Welcome to this practical session introducing robotframework-platynui, a cross-platform UI testing library for desktop applications.
This practical session introduces robotframework-platynui, a cross-platform UI testing library for desktop applications. You'll learn to set up your environment, use the PlatynUI Spy tool, create effective locators, and build your own test cases. Advanced topics include structuring test suites, remote test execution, and solving common automation challenges.
Please choose one of the following setups for the workshop.
The best experience is on a local Windows 10 or 11 machine (or VM). PlatynUI has the most comprehensive feature set on Windows.
If you are using a MacOS host machine, PlatynUI can be run on a Windows 11 ARM VM. We used UTM for virtualization. For detailed setup refer to the installation guide below:
You can use a local Linux machine (or VM), such as Fedora.
Important: You must use an X11 session. Wayland is not fully supported for automation.
If you cannot install software locally or run a VM, use the Devcontainer.
Note: This is a fallback solution with limitations in compatibility and performance.
- PlatynUI architecture and key advantages
- Installation, integration, and environment setup
- Using PlatynUI Spy and writing strong locators
- Test suite design and maintenance
QA engineers, automation testers, and developers familiar with Robot Framework and Python, looking to expand into desktop UI testing.
- Set up and configure PlatynUI in your testing environment.
- Use PlatynUI Spy to inspect elements and understand the object tree.
- Create reliable locators using different strategies.
- Build stable desktop UI tests for a sample application.
- Apply best practices for maintainable test automation.
By the end of this workshop, you will be able to apply reliable locator strategies and troubleshoot common issues in desktop UI automation.