robotframework-whitelibrary

What it is and what it does

WhiteLibrary is a Robot Framework library that bridges to the White automation framework, enabling test automation of Windows desktop applications. It supports multiple UI technologies including Win32, WinForms, WPF, and Java SWT platforms, allowing testers to write Robot Framework keywords that interact with Windows GUI elements.

The library wraps White's .NET-based automation capabilities through pythonnet, making it accessible from Robot Framework test scripts. However, both WhiteLibrary and its underlying White framework are no longer maintained—White was deprecated in December 2019, and WhiteLibrary received its last release in September 2019 with no commits since April 2022. This means the package will not receive bug fixes, security updates, or compatibility patches for newer Python or Robot Framework versions.

Use it for:

• Automate regression testing of legacy Windows desktop applications built with WinForms or WPF.
• Write Robot Framework test suites that interact with Win32 GUI controls without writing custom Python code.
• Test Java SWT applications running on Windows by automating their UI elements through White's accessibility layer.
• Integrate Windows GUI testing into existing Robot Framework test automation pipelines for cross-platform applications.

Worth the install?

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

WhiteLibrary automates Windows GUI testing for Robot Framework by wrapping the White automation framework, supporting Win32, WinForms, WPF, and Java SWT applications.

No. While the package itself has low install friction and a permissive license, both it and its underlying White framework are abandoned and deprecated. The last release was September 2019, no commits since April 2022, and the underlying White framework was deprecated in December 2019. For new projects, seek a maintained Windows GUI automation library. For legacy systems already using it, proceed only if you can accept no upstream support and potential incompatibility with modern Python or Robot Framework versions.

Install

robotframework-whitelibrary on PyPI

pip install robotframework-whitelibrary

uv add robotframework-whitelibrary

poetry add robotframework-whitelibrary

Installing robotframework-whitelibrary

Before you install

Installation is straightforward with low friction—a pure Python wheel depending only on robotframework and pythonnet. However, the package is abandoned as of 2022 with no releases since September 2019, and the underlying White framework itself was deprecated in December 2019.

License in practice

Licensed under Apache 2.0 (permissive), which places no restrictions on use, modification, or distribution in proprietary or open-source projects.

Quickstart

pip install robotframework-whitelibrary

from WhiteLibrary import WhiteLibrary

white = WhiteLibrary()
white.launch_application('path/to/app.exe')

Requires Windows OS and the White automation framework's underlying .NET dependencies (TestStack.White and Castle.Core); pythonnet must be able to load .NET assemblies on the target system.

Verify before relying

• Whether the package still functions with modern versions of pythonnet and Robot Framework, given its abandonment since 2019.
• Compatibility with Python versions beyond 3.6, as the package was last tested against Python 2.7, 3.5, and 3.6.
• Whether White framework's deprecation has been superseded by maintained alternatives in the Robot Framework ecosystem.

Package facts

Evidence: robotframework_whitelibrary-1.6.0-py2.py3-none-any.whl

Tags

More Testing packages