Adding Backgrounds to Feature files

When we write Feature files, we write multiple Scenarios. Now all of these Scenarios start from one particular point. If I'm writing home page Scenarios, then I need to start the flow from the login functionality. So it is better to write the repetitive Steps at one place rather than in all Scenarios. Let's understand how to do this in the next Section.

Getting ready

Based on what we have learned so far, this is what our Feature file will look like:

Feature: Home Page
  In order to test Home Page of application
  As a Registered user
  I want to specify the features of home page

  Scenario: Home Page Default content
    Given a registered user exists
    Given user is on GitHub login page
    When user enters username
    And user enters password
    And user clicks on login button
    Then user is on Application home page
    And user gets a GitHub bootcamp section

  Scenario: GitHub Bootcamp Section
    Given user is on GitHub loginpage
    When user enters username
    And user enters password
    And user clicks on login button
    Then user is on Application home page
    When user focuses on GitHub Bootcamp Section
    Then user gets an option to setup git

  Scenario: Top Banner content
    Given user is on GitHub login page
    When user enters username
    And user enters password
    And user clicks on login button
    Then user is on Application home page
    When user focuses on Top Banner
    Then user gets a logout option

The problem here is that first five statements are repeated in all the Scenarios. This affects the readability of the Feature files, and there is a lot of duplicated effort.

The problems with this way of writing Feature files are:

• Repetition: Many statements are repeated in all the Scenarios
• Readability: The readability of the Feature files is affected.
• Duplication: Copying these Steps to all the Scenarios is redundant.
• Maintainability: Even if a single Step changes, we have to change all occurrences.

How to do it…

We are going to update the home_page.feature file and we are going to use the Background keyword to put the common Steps across all the Scenarios in one place:

Feature: Home Page
  In order to test Home Page of application
  As a Registered user
  I want to specify the features of home page

  Background: flow till home page
    Given user is on Application home page
    When user enters username
    And user enters password
    And user clicks on login button
    Then user is on Application home page

  Scenario: Home Page Default content
    Then user gets a GitHub bootcamp section

  Scenario: GitHub Bootcamp Section
    When user focuses on GitHub Bootcamp Section
    Then user gets an option to setup git

  Scenario: Top Banner content
    When user focuses on Top Banner
    Then user gets an option of home page

How it works…

Here, we have used the Background keyword. All the Steps mentioned in the Background keyword will be executed before each Scenario or Scenario Outline in a Feature file. Let's understand this keyword in greater detail:

• There can be only one Background in one Feature file and it allows us to set a precondition for all Scenarios in a Feature file.
• A Background is like a Scenario, containing a number of Steps.
• Background is run before each Scenario, but after the BeforeScenario Hooks. (We will read about Hooks in Chapter 3, Enabling Fixtures).
• The title and multiline description / intent of Background are optional.
• Since the Steps mentioned in Background will be run for all Scenarios in a Feature file, we need to be careful when adding the Steps to Background. For example, we should not add a Step that is not common to all Scenarios.

This is what the output of the preceding file looks like:

Don't use Background to set up a complicated state unless that state is actually something the client needs to know.

• Keep your Background section short because you expect a person to remember these Steps when you are adding a new Scenario
• Make your Background section vivid, because that way it will be easier for a person to remember it