robotframework/robotframework

BuiltIn: Enhance error reporting of comparison keywords especially when `ignore_case=True`

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#2512 opened on Dec 30, 2016

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 (1 comment) (1 reaction) (0 assignees)Python (8,672 stars) (2,220 forks)batch import
help wantedpriority: medium

Description

Case-insensitivity support added in RF 3.0.1 (#2439) works fine otherwise, but error reporting isn't always consistent. Sometimes error messages show the compared values turned to lower case, and in others they show the original values. It would probably be best to to always show the original values but add a note like (case-insensitive) to the message automatically.

There are also other inconsistencies in error reporting (e.g. do messages end with . or not) that can be fixed when refactoring error reporting in general. Having a better way to report errors involving large strings or containers with many items would be great too, but that is probably so big task that it would deserve a separate issue.

Contributor guide

Tech stack
python
Domain
testing
Issue type
feature
DifficultyEstimated implementation difficulty for a new contributor, from 1 for very small changes to 5 for expert-level work.
3
Estimated timeA rough time range for an experienced contributor to investigate, implement, test, and prepare a pull request.
1-2 days
Activity statusHow available the issue appears right now: fresh, active, stale, blocked, or waiting on maintainer input.
stale
ClarityHow clearly the issue explains the expected change, acceptance criteria, and next step.
mostly clear
Prerequisites
Familiarity with Robot Framework's built in keywordsUnderstanding of case insensitivity feature (ref #2439)
Newbie friendlinessA 1-100 score estimating how approachable this issue is for first-time contributors.
55
Research direction
Investigate the error reporting in comparison keywords, particularly when `ignore case=True`. Look at the implementation of case insensitive comparison (see PR #2439). Review how error messages are constructed and ensure original values are shown with a note like '(case insensitive)'. Also, consider standardizing message formatting (e.g., consistent use of periods). The relevant files are likely in the `BuiltIn` module under `robot` directory.