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Quickstart (Linux)

This guide takes you from a fresh clone to running the sample tests locally.

Prerequisites

  • Python 3.13+
  • Node.js 22+
  • Git

Where to run commands

  • System-level installs (e.g., sudo apt-get install ..., Node setup, sudo npx playwright install-deps) can be run from any directory.
  • Project-specific steps (e.g., git clone, cd robot-framework-template, creating/activating venv, pip install -r requirements.txt, rfbrowser init, robot ...) should be run from the project root directory unless noted otherwise.

Installing Python 3.13+

If Python 3.13 is not installed, either install from the official downloads or use your distro's packages.

sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install -y software-properties-common
sudo add-apt-repository ppa:deadsnakes/ppa -y
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install -y python3.13 python3.13-venv
python3.13 --version

Installing Node.js 22+

Install the current LTS (22.x) from NodeSource and verify:

curl -fsSL https://deb.nodesource.com/setup_22.x | sudo -E bash -
sudo apt-get install -y nodejs
node -v
npm -v

If apt-get update fails due to a third‑party PPA

Some systems have extra PPAs that break apt-get update during the NodeSource setup. If you see errors like "does not have a Release file", disable the offending PPA and retry:

# example: remove deadsnakes PPA if it is invalid for your Ubuntu codename
sudo add-apt-repository -r ppa:deadsnakes/ppa || true
sudo rm -f /etc/apt/sources.list.d/deadsnakes-ubuntu-ppa*.list
sudo apt-get update

# rerun NodeSource setup and install Node.js 22
curl -fsSL https://deb.nodesource.com/setup_22.x | sudo -E bash -
sudo apt-get install -y nodejs
node -v && npm -v

Alternative: install Node.js via nvm (user‑space)

If you prefer to avoid apt entirely, use nvm and install Node 22 LTS into your user profile:

curl -o- https://raw.githubusercontent.com/nvm-sh/nvm/v0.39.7/install.sh | bash
export NVM_DIR="$HOME/.nvm"
[ -s "$NVM_DIR/nvm.sh" ] && . "$NVM_DIR/nvm.sh"
nvm install 22
nvm use 22
node -v && npm -v

1) Clone and enter the project

git clone https://github.com/BVisagie/robot-framework-template
cd robot-framework-template

2) Create and activate a virtual environment

python3 -m venv venv
source venv/bin/activate
python --version  # should be 3.13+

Upgrade pip:

pip install --upgrade pip

3) Install Python dependencies

pip install -r requirements.txt
# Optional dev tools
pip install -r requirements-dev.txt

4) Install Node.js and Playwright browser deps

If Node 22+ is not yet installed, complete the steps in "Installing Node.js 22+" above. Then install Playwright system deps:

  • If Node was installed system-wide (NodeSource):
sudo npx playwright install-deps

If you see "sudo: npx: command not found", ensure npm/npx is available for root:

sudo apt-get install -y nodejs || true
sudo apt-get install -y npm || true
# open a new shell or re-login, then retry
sudo npx playwright install-deps
  • If Node was installed via nvm (user-space), preserve PATH when using sudo:
sudo -E env "PATH=$PATH" npx playwright install-deps

Initialize Robot Framework Browser (downloads browser engines for tests):

rfbrowser init

5) (Optional) Pre-commit hooks

pre-commit install

Notes:

  • Ensure your virtual environment is active (source venv/bin/activate).
  • Install dev tools first: pip install -r requirements-dev.txt.
  • If you see "pre-commit: command not found", try: python -m pre_commit install.
  • Verify: pre-commit --version.

Run lint/format checks:

robocop check .
robocop format .

6) Run the tests

Headless mode is the default.

  • API tests:
robot --outputdir output tests/project_json_placeholder/api_tests
  • UI tests (Wikipedia demo):
robot --outputdir output tests/project_wikipedia/ui_tests

7) Useful environment variables

  • HEADLESS_BROWSER=true|false (default true)
  • WIKIPEDIA_BASE_URL to override the default https://www.wikipedia.org/
  • Database (examples only): DB_HOST, DB_PORT, DB_SERVICE_NAME, DB_USER, DB_PASSWORD, DB_API_MODULE

Example:

export HEADLESS_BROWSER=true
export WIKIPEDIA_BASE_URL=https://www.wikipedia.org/

8) Troubleshooting

  • If browsers fail to launch, re-run rfbrowser init after ensuring Node 22+ and sudo npx playwright install-deps are installed.
  • For DB placeholders, tests are tagged do_not_run by default and are documentation-only.