How can you make Robot framework test reports compatible with different testing frameworks?

1 Robot framework report structure

Robot framework generates two types of reports: output.xml and log.html. The output.xml file contains all the information about the test execution, such as test cases, keywords, variables, statuses, messages, and metadata. The log.html file is a human-readable version of the output.xml file, with some additional features, such as screenshots, links, and timestamps. Both files are based on the Robot framework report schema, which defines the structure and elements of the report.

2 Converting output.xml to other formats

One way to make your Robot framework test reports compatible with different testing frameworks is to convert the output.xml file to a format that is supported by the target system. For example, if you want to use Jenkins as your continuous integration tool, you can convert the output.xml file to JUnit XML format, which is a standard format for test results in Jenkins. To do this, you can use the robotframework-junitlibrary, which is a Python library that provides a keyword to convert the output.xml file to JUnit XML format. You can install the library using pip and use it in your Robot framework test suite as follows:

*** Settings ***
Library    JUnitLibrary
*** Test Cases ***
Example Test
    Log    Hello, world!
    Convert Output To Junit        

The library will create a JUnit XML file in the same directory as the output.xml file, with the same name but with .xml extension. You can then configure Jenkins to read the JUnit XML file and display the test results in its dashboard.

4 Using external tools to generate reports from output.xml

A third way to make your Robot framework test reports compatible with different testing frameworks is to use external tools that can generate reports from the output.xml file. These tools are usually standalone applications or plugins that can parse the output.xml file and create reports in various formats, such as HTML, JSON, PDF, or Excel. For example, if you want to use Allure as your test reporting tool, you can use the allure-robotframework plugin, which is a Python package that can generate Allure reports from the output.xml file. You can install the plugin using pip and use it in your Robot framework test suite as follows:

*** Settings ***
Library    AllureLibrary
*** Test Cases ***
Example Test
    Log    Hello, world!        

The plugin will create a directory named allure-results in the same directory as the output.xml file, which will contain JSON files with the test data. You can then use the allure command line tool to generate and open the Allure report in your browser.

5 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?