Waiting on the network

Chapter lab: Forms and flowsch09-web-flows.zip · 27 KB

This lesson continues in the same lab as the lesson before it. If you don’t have it yet, download it here.

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

bash / zsh
PowerShell

curl -fsSLO https://manykarim.github.io/robotframework-essentials-web/labs/ch09-web-flows.zip && unzip -q ch09-web-flows.zip && rm ch09-web-flows.zip

Invoke-WebRequest https://manykarim.github.io/robotframework-essentials-web/labs/ch09-web-flows.zip -OutFile ch09-web-flows.zip; Expand-Archive ch09-web-flows.zip -DestinationPath .; Remove-Item ch09-web-flows.zip

Open the folder in VS Code with code rfe-ch09-web-flows (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.

Also needed for this lab

Install Node.js (an LTS release), then run once — it downloads a browser engine (large):

uv run rfbrowser init chromium

rfbrowser init chromium

poetry run rfbrowser init chromium

Start the RF Demo Shop in its own terminal and keep it running while you work:

uv run python demo_app/serve.py

python demo_app/serve.py

poetry run python demo_app/serve.py

What's inside

Directoryrfe-ch09-web-flows/
- Directory.vscode/
  - extensions.json
- Directorychecks/
  - smoke.robot
- Directorydemo_app/
  - api.py
  - serve.py
  - store.py
  - web.py
- Directoryresources/
  - shop.resource
- .gitignore
- .python-version
- LAB.md
- pyproject.toml
- README.md
- requirements.txt
- uv.lock

The catalog search calls the shop’s API and updates the page when the response arrives. With a network delay, the result count changes a moment later. The wrong fix is a longer Sleep; the right fix is a getter assertion that auto-waits for the value.

The catalog page takes a ?delay=<ms> flag that slows the search response, so you can prove the wait is real.

Task 1 — Search with a network delay and let the assertion wait

Edit

Goal: create checks/search.robot that signs in, opens the catalog with a delay, searches, and lets the result-count assertion wait out the delay.

Here is the same wait over a different search term and delay. Adapt it to search mug with an 800 ms delay.

Worked example — adapt it, don’t copy it

*** Settings ***
Library     Browser
Resource    ../resources/shop.resource

*** Test Cases ***
Lamp Search Waits For The Network
    New Browser    chromium    headless=True
    New Context
    New Page    ${BASE_URL}/login
    Fill Text    data-testid=login-username    primary_user
    Fill Text    data-testid=login-password    learning-password
    Click    data-testid=login-submit
    New Page    ${BASE_URL}/catalog?delay=500
    Fill Text    data-testid=catalog-search    lamp
    Click    data-testid=search-submit
    Get Text    data-testid=result-count    ==    1
    Close Browser

Done when

the suite defines Search Waits For The Network.

Hint 1

Open the catalog with the delay flag: New Page ${BASE_URL}/catalog?delay=800, then Fill Text data-testid=catalog-search mug and click search-submit.

Hint 2

Don’t Sleep — the getter assertion waits for you. Assert Get Text data-testid=result-count == 1 and it retries through the delay.

Solution

*** Settings ***
Library     Browser
Resource    ../resources/shop.resource

*** Test Cases ***
Search Waits For The Network
    New Browser    chromium    headless=True
    New Context
    New Page    ${BASE_URL}/login
    Fill Text    data-testid=login-username    primary_user
    Fill Text    data-testid=login-password    learning-password
    Click    data-testid=login-submit
    New Page    ${BASE_URL}/catalog?delay=800
    Fill Text    data-testid=catalog-search    mug
    Click    data-testid=search-submit
    Get Text    data-testid=result-count    ==    1
    Close Browser

Task 2 — Run it green

Run

Run:

uv run robot checks

robot checks

poetry run robot checks

Done when

the search settles at one matching product without a Sleep.

Check your understanding

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

The catalog search fetches results after a delay. The right fix is…
Show the answer
Answer: a getter assertion that auto-waits for the count — Auto-waiting getter assertions wait for the async result — never a fixed Sleep, which is either too short or too slow.
Searching mug should leave the result count at…
Show the answer
Answer: 1 — Only Travel Mug matches mug, so the count settles at 1 once the network responds.

Key terms

auto-waiting vs Sleepconcept: Wait on what the page does (assertions), not a fixed duration.

All terms in the glossary →