Usage Guide

Overview

ROBOT-RUNNER provides a comprehensive GUI interface for managing Robot Framework test executions, offering enhanced visualization, analytics, and reporting capabilities beyond the standard Robot Framework CLI tools.

Application Layout

The interface is organized into five main sections accessible via the left sidebar:

Application Interface Overview

Dashboard Section

Key Metrics Panel

  • Total tests executed

  • Pass/Fail/Skipped counts

  • Total execution time

  • Average test duration

Visualizations

  1. Result Distribution Pie Chart: - Shows percentage of passed/failed/skipped tests - Color-coded (green=passed, red=failed, yellow=skipped)

  2. Execution Time Histogram: - Groups tests by duration ranges - Identifies performance outliers

Test Summary Table

Lists all test cases with columns: - Test name - Status (with color indicators) - Execution duration - Timestamp

Action Buttons

  • Refresh: Reloads current dashboard data

  • Export to Excel: Generates comprehensive report containing: - All dashboard metrics - Visualizations as embedded charts - Raw test data table

Test Selection Section

File Browser Panel

  • Directory tree navigation

  • Automatic detection of Robot test files (.robot)

  • Visual indicators for test file validity

Execution Controls

  • Select Folder: Choose test directory

  • Clear Results: Reset previous execution data

  • Run Tests: Start test execution with options: - Number of parallel processes (1-8) - Tag filtering - Test suite selection

Execution Summary

Real-time counter showing: - Total tests - Passed/Failed counts - Current status

Report Access

  • Open HTML Report: Standard Robot Framework report

  • Open Log: Detailed execution log

  • Export to Excel: Custom report with: - Test case details - Screenshots of failures (if configured) - Performance metrics

Analytics Section

Test Execution Trends

  • Line chart showing pass/fail rates over time

  • Configurable time periods (7/30/90 days)

Status Distribution

  • Stacked bar chart of test outcomes

  • Filterable by test suite/tag

Top Failure Reasons

  • Pareto chart of most common failure messages

  • Links to relevant test cases

Execution Time Analysis

  • Box plot of duration distribution

  • Identifies flaky tests (high duration variance)

Controls

  • Refresh: Update analytics data

  • Export Analytics: Excel report containing: - All charts as images - Raw data tables - Statistical summaries

Settings Section

Execution Settings

  • Default test directory

  • Parallel process count

  • Timeout thresholds

  • Environment variables

Reporting Options

  • Report generation preferences

  • Excel export settings

  • Screenshot capture configuration

UI Preferences

  • Theme selection (light/dark)

  • Font size adjustment

  • Layout customization

Help Section

Resources

  • Report Bugs: Link to issue tracker

  • Source Code: GitHub repository link

  • Documentation: User manual and API reference

  • Donate: Support options

Advanced Features

Custom Report Templates

  • Create and apply custom Excel report formats

  • Define which metrics to include

  • Auto-email reports (Enterprise feature)

Integration Hooks

  • Pre/post execution scripts

  • API endpoints for CI/CD integration

  • Webhook notifications

Data Export Formats

  • Excel (default)

  • JSON (for programmatic use)

  • PDF (for formal reports)

Comparison with Standard Robot Framework

Feature

Standard Robot Framework

ROBOT-RUNNER

Interface

Command-line only

Graphical User Interface

Real-time Monitoring

Limited (text output)

Visual dashboard with progress

Reporting

Basic HTML

Enhanced HTML + Excel + PDF

Analytics

None

Built-in visualization tools

Historical Tracking

Manual

Automatic trend analysis

Best Practices

  1. Workspace Organization - Keep test cases in well-structured directories - Use consistent naming conventions

  2. Execution Tips - Start with small test batches when debugging - Use parallel execution for large test suites - Review analytics regularly to spot trends

  3. Reporting - Export reports after major test changes - Use custom templates for different stakeholders - Archive important execution results

Troubleshooting

Common Issues

  1. Tests not appearing in selection: - Verify files have .robot extension - Check file contains valid Robot syntax

  2. Performance problems: - Reduce parallel processes - Increase timeout thresholds

  3. Reporting errors: - Ensure write permissions for output directory - Verify Excel is installed (for Excel export)