robotframework-csvlibrary

What it is and what it does

CSVLibrary extends Robot Framework with keywords to read CSV files and convert them into Robot Framework data structures—lists and associative arrays (dictionaries)—that can be used directly in test cases. It sits between your test logic and CSV data files, letting you load test data or validation datasets without writing custom Python code.

The library is minimal and focused: it provides a few core keywords (read csv file to list, read csv file to associative) that handle the parsing. It's designed for teams using Robot Framework for acceptance testing or data-driven automation who want to keep test data in CSV format. The package has been stable since its 2017 release but is no longer actively maintained, so it works well for straightforward CSV reading but may not evolve with new Robot Framework features.

Use it for:

• Load test data from CSV files into Robot Framework test cases without writing custom Python keywords.
• Populate test matrices or parameterized test suites by reading CSV rows as test inputs.
• Validate application output by comparing it against expected results stored in CSV files.
• Build data-driven acceptance tests where test cases iterate over rows in a CSV dataset.
• Organize test fixtures and reference data in CSV format for easy maintenance by non-programmers.

Worth the install?

AI-flagged interpretation of the facts on this page — verify before relying

CSVLibrary is a Robot Framework library that provides keywords for reading and parsing CSV files into lists and dictionaries within Robot Framework test cases.

Yes, if you are already using Robot Framework and need simple CSV reading for test data. The low install friction (one dependency), permissive license, and stable keyword interface make it a straightforward addition. However, expect no active maintenance—if you need advanced CSV features (custom dialects, streaming, complex transformations) or encounter issues with newer Python or Robot Framework versions, you may need to fork or switch to a custom solution.

Install

robotframework-csvlibrary on PyPI

pip install robotframework-csvlibrary

uv add robotframework-csvlibrary

poetry add robotframework-csvlibrary

Installing robotframework-csvlibrary

Before you install

Installation is straightforward with a single runtime dependency on robotframework. The package is dormant (last release 2022-03-15, last commit 2024-09-03), so expect no active maintenance, though the repository remains available and unarchived.

License in practice

Licensed under Apache License 2.0 (permissive), so you can use it freely in commercial and private projects with minimal restrictions.

Quickstart

pip install robotframework-csvlibrary

*** Settings ***
Library    CSVLibrary

*** Test Cases ***
Read CSV Example
    @{list}=    read csv file to list    data.csv
    Log    ${list[0]}

Requires Robot Framework to be installed; CSVLibrary is a Robot Framework library, not a standalone tool.

Verify before relying

• Whether the library works reliably with modern Python versions (3.10+) given the dormant maintenance status.
• Whether CSV dialect handling (delimiters, quoting) is configurable or limited to defaults.
• Current state of the keyword documentation and whether examples in the repo remain accurate.

Package facts

Evidence: robotframework_csvlibrary-0.0.5-py3-none-any.whl

Keywords: robotframework, testing, csv

Tags

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