Configuration Guide

Configuration Guide#

ArgoBEAST is controlled via the user configuration file, typically named driver.yml.

While the framework comes with internal defaults, driver.yml is where you define your specific project settings, such as browser choice, timeouts, and reporting preferences.

Configuration File Location#

By default, ArgoBEAST looks for your configuration file at:

config/driver.yml

Custom Config Paths (CI/CD)#

If you need to store your configuration elsewhere (or if you want to swap configurations dynamically in a CI pipeline), you can override the default path using the TEST_CONFIG environment variable.

Example (Linux/Mac):

export TEST_CONFIG="my_custom_configs/staging_config.yml"
behave

Example (Windows PowerShell):

$env:TEST_CONFIG="my_custom_configs/staging_config.yml"
behave

Webdriver Configuration#

These settings control the instantiation of the browser session.

Key

Description

Options / Notes

browser

The browser to run tests on.

chrome, firefox, edge (Case insensitive)

driver_path

The path to your WebDriver executable (e.g., chromedriver.exe).

Required if not using Selenium Manager. Can be left empty if using Selenium Manager or if the driver is in your system PATH.

headless

Runs the browser without a visible UI. Recommended for CI/Docker.

true / false

window_size

Sets the initial viewport dimensions.

Format: "WIDTH,HEIGHT" (e.g., "1920,1080"). Note: This works universally across all supported browsers in both Headless and Headful modes.

remote_url

The URL for a Selenium Grid or Docker container.

Leave empty "" for local execution.

Advanced: Browser Arguments (browser_args)#

ArgoBEAST allows you to pass custom flags directly to the browser options at startup. This provides flexibility for specific testing needs (e.g., testing incognito mode, handling SSL errors, or performance profiling).

Warning

ArgoBEAST does not validate these flags.

We simply pass them to the underlying driver. It is your responsibility to ensure the flags you provide are compatible with the browser you selected.

How to use#

Uncomment the browser_args section in your driver.yml file and add your flags as a list.

Example: Chrome / Edge

browser: chrome
browser_args:
  - "--incognito"
  - "--disable-gpu"
  - "--ignore-certificate-errors"

Example: Firefox

browser: firefox
browser_args:
  - "--private"
  - "--allow-downgrade"

Note: If you provide a Chrome-specific flag (like ``–disable-extensions``) while running Firefox, the driver may ignore it or fail to start. Check the official driver documentation for valid arguments.

Timeouts & Stability#

Key

Description

Recommended

implicit_wait

Global fallback wait time (in seconds) for finding elements.

5 (Keep low if using Explicit Waits)

explicit_wait

The standard timeout used by CommonActions for dynamic elements.

10 - 15

page_load_timeout

Maximum time to wait for a page to fully render before throwing an error.

``30``+ (Increase for heavy apps)

Application Settings#

  • base_url: The entry point for your tests (e.g., http://localhost:8501).

  • default_route: The default path appended to the base URL during the initial navigation step (usually /).

Framework Behaviour#

  • screenshot_on_failure: If true, a screenshot will be captured automatically when a step fails.

  • output_directory: The folder where failed screenshots and other artifacts are saved.

  • retry_failed_scenarios: (Experimental) If true, the framework attempts to re-run fragile scenarios. Default is false.

  • max_retries:

    (Experimental) The maximum number of retry attempts for failed scenarios when retry_failed_scenarios is enabled. Default is 2.

ArgoBEAST has built-in integration for Allure, provided you have the allure command-line tool installed on your machine.

  • allure_reporting: Main switch. Set to true to generate JSON results in allure-results.

  • hide_skipped_tests: If true, scenarios marked with @skip are excluded from the final report entirely.

  • auto_generate_report: If true, ArgoBEAST will attempt to run allure generate at the end of the test run and bundle the HTML into a ZIP file.

    Note

    The allure binary must be in your system PATH for this to work.

  • allure_keep_history: If true, copies history from previous runs to show trend graphs.

Logging#

  • log_level: Controls the verbosity of the console output.

    • INFO: Standard execution logs.

    • DEBUG: Detailed logs for framework development/debugging.

    • ERROR: Only show critical failures.