RobotFramework: Get Return Value When Using 'Run Keyword {if, unless}'

1
votes

Getting return variables from a keyword in RobotFramework is generally easy enough, just put a return value int he keyword and run the keyword after a variable to store the return value.

I run into a problem when I want to run that keyword conditionally. Both the Run Keyword If and the Run Keyword Unless keywords, as well as the Wait Until Keyword Succeeds keyword, expect a keyword as the first argument and will throw an error if the first argument is a variable.

Currently I am working around this by setting suite level variables in the keywords I know I am going to run conditionally, but this feels kind of kludgy. Worse, I have to refactor any keyword that was not forseen needed as a conditional keyword when originally designed. Of course, I could just not use return variables, ever, and always set suite level variables, but that just makes me feel dirty.

I have not found a clean way to do this. It works, but I was hoping someone else had found a better way.

1
robotframework

1 Answers

6
votes

Those keywords you mention return the value of the keyword they run, so you can just capture the return result like you normally would.

For example:

*** Test Cases ***
| Example
| | ${foo}= | Set variable | true
| | ${bar}= | Run keyword if | "${foo}" == "true" 
| | ... | set variable | this is bar
| | Should be equal | ${bar} | this is bar