Setups and teardowns

Chapter lab: Structure and execution controlch06-structure-control.zip · 3 KB

This chapter works in a prepared project. Download it before the first task; it unpacks into its own folder.

Or fetch and unpack it from a terminal in VS Code:

bash / zsh
PowerShell

curl -fsSLO https://manykarim.github.io/robotframework-essentials-web/labs/ch06-structure-control.zip && unzip -q ch06-structure-control.zip && rm ch06-structure-control.zip

Invoke-WebRequest https://manykarim.github.io/robotframework-essentials-web/labs/ch06-structure-control.zip -OutFile ch06-structure-control.zip; Expand-Archive ch06-structure-control.zip -DestinationPath .; Remove-Item ch06-structure-control.zip

Open the folder in VS Code with code rfe-ch06-structure-control (or File → Open Folder…) and accept the recommended RobotCode and Python extensions. Then set it up:

uv sync

bash / zsh
PowerShell

python3 -m venv .venv
source .venv/bin/activate
pip install -r requirements.txt

python -m venv .venv
.venv\Scripts\Activate.ps1
pip install -r requirements.txt

Keep the environment active in every terminal where you run lesson commands.

poetry install --no-root

Python 3.13 or newer is required; uv installs it when it is missing.

Open in browserNo setup? Try the lab right here: its files, an editor and a terminal, running in your browser.

What's inside

Directoryrfe-ch06-structure-control/
- Directory.vscode/
  - extensions.json
- Directorychecks/
  - prices.robot
- .gitignore
- .python-version
- LAB.md
- pyproject.toml
- README.md
- requirements.txt
- uv.lock

Setup and teardown keywords run around your tests so each starts from a known state and cleans up after itself:

Suite Setup / Suite Teardown — once, before and after the whole suite.
[Setup] / [Teardown] — before and after one test case.

A teardown runs even if the test failed, which makes it the right place for cleanup. Set suite-level ones in *** Settings ***; set per-test ones inside the test.

Task 1 — Add suite and test setup/teardown

Edit

Goal: create checks/lifecycle.robot with a suite-level setup and teardown and a test that also has its own [Setup] and [Teardown].

Here is the same lifecycle over different messages. Adapt the wording.

Worked example — adapt it, don’t copy it

*** Settings ***
Suite Setup       Log    Warming up
Suite Teardown    Log    Shutting down

*** Test Cases ***
Uses A Lifecycle
    [Setup]    Log    Getting ready
    [Teardown]    Log    Tidying up
    Should Be Equal    on    on

Done when

checks/lifecycle.robot defines a Suite Setup, and the test passes.

Hint 1

In *** Settings ***, add Suite Setup Log Opening the suite and Suite Teardown Log Closing the suite.

Hint 2

Inside the test, add [Setup] Log ... and [Teardown] Log ..., then a simple passing assertion.

Solution

*** Settings ***
Suite Setup       Log    Opening the suite
Suite Teardown    Log    Closing the suite

*** Test Cases ***
Runs With Lifecycle
    [Setup]    Log    Preparing the test
    [Teardown]    Log    Cleaning up the test
    Should Be Equal    ready    ready

Task 2 — Run the suite green

Run

Run it:

uv run robot checks

robot checks

poetry run robot checks

Open log.html to see the setup and teardown wrapped around the test.

Done when

the test Runs With Lifecycle passes.

Check your understanding

Quick recall. Your first answer stays in this browser; the quiz never blocks your progress.

When does a Suite Teardown run?
Show the answer
Answer: Once, after all tests in the suite — Suite Setup runs once before the suite, Suite Teardown once after — even if a test failed.
How do you give one test its own setup?
Show the answer
Answer: [Setup] inside the test — [Setup] and [Teardown] inside a test case set that test's own setup/teardown.

Key terms

Suite Setup / Teardownconcept: Run once before/after the whole suite; teardown runs even after failures.
[Setup] / [Teardown]concept: Per-test setup/teardown, declared inside a test case.

All terms in the glossary →