How can you write Robot Framework test cases that are easy to maintain?

1 Use keywords wisely

Keywords are the building blocks of Robot Framework test cases - reusable actions or assertions that can be defined in libraries or in your own test suite. To use them effectively, use descriptive and consistent names for your keywords and avoid using numbers, abbreviations, or vague terms. Arguments and variables can make your keywords more flexible and dynamic; for instance, you can pass the locator, text, or expected value as an argument to a keyword interacting with an element. Documentation and tags should be used to explain the purpose and scope of your keywords, while comments can be utilized to add more details or notes. Grouping your keywords into logical categories and storing them in separate resource files will allow you to import and reuse them across different test suites.

2 Follow the POM pattern

The POM (Page Object Model) pattern is a design principle that helps organize test cases according to the structure and behavior of the web pages or applications being tested. This is done by creating a separate class or file for each page or component, which contains the locators and keywords related to that page or component. These page objects can then be used in your test cases to perform actions or verify results. Adhering to the POM pattern has several benefits, such as reducing code duplication, isolating changes in the UI from the test logic, and improving maintainability and readability of your test cases and keywords.

3 Use data-driven testing

Data-driven testing is a technique that enables running the same test case with various input and output data. This way, you can cover more scenarios and variations without writing multiple test cases. To use data-driven testing in Robot Framework, you can take advantage of variables and arguments to pass data to keywords and test cases, which can be defined in the test suite, in a separate variable file, or in an external source such as a database or a spreadsheet. Additionally, you can use templates to define the structure and logic of your test case once and then provide the data in a table format through the [Template] setting or Test Template keyword. Finally, you can use data sources to dynamically generate test cases based on the data from an external file or database with either the DataDriver library or Robot Framework Database Library.

4 Integrate with other tools

Robot Framework is a versatile tool that can be enhanced with integrations to other tools and frameworks. For instance, you can integrate Robot Framework with Selenium WebDriver for web testing, Appium for mobile testing, RESTInstance for REST API testing, Allure for interactive and comprehensive reports, and Jenkins for test case execution and scheduling. These integrations provide access to locators, keywords, browser options, capabilities, gestures, context switching, schemas, validations, annotations, attachments, graphs, plugins, pipelines and notifications.

5 Apply coding standards

Coding standards are a set of rules and conventions that help you write consistent and clean code, making it easier to understand, review, and debug. When applying coding standards to your Robot Framework test cases, you should use spaces instead of tabs for indentation and align your code in columns. Additionally, use camel case or snake case for naming your variables, keywords, and test cases while avoiding spaces or special characters. Constants and global variables should be capitalized and prefixed with a $ sign. Moreover, use meaningful and descriptive names for your variables, keywords, and test cases while avoiding numbers, abbreviations, or vague terms. Lastly, use comments sparingly and only when necessary to explain the logic or intention of your code.

6 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?