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Cucumber Cookbook
Cucumber Cookbook

Cucumber Cookbook: Over 35 hands-on recipes to efficiently master the art of behaviour-driven development using Cucumber-JVM

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Cucumber Cookbook

Chapter 2. Creating Step Definitions

In this chapter, we will cover the following topics:

  • Creating your first Step Definitions file
  • Identifying duplicate and Ambiguous Step Definitions
  • Using regular expressions to optimize Step Definitions
  • Using Optional Capture/Noncapture groups
  • Transforming Data Tables to parse the test data
  • Implementing Data Table diffs to compare tables
  • Using Doc Strings to parse big data as one chunk
  • Combining Doc Strings and Scenario Outlines
  • Defining String transformations for better conversions

Introduction

Sometimes people who are not that well versed in Cucumber argue that creating a Step Definitions file is an overhead as compared to the frameworks that do not have Cucumber. But what they don't realize is that Cucumber auto-generates these Step Definitions, so it's not an overhead. With the knowledge of the concepts covered in this chapter, you will be able to write very effective and efficient Step Definitions.

In this chapter, we will start with the basic concepts of Glue Code/Step Definitions in detail by covering the different types of Step Definitions, the usage of regular expressions, and so on. To come up with optimized and efficient Step Definitions, we will also elaborate upon advanced concepts of Doc Strings, Data Table transformations, and Capture groups.

Creating your first Step Definitions file

Now let's assume you are an automation developer and you have to implement automated test cases for a Feature file. The next Step in this direction would be to write the Step Definitions for this Feature file. So, how do we write Step Definitions in a Cucumber project? Let's see how to do this in this recipe.

How to do it…

The easiest way to create Step Definitions is to let Cucumber take care of it. The Steps are as follows:

  1. Here is the Feature file used in our previous chapter. Let's use this Feature file to create our first Step Definitions:
    Feature: login Page
      In order to test login page
      As a Registered user
      I want to specify the login conditions
    
      Scenario: checking pre-condition, action and results
        Given user is on Application landing page
        When user clicks Sign in button
        Then user is on login screen
  2. When you save the Feature file and run (either via Eclipse or via a Terminal), Cucumber is going to give errors...

Identifying Duplicate and Ambiguous Step Definitions

Sometimes when we are writing Cucumber Step Definitions files, we get either Duplicate Step Definitions errors or Ambiguous Step Definitions errors. Let's try and understand the reasons why these errors arise, and how we can remove them through this recipe.

How to do it…

We will use the same Feature file from previous recipe. Perform the following Steps:

  1. Let's create one more class in the StepDefinitions package, called DuplicateAmbiguous.java, with the following content:
    package com.StepDefinitions;
    
    import cucumber.api.java.en.Given;
    
    public class DuplicateAmbiguous {
      
      //Duplicate Steps
      @Given("^user is on Application landing page$")
      public void user_is_on_Application_landing_page_duplicate() throws Throwable {
        //sample code goes here
        System.out.println("Duplicate");
      }
    
    }

    When you try to run the Feature file, observe the Cucumber output:

    Exception in thread "main" cucumber.runtime...

Using Regular Expressions to optimize Step Definitions

Until now, we have created Step Definitions with one-to-one relations with Steps. But this way of writing Step Definitions can be cumbersome as we write more and more Feature files. So, we will write generic Step Definitions that will apply to all the Steps that follow a certain pattern, thus bringing down the number of Step Definitions required. Let's see how to do this in this recipe.

How to do it…

  1. Let's assume we are writing Step Definitions for the following Scenario.
    Scenario: login fail - wrong username
        Given user is displayed login screen
        When user enters "wrongusername" in username field
        And user enters "123456" in password field
        And user clicks Sign in button
  2. Now run the Feature file, and copy and paste the Cucumber Step Definitions suggestions in the LoginSteps.java class. This is how LoginSteps.java looks:
    package com.StepDefinitions;
    
    import cucumber.api.java.en.Given;
    import...

