Robot Framework Browser library

Warnings

• breaking Python 3.8 support was dropped with version 18.9.0. Users on Python 3.8 or older must upgrade their Python environment to Python 3.9+ (or higher, as latest versions require 3.10+).
  Fix: Upgrade your Python environment to 3.10 or newer. Refer to the library's official documentation for current Python requirements.
• breaking The `Browser/utils/robot_booleans.py` module was removed in version 19.14.0. If you were directly importing or referencing this internal module, your tests will break.
  Fix: Avoid importing internal utility modules. If specific boolean conversion logic is needed, implement it directly in your test suite or custom library based on Robot Framework's documented APIs.
• gotcha After `pip install robotframework-browser`, it is crucial to run `rfbrowser init` (or `python -m Browser.entry init`) to download necessary browser binaries and Node.js dependencies. Forgetting this step will lead to 'Couldn't execute node' or similar errors when tests run.
  Fix: Always execute `rfbrowser init` after installation or upgrade. If Node.js is not present, consider `pip install robotframework-browser[bb]` and then `rfbrowser install`.
• gotcha The `grpcio` dependency, which is used for communication between Python and Node.js, has historically caused installation and runtime issues, especially on macOS (M1/ARM) or with specific Python versions (e.g., building wheels failing). Version 19.12.7 specifically downgraded `grpcio` to 1.78.0 to address issues.
  Fix: Ensure your Node.js and Python versions align with the library's requirements. If issues persist, try explicitly installing a known working `grpcio` version (e.g., `pip install grpcio==1.78.0`) or using the `robotframework-browser-batteries` variant to bypass Node.js entirely.
• gotcha The Browser library uses a different paradigm (Browser, Context, Page layers) compared to older Selenium-based libraries. Directly migrating tests from `SeleniumLibrary` without understanding these new concepts can be challenging and lead to incorrect or inefficient test implementations.
  Fix: Familiarize yourself with the Browser library's concepts of Browser, Context, and Page. Review the official documentation and examples for recommended patterns, especially regarding session management and element interaction.
• gotcha By default, the Browser library enables 'strict mode' for selectors, meaning keywords will fail if a selector matches multiple elements. This differs from some other web automation libraries.
  Fix: If you intend to interact with multiple elements, use keywords explicitly designed for that (e.g., `Get Elements`) or disable strict mode where appropriate. Be explicit with your selectors to target a single element.
• gotcha Playing videos in automated tests using Chromium can sometimes fail due to codec problems. This is often an upstream Playwright/Chromium limitation.
  Fix: If video playback is critical, try running tests with Firefox or Webkit, or specifically with a full Google Chrome or Microsoft Edge browser (instead of the default Chromium provided by Playwright).

Install

• pip install robotframework-browser rfbrowser init Standard installation (requires Node.js)
• pip install robotframework-browser[bb] rfbrowser install Installation without Node.js using BrowserBatteries

Imports

• Browser

  *** Settings ***
  Library    Browser

  In Robot Framework test files, libraries are imported in the '*** Settings ***' section. Direct Python `import` statements for `Browser` are generally not used by end-users.

Quickstart

This quickstart demonstrates a basic Robot Framework test case using the Browser library. It opens a new browser page to playwright.dev and asserts that the `h1` element contains the text 'Playwright'.

*** Settings ***
Library    Browser

*** Test Cases ***
Example Test
    New Page    https://playwright.dev
    Get Text    h1    contains    Playwright