How can you customize Robot Framework's output format?

1 Output file options

Robot Framework provides several command-line options to control the output files, such as their names, locations, formats, and levels of detail. For example, you can use the --output, --log, and --report options to specify the names of the output, log, and report files, respectively. You can also use the --outputdir option to define the directory where the files are created. Additionally, you can use the --xunit option to generate an xUnit compatible output file, which can be useful for integrating with other tools or systems. Furthermore, you can use the --loglevel and --reportlevel options to adjust the amount of information shown in the log and report files, respectively.

2 Output file formats

Robot Framework supports two output file formats: HTML and XML. The HTML format is more user-friendly and interactive, while the XML format is more machine-readable and structured. By default, Robot Framework generates both HTML and XML files for the output, log, and report files. However, you can change the format of any file by adding a suffix to the file name. For example, you can use --output output.xml to generate an XML output file instead of an HTML one. You can also use --xunit xunit.html to generate an HTML xUnit file instead of an XML one.

3 Output file customization

Robot Framework allows you to customize the output files in various ways, such as modifying the styles, colors, fonts, and content of the HTML files, or adding custom attributes, elements, and namespaces to the XML files. You can use the --logtitle and --reporttitle options to change the titles of the log and report files, respectively. You can also use the --metadata option to add custom metadata to the output file, which will be shown in the log and report files as well. Moreover, you can use the --splitlog option to split the log file into smaller files based on test suites, which can improve the performance and usability of large logs.

4 Output file processing

Robot Framework enables you to process the output files after they are generated, using various tools and libraries. For example, you can use the rebot tool to merge, split, filter, or reformat the output files, or to create new log and report files from existing output files. You can also use the robot.api package to access and manipulate the output files programmatically in Python. Additionally, you can use the robot.output package to create your own output files from scratch, or to extend or modify the existing output file classes.

5 Output file plugins

Robot Framework supports the use of plugins to extend or modify the output files, such as adding new features, functionalities, or formats. You can use the --listener option to register a listener plugin, which can monitor the execution and modify the output file during the run. You can also use the --prerebotmodifier and --postrebotmodifier options to register a rebot plugin, which can modify the output file before or after the rebot tool is executed. Furthermore, you can use the --xunitprefix option to register a prefix plugin, which can add a custom prefix to the xUnit file elements.

6 Output file examples

To demonstrate how you can customize Robot Framework's output format, let's take a look at some examples. Suppose you have a test suite called example.robot with some test cases and keywords. You can use the following command to generate an output file named example_output.xml, a log file named example_log.html, and a report file named example_report.html in the current directory: robot --output example_output.xml --log example_log.html --report example_report.html example.robot . To generate an output file named example_output.html, a log file named example_log.xml, and a report file named example_report.xml in a subdirectory called results, you can use this command: robot --outputdir results --output example_output.html --log example_log.xml --report example_report.xml example.robot . To generate an xUnit file named example_xunit.xml in the current directory, use this command: robot --xunit example_xunit.xml example.robot . Additionally, to change the title of the log file to Example Log and the title of the report file to Example Report, and to add custom metadata named Author with the value John Doe to the output file, you can use this command: robot --logtitle Example Log --reporttitle Example Report --metadata Author:John Doe example.robot . Lastly, to split the log file into smaller files based on test suites, and to set the log level to DEBUG and the report level to WARN, enter this command: robot --splitlog --loglevel DEBUG --reportlevel WARN example.robot .

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?