robotframework-vitro

Robot Framework bridge for the vitro test framework. A thin adapter: a listener that owns vitro lifecycle, a library of infrastructure keywords, and a CLI wrapper. Test projects supply their own scenario-aligned keyword libraries that delegate to testoperations composition functions over testprotocols-typed devices.

Install

pip install robotframework-vitro

Run tests

vitrorobot \
    --env-config vitro_config/env.json \
    --inventory-config vitro_config/inventory.json \
    robot/tests/

Or invoke robot directly:

robot \
    --listener "robotframework_vitro.VitroListener:env_config=vitro_config/env.json:inventory_config=vitro_config/inventory.json" \
    robot/tests/

Keywords (VitroLibrary)

Resolving devices

Devices are looked up by their inventory name — the same key vitro plugins register them under via vitro_add_devices. There is no string-to-class type resolver: vitro's plugin manager and DeviceManager are the single source of truth. If the name isn't in the inventory, Get Device raises VitroLibraryError and lists the names that are available.

For type-filtered lookups (e.g. "all SIP phones") a testbed-specific Robot resource file can import its own device class and reach the DeviceManager via Get Device Manager, then invoke get_devices_by_type on it through Robot's Call Method. That stays a testbed concern; robotframework-vitro itself only offers name-based access.

Key design principles

1. Libraries are thin wrappers. Test projects create robot/libraries/*.py keyword files that call into testoperations / testprotocols. The bridge does not ship scenario-specific keywords.

2. Cleanup is implicit. Keyword implementations call get_listener().register_teardown(description, func, *args, **kwargs) at the point of state change. end_test drains the stack in LIFO order. Tests do not need [Teardown] blocks for state they did not introduce.

3. No hard-coded testbed configuration in resources. Read from the device objects directly (${cpe.device_name}, ${router.router.active_wan_interface}).

Listener options

Caveat on skip_boot. This option skips vitro_device_boot entirely. Any state a driver caches during that hook (ACS references for reboot verification, post-boot console activation, capability-prep that happens on first boot, etc.) will not be present. Tests that exercise such state must run without --skip-boot.

Reaching the bridge from Python

Every infrastructure keyword in VitroLibrary has a matching module-level function on the package, so Python-implemented keyword libraries can reach the bridge directly without instantiating the Robot library class:

from robotframework_vitro import (
    clear_test_context,
    get_all_devices,
    get_device,
    get_device_manager,
    get_test_context,
    get_vitro_config,
    log_step,
    register_teardown,
    set_test_context,
)

The Robot keywords are one-line forwarders to these functions; surface and error semantics are identical. The device accessors raise VitroLibraryError (matching the keyword's friendly message) if called before devices are deployed or, for get_device, the name isn't in the inventory. register_teardown and the test_context functions reach the listener's stack/dict directly — both exist from listener construction, so they work before start_suite.

If you need a listener attribute that doesn't have a module-level function (e.g. cmdline_args, options), import get_listener from the package root and call it.

Writing a test-project keyword library

# File: RouterKeywords.py  ← filename must match the class name (see note below)
from robot.api.deco import keyword

from robotframework_vitro import get_device, register_teardown


class RouterKeywords:
    ROBOT_LIBRARY_SCOPE = "SUITE"

    @keyword("Set Router Hostname")
    def set_router_hostname(self, router, hostname):
        original = router.hostname
        router.set_hostname(hostname)
        register_teardown(
            f"Restore hostname on {router.device_name}",
            router.set_hostname,
            original,
        )

    @keyword("Confirm Router Is Provisioned By ACS")
    def confirm_router_is_provisioned_by_acs(self, router):
        # Resolve a peer device by inventory name from inside the keyword
        # body — no need to pass it in from the .robot file or instantiate
        # VitroLibrary just to reach the DeviceManager.
        acs = get_device("acs_server")
        assert acs.has_provisioned(router.serial_number)

Robot tests obtain ${router} via ${router}= Get Device edge_router and pass it into the keyword. Peer devices the keyword coordinates with internally (here the ACS) are best resolved from inside the keyword body via get_device("..."), so the test stays focused on the actor and is not forced to plumb collaborators through. The teardown registered above runs automatically when the test ends; the test itself does not need a [Teardown] block.

Robot library-name convention. When a Python library file contains a single class, Robot Framework expects the filename to match the class name (case-insensitive) — RouterKeywords in a RouterKeywords.py file. If the names disagree (for example router_keywords.py + class RouterKeywords), Robot's library loader silently falls back to module-level functions, finds none, and reports every keyword as "No keyword with name '...' found". Use the class-matching filename, or import with qualified notation (Library router_keywords.RouterKeywords).

Python typing. Robot Framework 3.1+ auto-converts keyword arguments to their Python type hints before the keyword body runs. Annotating port: int / timeout: int etc. is sufficient — no int(...) casts in the body are needed. If the cast fails, Robot raises a clear conversion error before the keyword is called.

Contributing

Contributions are welcome. All commits must carry a Developer Certificate of Origin sign-off (git commit -s); a DCO check runs on every pull request. See CONTRIBUTING.md for the full workflow.

License

Apache-2.0. See LICENSE and NOTICE.