On 26th June 2019, I attended the London Tester Gathering workshops. The workshop I’d chosen, Automate Scenarios with SpecFlow. I chose this workshop because I’m hoping to start using SpecFlow on my current test automation project.
The workshop was run by Gáspár Nagy, the creator of SpecFlow, self-proclaimed BDD addict and editor of the BDD monthly newsletter (I’ve already subscribed).
My current project
I’m not new to test automation. I’ve already developed a series of automated end-to-end UI tests using Ranorex. These tests are designed to provide broad test coverage of the main features in the application. The steps are designed to mimic the process that a typical user is likely to follow. Running these tests allow us to find out if the most commonly used features in the application work as expected.
We also run a series of manual tests that cover individual features more deeply. Ranorex is great for end-to-end testing, but automating more in-depth test cases was inefficient and brought little value to the project. I believe that these tests would be better suited to behaviour driven development, which in turn can be automated using SpecFlow.
By attending the workshop, my main aim was to learn how to use SpecFlow. In addition to this, I hoped to understand how it can be used to improve my current testing strategy. I didn’t want to just include automated end-to-end UI tests. I wanted to dig a little deeper into the test pyramid and cover other testing levels with test automation.
What is BDD?
In order to use SpecFlow, you need to understand what BDD. Therefore it the workshop started with a discussion around what BDD is.
BDD stands for behaviour driven development. It encourages collaboration between the testers, developers and other stakeholders. All requirements should be fully understood and agreed on before any development takes place. Allowing for an earlier feedback loop, where any questions or confusion is cleared up before the scenarios are formalised. This ensures that all parties fully understand what work needs to be done.
The advantage of BDD is that its tests are designed to show how the expected behaviour aligns with the product. The development of a feature is designed to focus on the user expectations.
The scenarios are written in a common language that allow anyone in the team to write tests, making it easier to document and verify the tests. It also ensures that there is a shared understanding of the requirements across the entire team, not just those who understand code.
How is BDD used in SpecFlow?
SpecFlow uses Gherkin language in its scenarios which are designed to show the features expected behaviour. Gherkin breaks down the scenario into Given, When,Then steps. This language ensures that the scenarios can be understood by anyone.
The format used in SpecFlow will look something like this:
Then, for each statement in the scenario, some code is written that will run the steps required for that statement.
Automation
After covering the basics of BDD and scenarios, we then went through a series of exercises designed to encourage us to use SpecFlow and understand how it works. Each exercise had its own visual studio solution, containing all the resources needed to complete the exercise. The application being tested, a pizza website called GeekPizza.
We first created a basic test that checked the number of pizzas displayed on the menu. There was an additional bonus exercise to try out at home. We were also encouraged to think about how we would test that the automation worked correctly.
The second exercise looked at introducing a data table containing a list of items which need to be checked while the test is being run. The third exercise was designed to show how to split up files and step definition classes.
The next set of exercises showed us how to use SpecFlow for web automation. We only had time to work on the first exercise, but we have enough information to help us with the remaining exercises.
Final thought…
This workshop provided an excellent introduction to Behaviour Driven Development, which is essential for SpecFlow. All the exercises, even the ones we’d already done, included bonus tasks so there is plenty to work on at home. The workshop provided everything we needed to really practice and understand SpecFlow.
Gáspár is definitely the person to go to if you need help with writing BDD scenarios or automating them using SpecFlow. I strongly recommend going to one of his talks, workshops or courses if you need to learn more.
Main image taken from http://www.publicdomainpictures.net
Louise Gibbs - Software Tester 