests (for familiarity reasons).

Edit: Just to clarify, conducting checks on modified files would be done as individual assessments within a test case, not as standalone tests.

python unit-testing testing automated-tests robotframework

Answer 1

Answer №1

Robot framework is designed for testing behaviors, not just functions.

If you have a specific scenario in mind that involves checking individual functions, Robot Framework may not be the best choice. However, if the test is part of a larger feature set, then Robot Framework could be very useful.

For instance, imagine you have a software program that generates presentations from files in a folder. You want to ensure that once the presentation is created, none of the original files are modified. This type of feature testing can be done effectively with Robot Framework.

Similarly, if your program has functionality that allows users to specify folders to exclude from cleaning operations, you would need acceptance tests to verify this behavior. Robot Framework excels at writing these types of high-level tests.

Consider a scenario where the program needs to process data and exclude certain folders. A Robot test case could be written like this:

*** Test cases ***
Verify exclude feature works
    Verify the folder exists  ${data dir}/important
    Process the files  ${data dir}   exclude=important
    Assert the excluded folder didn't change  ${data dir}/important

In the above example, the

Assert the excluded folder didn't change

keyword would contain the logic to check all files within the excluded folder. By running this test, you can confirm that the core features of your application function as intended.

Essentially, Robot Framework is more suited for team-based testing of application behaviors rather than individual function testing by programmers.

Answer 2

Robot framework is designed for testing behaviors, not just functions.

If you have a specific scenario in mind that involves checking individual functions, Robot Framework may not be the best choice. However, if the test is part of a larger feature set, then Robot Framework could be very useful.

For instance, imagine you have a software program that generates presentations from files in a folder. You want to ensure that once the presentation is created, none of the original files are modified. This type of feature testing can be done effectively with Robot Framework.

Similarly, if your program has functionality that allows users to specify folders to exclude from cleaning operations, you would need acceptance tests to verify this behavior. Robot Framework excels at writing these types of high-level tests.

Consider a scenario where the program needs to process data and exclude certain folders. A Robot test case could be written like this:

*** Test cases ***
Verify exclude feature works
    Verify the folder exists  ${data dir}/important
    Process the files  ${data dir}   exclude=important
    Assert the excluded folder didn't change  ${data dir}/important

In the above example, the

Assert the excluded folder didn't change

keyword would contain the logic to check all files within the excluded folder. By running this test, you can confirm that the core features of your application function as intended.

Essentially, Robot Framework is more suited for team-based testing of application behaviors rather than individual function testing by programmers.

Why bother writing tests using keywords and the robot-framework syntax in RobotFramework?

Answer №1

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