Blog on Robotmk

Accessible Name selectors: Match less, hit reliably

Tue, 25 Aug 2026 09:00:00 +0200

In the first part of this article, I recommended the Accessible Name as the best anchor for web selectors.

This recommendation comes with an important condition – rather than simply adding to the first article, I want to clarify this point again in a separate article:

role= is not a panacea. After all, the “Accessible Name” can contain entire novels.
A brief account from my own experience.

Don’t just copy, understand: robust selectors for web testing

Fri, 31 Jul 2026 10:42:47 +0200

My advice right from the start: Stay away ✋ from copied or generated selectors for web testing! In this article, I’ll explain why: because knowing how to define robust selectors is an absolute essential for web testing. Whether or not you understand the art of creating robust selectors makes a huge difference later on when maintaining your tests.

Try out the Robot Framework MCP server without any installation

Wed, 20 May 2026 10:00:00 +0200

Want to have AI agents like ChatGPT or Claude Desktop write tests for you?
Anyone who has tried this before will be familiar with the problem: the agents invent keywords and libraries that don’t actually exist – and they have no way of interacting with the application being tested.

The result is test code that looks plausible on paper but doesn’t work in practice. This is where the MCP Server for Robot Framework comes in: it can use Robot Framework directly and thus validate every step.

In this tutorial, I’ll show you how to try it out directly in the Robotmk-Starter Lab – entirely online, with no local installation required. The Lab supports both Claude Code and GitHub Copilot

Robotmk Starter: Get Started Right Away with Synthetic Monitoring

Wed, 06 May 2026 10:42:47 +0200

Beginners in Robot Framework know the feeling: you sit in front of the first empty .robot file and wonder: How do I start? Which files do I need? How do robot.yaml, conda.yaml, and robot.toml work together?

At this point, it’s easy to lose track – the right starting point is missing, as well as a basic orientation.

For this purpose, I created the Robotmk Starter Repo: a curated set of ready-to-use, CI-tested examples and templates.

In this blog post, I will introduce the three most important examples, explain the underlying concepts, and show how to try them out immediately – either locally or directly in the browser with GitHub Codespaces.

CryptoLibrary: Securely Storing Credentials in Robot Code

Tue, 28 Apr 2026 16:02:59 +0200

If you’re doing synthetic monitoring with Robotmk in the Checkmk environment, sooner or later you’ll encounter this one question: how do I prevent passwords from ever appearing in plain text?

This article describes how to use the CryptoLibrary to protect sensitive data in Robot Framework tests.

Robotmk and RCC-Environments in air-gapped environments

Sun, 26 Apr 2026 16:02:59 +0200

RCC was one of the game changers with the introduction of Robotmk V2 - it takes care of the entire lifecycle of the Python environments that Robot Framework needs.

That’s super convenient, but there’s a catch: RCC assumes that the test host has access to the internet to download the required packages. This article describes a very practical way to use it in isolated environments.

The 'Helsinki-Shortcut' for VS Code

Thu, 26 Feb 2026 10:04:33 +0200

Be honest: how many times a day do you press the ⏵ button in VS Code? How much time have you spent waiting for the browser to finally start up?
If your workflow is an endless loop of trial and error involving writing a keyword, starting a test, writing the next keyword, starting the test again… then this hack is for you.

RoboCon 2026 - Recap (Fri, Conference day 2)

Sat, 14 Feb 2026 10:04:33 +0200

This is Part 3 of the three-part review of RoboCon 2026 in Helsinki.

RoboCon 2026 - Recap (Thu, Conference day 1)

Sat, 14 Feb 2026 10:04:33 +0200

This is Part 2 of the three-part review of RoboCon 2026 in Helsinki.

RoboCon 2026 - Recap (Workshop & Community day)

Sat, 14 Feb 2026 10:04:33 +0200

While waiting for my return flight at the airport, laptop on my knees and still filled with impressions from RoboCon 2026, I began sorting through my notes.
The first draft of this article was written between gate announcements and boarding calls 😉

So here is my very personal three-part review of RoboCon – shaped by my impressions, my focus areas and the topics that had a particular impact on me.
Nevertheless, I naturally wanted to convey as much of the “RoboCon feeling” as possible to those who had stayed at home.

