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Auto-Configuration in Brobot

Brobot provides comprehensive auto-configuration capabilities that eliminate the need for applications to manually configure most framework settings. This document describes the auto-configuration features that are built into the Brobot library.

Overview​

Brobot applications should require minimal to no configuration files. The framework automatically handles:

  • DPI scaling and cross-version compatibility
  • Image path resolution and verification
  • Console reporter output levels
  • Mock mode optimization for testing
  • Cross-platform compatibility

Built-in Configuration Classes​

1. BrobotDPIConfiguration​

Purpose: Automatically detects and compensates for DPI scaling differences and Java version compatibility issues.

Features:

  • Detects Windows DPI scaling (125%, 150%, etc.)
  • Applies appropriate pattern scaling compensation
  • Handles Java 8 vs Java 9+ rendering differences
  • Configures consistent color rendering across versions

Auto-configured settings:

Settings.AlwaysResize    // Automatically set based on DPI scaling
Settings.MinSimilarity    // Adjusted for Java version differences
Settings.CheckLastSeen    // Enabled for performance

Java Version Compatibility:

  • Java 9+: Applies rendering consistency settings
  • Disables hardware acceleration for consistent pattern matching
  • Adjusts similarity thresholds for version-specific rendering differences

2. ConsoleReporterInitializer​

Purpose: Automatically configures console output levels based on logging verbosity settings.

Verbosity Mapping:

  • QUIET → ConsoleReporter.OutputLevel.NONE
  • NORMAL → ConsoleReporter.OutputLevel.LOW
  • VERBOSE → ConsoleReporter.OutputLevel.HIGH

Configuration: Set via brobot.logging.verbosity property

3. Image Find Debugging (New)​

Purpose: Provides comprehensive debugging for image finding operations with colorful console output and visual reports.

Features:

  • Colorful console output with success/failure indicators
  • Visual annotations on screenshots
  • HTML/JSON reports with statistics
  • Pattern vs match comparison grids

Auto-configured when enabled:

  • AOP interceptors for Find operations
  • Visual debug renderer
  • Report generator
  • Session management

Configuration: Enable via brobot.debug.image.enabled=true

See: Image Find Debugging Guide and Properties Reference

4. ImagePathManager​

Purpose: Intelligent image path resolution with multiple fallback strategies.

Features:

  • Automatic path resolution strategies (absolute, relative, classpath, JAR)
  • JAR extraction for packaged applications
  • Image verification and diagnostics
  • Alternative location checking

New Methods:

// Verify expected images and directories
boolean verifyImageSetup(List<String> expectedDirs, List<String> expectedImages)

// Get diagnostic information
Map<String, Object> getDiagnostics()

4. MockConfiguration with Test Profile Optimization​

Purpose: Automatically optimizes settings when running tests with the test profile.

Test Profile Features (activated with @Profile("test")):

  • Forces mock mode for consistent testing
  • Ultra-fast operation timings (0.005-0.02 seconds)
  • Disables all visual elements (drawing, snapshots)
  • Removes all mouse pauses and delays
  • Enables deterministic state management

Optimized Settings:

# Automatically applied with test profile
brobot.mock=true
brobot.mock.time.find-first=0.01
brobot.mock.time.click=0.005
brobot.draw.*=false
brobot.pause.*=0

5. BrobotAutoConfiguration​

Purpose: Central auto-configuration that ties everything together.

Features:

  • Conditional bean creation based on environment
  • ExecutionEnvironment detection (mock vs live)
  • Primary bean designations for conflict resolution
  • Automatic wrapper configuration

6. NativeLibraryDebugSuppressor​

Purpose: Automatically suppresses debug output from JavaCV/FFmpeg native libraries.

Features:

  • Suppresses messages like "Debug: Loading library nppig64_12"
  • Suppresses "Debug: Failed to load for nppig64_12: java.lang.UnsatisfiedLinkError"
  • Suppresses "Debug: Collecting org.bytedeco.javacpp.Pointer$NativeDeallocator"
  • Runs very early in startup process via Spring ApplicationContextInitializer

Configuration:

# Enable/disable suppression (default: true)
brobot.native.logging.suppress=true

# Fine-grained control (defaults: false)
brobot.javacpp.debug=false
brobot.javacv.debug=false

Why it's needed: JavaCV/FFmpeg libraries print debug messages directly to stdout/stderr, bypassing Java's logging system. These messages cannot be controlled through standard logging configuration and require system properties to be set before the libraries are loaded.

