Browser Library Skill

Quick Reference

Browser Library uses Playwright for fast, reliable browser automation with built-in auto-waiting and powerful assertion capabilities.

Installation

bash

pip install robotframework-browser
rfbrowser init

Library Import

robotframework

*** Settings ***
Library    Browser    auto_closing_level=KEEP

Import options:

•auto_closing_level=KEEP - Keep browser open between tests (faster)
•auto_closing_level=TEST - Close after each test (clean state)
•timeout=30s - Default timeout for operations
•enable_presenter_mode=true - Slow down for demos

Essential Concepts

Browser -> Context -> Page Hierarchy

code

Browser (chromium/firefox/webkit)
  └── Context (isolated session: cookies, storage)
        └── Page (single tab/window)

•Browser: The browser process (Chrome, Firefox, or WebKit)
•Context: Isolated browser session with its own cookies, localStorage, and cache
•Page: A single tab or popup window within a context

robotframework

New Browser    chromium    headless=false
New Context    viewport={'width': 1920, 'height': 1080}
New Page       https://example.com

Auto-Waiting

Browser Library automatically waits for elements to be actionable before interacting. No explicit waits needed in most cases.

•Waits for element to be visible
•Waits for element to be stable (not animating)
•Waits for element to be enabled
•Waits for element to receive events

Core Keywords Quick Reference

Navigation

robotframework

New Browser    chromium    headless=false
New Context    viewport={'width': 1920, 'height': 1080}
New Page       https://example.com
Go To          https://example.com/login
Reload
Go Back
Go Forward

Locators (Selector Syntax)

robotframework

# CSS (default)
Click    button.submit
Click    #login-btn
Click    [data-testid="submit"]

# Text
Click    text=Login
Click    "Login"              # Exact text match

# XPath
Click    xpath=//button[@type='submit']

# Chained selectors (powerful!)
Click    .form >> button.submit
Click    #container >> text=Save

# nth-match
Click    button >> nth=0      # First button
Click    button >> nth=-1     # Last button

# Role selectors (accessibility)
Click    role=button[name="Submit"]

Input

robotframework

Fill             input#username    myuser
Type Text        input#password    secret123    delay=50ms
Check Checkbox   #remember-me
Uncheck Checkbox    #newsletter
Select Options By    select#country    value    US
Select Options By    select#country    label    United States
Clear Text       input#search

Getting Content

robotframework

${text}=     Get Text           h1.title
${value}=    Get Property       input#email    value
${attr}=     Get Attribute      a.link    href
${count}=    Get Element Count  li.item
${states}=   Get Element States button#submit

Assertions (built-in!)

robotframework

Get Text           h1              ==           Welcome
Get Text           .message        contains     Success
Get Text           .message        *=           Success     # Alternative
Get Element Count  li.item         >            5
Get Url                            contains     /dashboard
Get Title                          ==           Home Page

Screenshots

robotframework

Take Screenshot                              # Current viewport
Take Screenshot    fullPage=true             # Full page
Take Screenshot    selector=#main            # Specific element
Take Screenshot    filename=test.png         # Named file

Waiting (when auto-wait isn't enough)

robotframework

Wait For Elements State    .results    visible    timeout=10s
Wait For Elements State    .spinner    hidden
Wait For Response          **/api/data    timeout=30s
Wait For Navigation        url=**/success
Wait For Load State        networkidle

Locator Strategy Priority

•data-testid, data-test, data-cy attributes - Most stable
•Accessible roles and labels - role=button[name="Submit"]
•CSS selectors - button.submit, #login-btn
•Text content - text=Login, "Exact Text"
•XPath - Last resort: xpath=//button[@type='submit']

Common Patterns

Login Flow

robotframework

*** Keywords ***
Login As User
    [Arguments]    ${username}    ${password}
    New Page       ${LOGIN_URL}
    Fill           input[name="username"]    ${username}
    Fill           input[name="password"]    ${password}
    Click          button[type="submit"]
    Get Url        contains    /dashboard

Wait for Network

robotframework

Click    button#load-data
Wait For Response    **/api/data    timeout=10s
Get Text    .data-container    !=    ${EMPTY}

Handle Loading States

robotframework

Click    button#submit
Wait For Elements State    .loading-spinner    hidden    timeout=30s
Get Text    .result    contains    Success

Form Validation

robotframework

Fill     input#email    invalid-email
Click    button[type="submit"]
Get Text    .error-message    contains    valid email

Clear Text    input#email
Fill          input#email    valid@example.com
Click         button[type="submit"]
Get Url       contains    /success

Screenshot on Failure

robotframework

*** Settings ***
Library    Browser    auto_closing_level=TEST
Test Teardown    Run Keyword If Test Failed    Take Screenshot

When to Load Additional References

Load these reference files when you need deeper knowledge:

Need	Reference File
Complex locators, chaining, nth-match	`references/locators.md`
Assertion operators, retry logic	`references/assertion-engine.md`
Browser/Context/Page management	`references/browser-context-page.md`
Complete keyword reference	`references/keywords-reference.md`
iframes and Shadow DOM	`references/iframes-shadow-dom.md`
Multiple tabs/windows	`references/tabs-windows.md`
Session persistence, cookies	`references/authentication-storage.md`
File download/upload	`references/downloads-uploads.md`
Debugging test failures	`references/troubleshooting.md`