Principle:MarketSquare Robotframework browser Installation Verification

Knowledge Sources	robotframework-browser
Domains	Testing, Installation
Last Updated	2026-02-12 04:00 GMT

Overview

Verifying the installation of a multi-component test automation stack involves querying the version of each layer to confirm that all parts are present and compatible with one another.

Description

The robotframework-browser library operates as a layered system with three major version-sensitive components:

1. Browser Library (Python): The Robot Framework keyword library that provides the test automation API. Its version is stored in Browser/version.py as the __version__ variable.
2. Robot Framework: The test execution framework that loads and runs the Browser library. Its version is queried via python -m robot --version.
3. Playwright (Node.js): The browser automation engine that controls the actual browsers. Its version is determined by running npm list playwright in the Browser/wrapper/ directory, or by parsing the version from package.json if npm is not available.

Why Version Verification Matters:

Version mismatches between these components are a common source of installation issues. For example:

• An outdated Playwright version may lack support for newer browser features
• A version mismatch between the Browser library and its Node.js dependencies can cause gRPC protocol incompatibilities
• An incompatible Robot Framework version may fail to load the library

The rfbrowser --version command provides a single point of verification by displaying all three version numbers together. This output is invaluable for:

• Confirming a fresh installation succeeded
• Diagnosing test failures caused by version incompatibilities
• Providing version information in bug reports
• Validating CI/CD environment configurations

Version Detection Methods:

Component	Detection Method	Fallback
Browser Library	Parse __version__ from Browser/version.py using regex	Reports "unknown"
Robot Framework	Run python -m robot --version and parse stdout	Reports empty string
Playwright	Run npm list playwright in wrapper directory and parse the @version suffix	Parse version from package.json dependencies field

The Playwright version detection distinguishes between an "Installed" version (successfully queried from npm) and a "Required" version (parsed from package.json when npm fails). This distinction helps diagnose whether Node.js dependencies have been properly initialized.

Usage

Run rfbrowser --version in the following scenarios:

• After initial installation: To confirm all components are correctly installed
• After upgrading: To verify that all components have been updated to compatible versions
• When debugging test failures: To rule out version mismatch issues
• In CI/CD pipelines: As an early validation step before running tests
• When reporting bugs: To provide complete environment information

Theoretical Basis

The version checking logic can be expressed as:

FUNCTION print_version():
    1. Read Browser/version.py file content
    2. Extract version string using regex pattern: "\d+\.\d+.\d+"
       IF match found: browser_lib_version = matched string
       ELSE: browser_lib_version = "unknown"

    3. Run subprocess: python -m robot --version
       Parse stdout: split by space, take third token
       rf_version = parsed version string

    4. Run subprocess: npm list playwright
       Working directory: Browser/wrapper/
       IF exit code == 0:
         Parse stdout with regex: (@[^@]*)$ to extract version suffix
         Strip "@" prefix and whitespace
         pw_version = Version(parsed_string, from_cmd=True)
       ELSE (npm not available or node_modules missing):
         Read Browser/wrapper/package.json
         Parse "playwright" dependency version using regex: \d+\.\d+\.\d+
         pw_version = Version(parsed_string, from_cmd=False)

    5. Display:
       "Installed Browser library version is: {browser_lib_version}"
       "Installed Robot Framework version: {rf_version}"
       IF pw_version.from_cmd:
         "Installed Playwright is: {pw_version.version}"
       ELSE:
         "Required Playwright is: {pw_version.version}"

Related Pages

Implemented By

• Implementation:MarketSquare_Robotframework_browser_Print_Version