How can you organize and document your Robot Framework test cases?

1 Use a logical folder structure

One of the first steps to organize your test cases is to create a clear and consistent folder structure that reflects the scope and purpose of your tests. For example, you can group your test cases by functionality, feature, or user story. You can also use subfolders to separate different types of tests, such as unit, integration, or acceptance tests. A good folder structure will help you to find and maintain your test cases easily and avoid duplication and confusion.

2 Follow naming conventions

Another important aspect of organizing your test cases is to follow naming conventions that make your test cases readable and understandable. For example, you can use camel case, snake case, or hyphens to separate words in your file names and test case names. You can also use prefixes or suffixes to indicate the type or level of your test cases, such as UT_ for unit tests or _AT for acceptance tests. Naming conventions will help you to identify and group your test cases quickly and avoid ambiguity and inconsistency.

3 Use tags and metadata

Robot Framework allows you to use tags and metadata to add additional information and attributes to your test cases. Tags are labels that you can assign to your test cases to categorize them by criteria such as priority, status, or environment. Metadata are key-value pairs that you can define in the settings section of your test suite to provide details such as author, version, or description. Tags and metadata will help you to filter and report your test cases based on different parameters and enhance your test documentation.

4 Write descriptive keywords

Keywords are the building blocks of your test cases in Robot Framework. They are reusable actions or steps that you can define in your test suite or in external resource files. To write descriptive keywords, you should use meaningful and concise names that describe what the keyword does and why. You should also use arguments and variables to make your keywords flexible and adaptable to different scenarios. Descriptive keywords will help you to write clear and maintainable test cases that express the intent and logic of your tests.

5 Use documentation and comments

Documentation and comments are essential elements of your test documentation in Robot Framework. Documentation is a text that you can write in the settings section of your test suite or in the keyword definition to explain the purpose and scope of your test suite or keyword. Comments are lines that you can write in your test case or keyword body to clarify or justify your code or logic. You can use the # symbol or the comment keyword to write comments. Documentation and comments will help you to communicate and document your test design and implementation to yourself and others.

6 Use external tools and libraries

Robot Framework is a versatile tool that can integrate with various external tools and libraries to extend its functionality and capabilities. For example, you can use tools such as RIDE, RED, or Robot Framework IDE to edit and execute your test cases in a graphical user interface. You can also use libraries such as SeleniumLibrary, RequestsLibrary, or DatabaseLibrary to interact with different applications and systems in your test cases. Using external tools and libraries will help you to organize and document your test cases more effectively and efficiently.

7 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?