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RED Agent

RED Tests Runner Agent is something of which you should be aware if you're planning to launch tests using remote configuration or if you're writing own script which will run the tests in local configuration. The agent is a python script which should be attached to test execution as a listener (see Listener interface topic in RF User Guide).

Agent is responsible for listening to execution events happening in running tests, so without agent both Message Log and Execution views will not work. The script is also responsible for stopping/resuming tests on breakpoints, so RED debugging capabilities also only work when agent was injected into tests execution.

Obtaining agent script

You can always obtain agent script from RED within Preferences dialog (at Window -> Preferences -> Robot Framework -> Default Launch Configurations , use Export Client Script button). Additionally the file may be saved straight from launch configuration dialog.

Warning

Agent script is a subject of changes, so it may happen that script exported from RED version x is not able to work properly with RED version y and vice versa. From version 0.7.6 onwards both script and RED are checking and handling this when establishing connection, so you will be notified. Important: script taken from RED older than 0.7.6 will not work with newer RED and vice-versa without notifying you (possibly even hanging infinitely).

Taking agent into Robot Tests execution

Agent script have to be injected into Robot tests using listeners mechanism. When starting Robot execution pass the listener as follows:

robot --listener /path/to/script/TestRunnerAgent.py:ARG1:ARG2:ARG3 other_arguments

Agent script can take up to 3 arguments which are added to script path after colon (:) separator, the arguments themselves are also separated with a colon (:). The arguments are:

• HOST - IP number of a server to which agent should connect and send execution data,
• PORT - port number of a server,
• TIMEOUT - when connecting to server agent will try to connect as long as the timeout is reached (in seconds)

• When script is used with only one parameter it has to be the PORT number:
  robot --listener /path/to/script/TestRunnerAgent.py:12345 other_arguments
  in this case HOST=localhost, PORT=12345 and TIMEOUT=30

• When script is used with two parameters it has to be the HOST and PORT number (in this order):
  robot --listener /path/to/script/TestRunnerAgent.py:192.168.0.5:54321 other_arguments
  in this case HOST=192.168.0.5, PORT=54321 and TIMEOUT=30

• When script is used with three parameters it all of them has to be defined (in HOST, PORT, TIMEOUT order):
  robot --listener /path/to/script/TestRunnerAgent.py:192.168.0.7:12321:60 other_arguments
  in this case HOST=192.168.0.7, PORT=12321 and TIMEOUT=60