Using Optional Capture and Noncapture Groups

Until now, we have covered how to write Step Definitions for various keywords in Feature files. Now let's talk about how we can efficiently use Step Definitions for multiple Steps.

Think about a situation where we are testing a positive situation in one Step and a negative situation in some other Step—the only difference in both Steps is just the word "No", while the remaining sentence is same. Based on the knowledge that we have acquired so far, we will write two Step Definitions for these two Steps. But is there a better way of doing this? Let's see how we can do this better in this recipe.

How to do it…

  1. For this recipe, consider the following Scenarios and focus on the highlighted text:
    Scenario: Optional Capture Groups/Alternation
        #positive
        Then I see following dollars in my account
        #negative
        Then I do not see following dollars in my account
       
        Scenario: Optional Non capture Groups
        Given...

Transforming Data Tables to parse the test data

In the previous chapter, we covered how Data Tables can be used to send large sets of data to a single Step. Now let's understand how to handle Data Tables in Step Definitions in this recipe.

How to do it…

  1. Let's assume we are writing Step Definitions for the following Scenario:
    Scenario: Existing user Verification
        Given user is displayed login screen
        Then we verify following user exists
          | Name    | Email           |
          | Shankar | [email protected] |
          | Ram     | [email protected]   |
          | Sham    | [email protected]  |
  2. Now run the Feature file, and copy paste the Cucumber Step Definitions suggestions in the LoginSteps.java class. These are the additional Steps in LoginSteps.java:
    @Then("^we verify following user exists$")
    public void we_verify_following_user_exists(DataTable arg1) throws Throwable {
        /* Write code here that turns the phrase above into 
        concrete actions
        For automatic transformation...

Introduction


Sometimes people who are not that well versed in Cucumber argue that creating a Step Definitions file is an overhead as compared to the frameworks that do not have Cucumber. But what they don't realize is that Cucumber auto-generates these Step Definitions, so it's not an overhead. With the knowledge of the concepts covered in this chapter, you will be able to write very effective and efficient Step Definitions.

In this chapter, we will start with the basic concepts of Glue Code/Step Definitions in detail by covering the different types of Step Definitions, the usage of regular expressions, and so on. To come up with optimized and efficient Step Definitions, we will also elaborate upon advanced concepts of Doc Strings, Data Table transformations, and Capture groups.

Creating your first Step Definitions file


Now let's assume you are an automation developer and you have to implement automated test cases for a Feature file. The next Step in this direction would be to write the Step Definitions for this Feature file. So, how do we write Step Definitions in a Cucumber project? Let's see how to do this in this recipe.

How to do it…

The easiest way to create Step Definitions is to let Cucumber take care of it. The Steps are as follows:

  1. Here is the Feature file used in our previous chapter. Let's use this Feature file to create our first Step Definitions:

    Feature: login Page
      In order to test login page
      As a Registered user
      I want to specify the login conditions
    
      Scenario: checking pre-condition, action and results
        Given user is on Application landing page
        When user clicks Sign in button
        Then user is on login screen
  2. When you save the Feature file and run (either via Eclipse or via a Terminal), Cucumber is going to give errors for the missing Step...

Identifying Duplicate and Ambiguous Step Definitions


Sometimes when we are writing Cucumber Step Definitions files, we get either Duplicate Step Definitions errors or Ambiguous Step Definitions errors. Let's try and understand the reasons why these errors arise, and how we can remove them through this recipe.

How to do it…

We will use the same Feature file from previous recipe. Perform the following Steps:

  1. Let's create one more class in the StepDefinitions package, called DuplicateAmbiguous.java, with the following content:

    package com.StepDefinitions;
    
    import cucumber.api.java.en.Given;
    
    public class DuplicateAmbiguous {
      
      //Duplicate Steps
      @Given("^user is on Application landing page$")
      public void user_is_on_Application_landing_page_duplicate() throws Throwable {
        //sample code goes here
        System.out.println("Duplicate");
      }
    
    }

    When you try to run the Feature file, observe the Cucumber output:

    Exception in thread "main" cucumber.runtime.DuplicateStepDefinitionException: Duplicate...