Robotmk v2 quick start

Sat, 08 Nov 2025 21:37:42 +0200

The step-by-step guide updated for Checkmk 2.4 for a successful start with synthetic monitoring using Robotmk!

My Personal WROBOCON 2025 Recap

Sat, 25 Oct 2025 11:00:23 +0200

WROBOCON is the ‘little sister’ of the well-known annual Robocon in Helsinki, but it certainly has nothing to hide.
On the contrary: with exciting presentations, workshops and an active community, NiceProject has established a format that is entertaining, educational and human at the same time.

My personal conference review.

Game Changer: Secret Variables!

Thu, 09 Oct 2025 07:35:47 +0200

If you work with sensitive data in Robot Framework, you know the dilemma: Suddenly, a password, token, or API key slips into the log and is visible to everyone… 😬 The reason: Robot Framework logs everything: every variable, every keyword call, every return value.

This is cool for debugging. But it’s fatal when you’re working with real access data. A new feature in Robot Framework promises to remedy this—and this article explains exactly how.

Save the date: WROBOCON 2025

Mon, 22 Sep 2025 07:35:47 +0200

On 23 October 2025, WROBOCON will take place again – online and free of charge!
You should not miss this conference, as the agenda looks very promising.
👉 My opinion and recommendations regarding the presentations.

RCC Troubleshooting

Tue, 06 May 2025 16:02:59 +0200

RCC is the command line tool used to build Python environments for the Robotmk Framework. The practical advantage of this is that it can be used both during test development and during execution by Robotmk. This ensures that the scripts always run in a reliable environment.

However, errors can sometimes occur when building or activating the environments.
This article summarizes the most common sources of errors when working with RCC and shows how to fix them efficiently.

RoboCon 2025 Helsinki Recap

Sat, 15 Feb 2025 11:00:23 +0200

RoboCon 2025 is behind me - four days full of exciting presentations, inspiring talks and new ideas.

Now, back home, I’m sorting through my impressions - and there are plenty of them!

This conference is something special for me every year: nowhere else do I experience a community that shares so openly, discusses together and drives new ideas forward.

In this article, I’d like to share my personal highlights with you - the talks that had a particular impact on me and the topics that I will definitely be following up on.

RoboCon 2025 Day1: New Impulses on Unconference Day

Tue, 11 Feb 2025 20:20:23 +0200

The RoboCon week traditionally starts with the “Unconference Day ” - a day on which the Robot Framework community freely organizes itself and discusses the topics that move it most without a fixed program.

My summary of this day…

Robocon 25: Let's go to Helsinki! ✈️

Mon, 10 Feb 2025 11:19:14 +0100

Munich Airport, Terminal 2, Gate K10 – I use the time before my flight to study the agenda for Robocon 2025 in more detail.

👉 This year’s topics are truly amazing!

🔔 Robotmk On Air: Recording for the Checkmk Youtube Channel

Sat, 11 May 2024 10:20:23 +0200

The sunny spring weather actually invited us to spend the day outdoors, but Animesh and I persevered: a day of recording 🎙️ 🎥 in the Checkmk studio in the heart of Munich.

🔔 Robotmk v2 is out!

Mon, 29 Apr 2024 20:46:10 +0200

Today the time has come: Checkmk 2.3 was released and my “baby” Robotmk is now an integral part of this great monitoring system under the name “Synthetic Monitoring”.
You can find all the details here.

Effortless Python Environments in Robotmk with RCC

Tue, 16 Apr 2024 15:49:17 +0200

In this blog article, we shed light on the background to the development of RCC, the problems it solves and the immense advantage it brings to the Robotmk project.

Edge detection for the ImageHorizonLibrary

Thu, 24 Feb 2022 12:23:07 +0100

Edge Detection in the ImageHorizonLibrary - an experiment with great potential.