6. NativeLibraryDebugSuppressor​

Purpose: Automatically suppresses debug output from JavaCV/FFmpeg native libraries.

Features:

  • Suppresses messages like "Debug: Loading library nppig64_12"
  • Suppresses "Debug: Failed to load for nppig64_12: java.lang.UnsatisfiedLinkError"
  • Suppresses "Debug: Collecting org.bytedeco.javacpp.Pointer$NativeDeallocator"
  • Runs very early in startup process via Spring ApplicationContextInitializer

Configuration:

# Enable/disable suppression (default: true)
brobot.native.logging.suppress=true

# Fine-grained control (defaults: false)
brobot.javacpp.debug=false
brobot.javacv.debug=false

Why it's needed: JavaCV/FFmpeg libraries print debug messages directly to stdout/stderr, bypassing Java's logging system. These messages cannot be controlled through standard logging configuration and require system properties to be set before the libraries are loaded.

Configuration Properties​

While Brobot auto-configures most settings, you can override them via application.properties:

# Core settings (usually auto-detected)
brobot.core.image-path=images          # Auto-resolved by ImagePathManager
brobot.mock=false            # Auto-set to true in test profile

# Logging (affects ConsoleReporter output)
brobot.logging.verbosity=NORMAL        # QUIET, NORMAL, or VERBOSE

# DPI/Scaling (usually auto-detected)
brobot.dpi.manual-scaling=125          # Override auto-detection if needed

# Native Library Debug Suppression (since 1.0)
brobot.native.logging.suppress=true    # Suppress JavaCV/FFmpeg debug messages (default: true)
brobot.javacpp.debug=false            # Enable JavaCPP debug output (default: false)
brobot.javacv.debug=false             # Enable JavaCV debug output (default: false)

# Native Library Debug Suppression (since 1.0)
brobot.native.logging.suppress=true    # Suppress JavaCV/FFmpeg debug messages (default: true)
brobot.javacpp.debug=false            # Enable JavaCPP debug output (default: false)
brobot.javacv.debug=false             # Enable JavaCV debug output (default: false)

# Test optimization (auto-applied with test profile)
spring.profiles.active=test            # Activates all test optimizations

Migration from Application-Specific Configuration​

If you're migrating from application-specific configuration classes, here's what's now handled by the framework:

Old Application ConfigBrobot Framework Replacement
SikuliXIDEMatchingConfigBrobotDPIConfiguration
ImagePathConfigurationImagePathManager
ConsoleReporterConfigurationConsoleReporterInitializer
ImageSetupVerifierImagePathManager.verifyImageSetup()
CrossVersionCompatibilityConfigBrobotDPIConfiguration
TestProfileMockConfigurationMockConfiguration.TestProfileOptimization
Custom JavaCV debug suppressionNativeLibraryDebugSuppressor
Custom JavaCV debug suppressionNativeLibraryDebugSuppressor

Best Practices​

  1. Let the framework auto-configure: Don't create custom configuration classes unless absolutely necessary.

  2. Use profiles for environment-specific settings:

    # For testing
    java -jar app.jar --spring.profiles.active=test

    # For production
    java -jar app.jar --spring.profiles.active=prod

  3. Override only when necessary: Use properties files to override specific settings rather than creating configuration classes.

  4. Leverage built-in diagnostics:

    @Autowired
    private ImagePathManager imagePathManager;

    // Get diagnostic information
    Map<String, Object> diagnostics = imagePathManager.getDiagnostics();

    // Verify expected images
    boolean valid = imagePathManager.verifyImageSetup(
        Arrays.asList("images/states", "images/patterns"),
        Arrays.asList("images/states/home.png", "images/patterns/button.png")
    );

Example: Minimal Brobot Application​

With auto-configuration, a Brobot application needs minimal setup:

@SpringBootApplication
@ComponentScan(basePackages = {
    "com.myapp",
    "io.github.jspinak.brobot"  // Enables all auto-configuration
})
public class MyBrobotApp {
    public static void main(String[] args) {
        SpringApplication.run(MyBrobotApp.class, args);
    }
}

Optional application.properties:

# That's it! Everything else is auto-configured
brobot.core.image-path=images
brobot.logging.verbosity=NORMAL

The framework handles all DPI scaling, image path resolution, console output configuration, and test optimizations automatically.