Log Linking

Enable interactive log navigation directly from dashboard graphs. When enabled, clicking on a graph element (run, suite, test, or keyword) opens the corresponding log.html file. And in the case of suites or tests the log opens at the correct suite or test within the log file.

Enabling Log Linking

Add the --uselogs (or -u) flag when generating your dashboard:

robotdashboard -u true

This can be combined with other options:

robotdashboard -u true -o output.xml -n robot_dashboard.html

For the full list of CLI options, see Basic CLI.

File Naming Convention

The dashboard derives the log path from the output path by replacing output with log and .xml with .html:

Output File	Expected Log File
path/to/output.xml	path/to/log.html
path/to/my_output_123.xml	path/to/my_log_123.html
some_test_output_file.xml	some_test_log_file.html
output_nightly.xml	log_nightly.html

WARNING

If the log file does not follow this naming convention, it will not be found when clicking a graph element.

Usage Scenarios

Local (No Server)

The simplest setup. The dashboard opens log files directly from the filesystem.

Requirements:

• The log.html must be in the same directory as the output.xml.
• The filename must follow the naming convention above.

robotdashboard -u true -o path/to/output_nightly.xml

Clicking a graph element will open path/to/log_nightly.html in a new browser tab.

Local Server

When running the dashboard as a local server (--server), the behavior is the same as the local setup. The only difference is that log files are served by the server instead of opened directly from the filesystem. The same naming convention and directory requirements apply.

robotdashboard -u true --server

Remote Server

When the dashboard runs on a remote machine (e.g., in a container), log files are not available on the filesystem. You must upload them to the server.

Upload methods:

• The server's admin GUI (manual upload)
• The /add-log-file API endpoint (programmatic upload)
• The robotdashboardlistener (automatic upload after test execution)

Uploaded logs are stored in a robot_logs folder in the server's working directory. The naming convention still applies — the server matches logs to runs using the filename.

TIP

Make sure to start the server with the --uselogs flag so that graph elements become clickable. Without this flag, no log linking will occur even if logs have been uploaded.

For more details about the server and its API, see Dashboard Server.

CI Pipelines and Hosted Logs

In a typical CI setup, tests are run and logs are published to a server at a unique URL per build, for example:

https://ci.example.com/pipeline/build42/log.html

The default log-linking behaviour (deriving the log path from the stored output.xml path) breaks here because the base URL changes for every build. The --logurl flag lets you store the exact URL directly in the database so each run links to its own log, wherever it is hosted.

Single Output

When processing one output file per run, pass the direct URL:

robotdashboard -u true \
  -o output-20250313-003006.xml \
  --logurl https://marketsquare.github.io/robotframework-dashboard/example/tests/robot/resources/outputs/log-20250313-003006.html

The URL is stored in the database for that run. Clicking any graph element for that run opens it directly in a new tab.

Multiple Outputs — {run_alias} Placeholder

When processing multiple output files at once (via -f or repeated -o), use {run_alias} as a placeholder in the URL. It is substituted per file with the run alias — derived from the filename by stripping the output_ prefix and .xml extension.

File naming: files must use an underscore separator (output_<alias>.xml) so the alias strips cleanly:

File	Alias	Resolved URL
output_20250313-002134.xml	20250313-002134	…/log-20250313-002134.html
output_20250313-003006.xml	20250313-003006	…/log-20250313-003006.html

robotdashboard -u true \
  -f ./tests/robot/resources/outputs/ \
  --logurl "https://marketsquare.github.io/robotframework-dashboard/example/tests/robot/resources/outputs/log-{run_alias}.html"

WARNING

If --logurl is provided without {run_alias} while multiple output files are being processed, the command will fail with an error. Either add the {run_alias} placeholder or use one -o per invocation.

TIP

--logurl requires --uselogs (or -u) to also be set. Without it, graph elements are not clickable and the stored URL has no visible effect.

Deep Linking

When clicking a data point on a suite or test graph, the dashboard doesn't just open log.html — it navigates directly to the corresponding suite or test within the log file by appending the element's ID as a URL fragment (e.g., log.html#s1-s1-t2).

This means you land exactly on the relevant suite or test in the log, without needing to manually search for it.

Label Clicks

Clicking on X-axis or Y-axis run labels (run_start or alias) on any graph also opens the corresponding log file for that run.

Missing Log Behavior

If no log path is stored in the database for a run, clicking a graph element will show a ERR_FILE_NOT_FOUND error.

Accessing Reports

Robot Framework report.html files can also be accessed through the log file:

1. Name the report file the same as the log file, but replace log with report.
2. Place the report in the same directory as the log.
3. The link to the report inside the log.html (top-right corner) will then work correctly.

Log File	Expected Report File
log_nightly.html	report_nightly.html
my_log_123.html	my_report_123.html