Using Regular Expressions to optimize Step Definitions


Until now, we have created Step Definitions with one-to-one relations with Steps. But this way of writing Step Definitions can be cumbersome as we write more and more Feature files. So, we will write generic Step Definitions that will apply to all the Steps that follow a certain pattern, thus bringing down the number of Step Definitions required. Let's see how to do this in this recipe.

How to do it…

  1. Let's assume we are writing Step Definitions for the following Scenario.

    Scenario: login fail - wrong username
        Given user is displayed login screen
        When user enters "wrongusername" in username field
        And user enters "123456" in password field
        And user clicks Sign in button
  2. Now run the Feature file, and copy and paste the Cucumber Step Definitions suggestions in the LoginSteps.java class. This is how LoginSteps.java looks:

    package com.StepDefinitions;
    
    import cucumber.api.java.en.Given;
    import cucumber.api.java.en.When;
    
    public...
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Description

This book is intended for business and development personnel who want to use Cucumber for behavior-driven development and test automation. Readers with some familiarity with Cucumber will find this book of most benefit. Since the main objective of this book is to create test automation frameworks, previous experience in automation will be helpful.

Who is this book for?

This book is intended for business and development personnel who want to use Cucumber for behavior-driven development and test automation. Readers with some familiarity with Cucumber will find this book of most benefit.

What you will learn

  • Explore the usage of the Gherkin Language to write meaningful and smart Feature files
  • Understand Scenario, Steps, Backgrounds, Scenario Outlines, and Data Tables
  • Discover the concepts of Glue Code and Step Definitions in detail
  • Gain insights into the different types of Step Definitions, Regular Expressions, Doc Strings, Data Table transformations, and Capture Groups
  • Master the advanced concepts of implementing Tags and Hooks
  • Override default Cucumber options and settings along with different output report formats
  • Run Jenkins and Cucumber from Terminal while running various Cucumber Scenarios in parallel

Product Details

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Publication date, Length, Edition, Language, ISBN-13
Publication date : Jun 02, 2015
Length: 162 pages
Edition : 1st
Language : English
ISBN-13 : 9781785286001
Category :

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Product Details

Publication date : Jun 02, 2015
Length: 162 pages
Edition : 1st
Language : English
ISBN-13 : 9781785286001
Category :

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Table of Contents

7 Chapters
1. Writing Feature Files Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
2. Creating Step Definitions Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
3. Enabling Fixtures Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
4. Configuring Cucumber Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
5. Running Cucumber Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
6. Building Cucumber Frameworks Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
Index Chevron down icon Chevron up icon

Customer reviews

Rating distribution
Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon Half star icon Empty star icon 3.7
(3 Ratings)
5 star 0%
4 star 66.7%
3 star 33.3%
2 star 0%
1 star 0%
Mark Lindsay Aug 21, 2015
Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon Empty star icon 4
Cheap and cheerful book - did the job
Amazon Verified review Amazon
S Jul 29, 2015
Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon Empty star icon 4
Well written and clearly laid out..You have clearly articulated the Mobile testing and the REST API test aspects
Amazon Verified review Amazon
cappucappu Aug 14, 2015
Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon Empty star icon Empty star icon 3
Ich suchte nach einem Buch über Cucumber für Java für fortgeschrittene Anwender und war gespannt auf diese Neuerscheinung. Zwar werden viele Aspekte von Cucumber erwähnt, jedoch ist die Darstellung in Form von "Rezepten" nicht sonderlich gelungen. Die Erläuterungen sind häufig unzureichend und es haben sich auch kleinere Fehler eingeschlichen. Die Formulierungen der Szenarien (die Wort-, Satzwahl sowie der Inhalt) stellen meines Erachtens nach kein gutes Beispiel für gelungene Anforderungsdokumentation dar.Alles in allem hat das sicherlich dazu beigetragen, Wissen über Cucumber für Java zu vermitteln. Sprachlich und didaktisch ist noch "Luft nach oben".
Amazon Verified review Amazon
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