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Quickstart (Windows)

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., Python installer, Node installer) 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+

Download and install the latest Python 3.13 for Windows (be sure to check “Add python.exe to PATH” during installation):

Verify installation:

py -3.13 --version
python --version

Installing Node.js 22+

Download and install the latest LTS (22.x) from Node.js for Windows:

Verify installation:

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 (PowerShell)

py -3.13 -m venv .venv
.\.venv\Scripts\Activate.ps1
python --version  # should be 3.13+

Upgrade pip:

python -m pip install --upgrade pip

3) Install Python dependencies

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

4) Initialize Robot Framework Browser

On Windows, Playwright system dependencies are handled differently. Initialize the Browser library:

rfbrowser init

5) (Optional) Pre-commit hooks

pre-commit install

Notes:

  • Ensure your virtual environment is active (.\.venv\Scripts\Activate.ps1 if you used .venv).
  • 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 (PowerShell):

$env:HEADLESS_BROWSER = "true"
$env:WIKIPEDIA_BASE_URL = "https://www.wikipedia.org/"

8) Troubleshooting

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