Keywords & Variables

Built-in keywords (BuiltIn)

The BuiltIn library is always available. Common keywords:

Keyword	Typical use
`Log`, `Log Many`	Debug and structured console/log output
`Should Be Equal`, `Should Contain`, `Should Be True`	Assertions
`Run Keyword If`, `Run Keyword Unless`	Legacy branching (prefer `IF` in RF 5+)
`Wait Until Keyword Succeeds`	Poll until a keyword passes or timeout
`Sleep`	Last resort; prefer explicit waits in UI/API libs
`Set Suite/Test/Global Variable`	Dynamic assignment (see also `VAR` in RF 7+)

*** Test Cases ***
BuiltIn Examples
    Wait Until Keyword Succeeds    5s    250ms    Should Be Equal    ${1}    ${1}
    Should Contain    Robot Framework    Robot

User-defined keywords

Define reusable steps under *** Keywords *** in .robot or .resource files.

Naming: use business-readable, action-oriented phrases: Login With Valid Credentials, not DoStuff.

*** Keywords ***
Login With Valid Credentials
    [Arguments]    ${username}    ${password}
    Create Session    api    ${BASE_URL}
    ${payload}=    Create Dictionary    user=${username}    pass=${password}
    ${resp}=    POST On Session    api    /login    json=${payload}
    Should Be Equal As Integers    ${resp.status_code}    200

Keyword arguments

Style	Example
Positional	`Keyword a b`
Named	`Keyword named_arg=value`
Defaults	`[Arguments] ${x} ${y}=default`
Embedded	`User "${name}" Has Role "${role}"` → name and role in keyword name

Return values

Assign the result with ${var}= Keyword args....

*** Keywords ***
Compute Total
    [Arguments]    ${a}    ${b}
    ${sum}=    Evaluate    int(${a}) + int(${b})
    RETURN    ${sum}

*** Test Cases ***
Use Return
    ${t}=    Compute Total    2    3
    Should Be Equal As Integers    ${t}    5

(RETURN is modern; older suites may use [Return] in keyword settings.)

Variable types

Syntax	Meaning
`${name}`	Scalar (string-like)
`@{name}`	List
`&{name}`	Dictionary (mapping)

*** Variables ***
@{IDS}        1    2    3
&{USER}       name=Ada    role=admin

*** Test Cases ***
Expand List
    FOR    ${id}    IN    @{IDS}
        Log    id=${id}
    END

Variable sources

Source	Notes
`* Variables *`	Versioned defaults in suite/resource
Variable files	`Variables myvars.py` or `vars.yaml` (YAML with RF YAML support)
CLI	`robot --variable ENV:staging tests`
Dynamic	`VAR`, `Set Test Variable`, etc.

Scopes

Scope	Visibility
Local	Inside one keyword (default for `VAR` without `scope=`)
Test	Visible for remainder of current test
Suite	All tests in current suite file
Global	Entire execution (use sparingly)

VAR    ${x}    one    scope=TEST
VAR    ${y}    two    scope=SUITE

Built-in variables

Variable	Meaning
`${CURDIR}`	Directory of the current file
`${EXECDIR}`	Where execution was started
`${TEMPDIR}`	Temp directory for this run
`${/}`	Path separator
`${OUTPUT_DIR}`	Where report/log/output go
`${TEST_NAME}` / `${SUITE_NAME}`	Current test / suite

Use ${CURDIR} when importing Resource or Variables with relative paths.

Secret variables (Robot Framework 7.4+)

Secrets hide values in logs and output files; they are not encryption. Values cannot be plain literals in data; use environment variables or existing secrets (see RF 7.4 release notes).

VAR uses the same ${name: Secret} form as the Variables section:

*** Test Cases ***
Call API With Token
    VAR    ${token: Secret}    %{API_TOKEN}
    Some Keyword    ${token}

CLI example (value may appear in shell history—prefer env indirection in CI):

robot --variable "TOKEN: Secret:$API_TOKEN" tests

Access from Python libraries uses robot.api.types.Secret and often .value where appropriate—keep exposure out of Robot logs.