10 things about bdd, cucumber and specflow

Seb RoseCucumber [email protected] things you need to know aboutBDD, Cucumber and Specflow

@sebrose http://cucumber.io

@sebrose http://claysnow.co.uk

0. A little bit of BDD history


A little bit of historyAgile- waterfall & failures- lightweight & feedback- manifesto & Scrum- mini waterfalls & continuing failures- short iterations & continuous learningBDD

While using and teaching agile practices like test-driven development (TDD) on projects in different environments, I kept coming across the same confusion and misunderstandings.

Dan Northc. 2002http://dannorth.net/introducing-bdd/

@sebrose http://claysnow.co.ukChris Matts and Dan North discuss the power of should on a flight back from Agile Development Conference 2004


FitNesseshould not test: JUnit+ Chris Matts -> JBehaveCucumber Ruby

I decided it was time to put my money or at least my time where my mouth was. I started writing a replacement for JUnit called JBehave, which removed any reference to testing and replaced it with a vocabulary built around verifying behaviour.

Dan Northhttp://dannorth.net/introducing-bdd/


Dans post - 2006

BDD is a second-generation, outside-in, pull-based, multiple-stakeholder, multiple-scale, high-automation, agile methodology.

It describes a cycle of interactions with well-defined outputs, resulting in the delivery of working, tested software that matters.Dan Northhttp://skillsmatter.com/podcast/java-jee/how-to-sell-bdd-to-the-business

@sebrose http://claysnow.co.uk1. Different names, same idea


Myth - BDD is not the same as TDD, SBE, ATDD

http://lizkeogh.com/2011/06/27/atdd-vs-bdd-and-a-potted-history-of-some-related-stuff/Whats the difference between TDD, ATDD, BDD and SbE?Theyre called different things


Difference between BDD and TDD... the intended audience might be different

2. Tools are NOT essential


Myth - BDD is about tools & automation

BDD is a second-generation, outside-in, pull-based, multiple-stakeholder, multiple-scale, high-automation, agile methodology.

It describes a cycle of interactions with well-defined outputs, resulting in the delivery of working, tested software that matters.Dan Northhttp://skillsmatter.com/podcast/java-jee/how-to-sell-bdd-to-the-business

@sebrose http://claysnow.co.ukhaving conversations is more important than capturing conversations is more important than automating conversations

Liz Keoghhttp://lizkeogh.com/2014/01/22/using-bdd-with-legacy-systems/


Its not about tools

http://lizkeogh.com/2011/03/04/step-away-from-the-tools/Have enough conversations to know how to get started. Find out where the riskiest bits are, and where the system behaves unusually. Chat. Discuss. Discover. Work out how, and when, youre going to get feedback on the work youre about to do.Then, and only then, reach for the tools.Liz Keogh

@sebrose http://claysnow.co.ukhttp://www.acceptic.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/bdd.jpg3. Collaboration IS essential


So, if its not about the tools, what is BDD?

https://cucumber.pro/blog/2014/03/03/the-worlds-most-misunderstood-collaboration-tool.htmlWhen you do BDD/Specification by Example and Outside-in, regression tests fall out at the other end. They are a by-product of those activities. Testing isn't the activity itself.

Cucumber is first a foremost a collaboration tool that aims to bring a common understanding to software teams - across roles.Aslak Hellesy

@sebrose http://claysnow.co.ukIdeasUser Stories

Automated TestsCode


- 3 Amigos- Collaboration- Examples

- Living documentation, executable specification

http://www.developersurvivalguide.com/tag/agile/


Fit it into your process

4. Cucumber is simple


Describe Cucumber scenarios- G/W/T (working backwards from examples)- Feature files- Step definitions- Regular expressions- Parameter conversions- Signalling failures

Core concepts

FeaturesScenariosStepsGherkinGlue codeStep definitionsJava / C#

Application

Each scenario is an example

@sebrose http://claysnow.co.ukFeature: Team Scoring Teams start with zero score. Correct answer gets points depending on how difficult it is.

Scenario: Score starts at 0 Given I register a team Then my score is 0

Scenario: Correct easy answer scores 10 Given I register a team And I start playing a game When I submit a correct easy answer Then my score is 10Given I register a teamThen my score is 0Given I register a teamAnd I start playing a gameWhen I submit a correct easy answerThen my score is 10


This is called Gherkin

Given(/^I register a team$/) do pending endRuby

@sebrose http://claysnow.co.ukimport cucumber.api.java.en.*;import cucumber.api.PendingException;

public class HikerStepDef {

@Given("^I register a team$") public void iRegisterATeam() throws Throwable { throw new PendingException(); }}Java

@sebrose http://claysnow.co.ukusing TechTalk.SpecFlow;

[Binding]public class GameSteps{ [Given(@"I register a team")] public void GivenIRegisterATeam() { ScenarioContext.Current.Pending(); }}C#


5. Cucumber and Specflow arent exactly the same


Differences between Cucumber and SpecFlow- maintainers- G/W/T namespaces- Contexts- Code Behind- Test frameworks- Hooks

Given/When/Then namespaces

Global namespace - Given/When/Then interchangeableSeparate namespaces - Given/When/Then distinct- And/But bind to preceding namespace- [StepDefinition] for compatibility


GWT namespaces

Sharing data between steps

Varies by implementation- Ruby: World object- Java: Dependency InjectionContext object(s)- Injected- Scenario- Feature


Sharing data

Hooks

Before & AfterRuby: Around, AfterStepBefore & AfterBeforeStep & AfterStepBeforeFeature & AfterFeatureBeforeTestRun & AfterTestRunBeforeScenarioBlock & AfterScenarioBlock


Hooks

Tagged hooks: allOrdering: Java only

https://cemarking.net/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/User-Manual_featured.jpg6. Prefer living documentation


Organising feature filesNon-executable documentation vs. executable specification / living documentation

Acceptance criteria

User Story

Examples

Feature: Team Scoring Teams start with zero score. Correct answer gets points depending on how difficult it is.

Scenario: Score starts at 0 Given I register a team Then my score is 0

Scenario: Correct easy answer scores 10 Given I register a team When I submit a correct easy answer Then my score is 10

Scenario: Correct hard answer scores 50 Given I register a team When I submit a correct hard answer Then my score is 50


Stories are disposableFeatures/Scenarios evolve but are persistent specification of system Not all work items are User StoriesTrack them using cards if it helps, but dont ask PO to prioritise them

Other forms of documentation are also necessary!


7. Dont forget the testers


Myth BDD means we can get rid of the testers

http://claysnow.co.uk/architectural-alignment-and-test-induced-design-damage-fallacy/

@sebroseclaysnow.co.uk



http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_YzKCMr-tcMM/TFLIGeqTJfI/AAAAAAAAARQ/AhNW62KX5EA/s1600/cartoon6.jpg8. BDD is not just for testers

@sebrose http://claysnow.co.ukSupport code

FeaturesScenariosStepsGherkinGlue codeStep definitionsJava / C#

Application

SupportCode


Support codeNeed dev skills

Ubiquitous Language


The team owns the ubiquitous language

9. The right amount of detail

@sebrose http://claysnow.co.ukImperativeDeclarative

Keep it Focussed: Avoid incidental details

@sebrose http://claysnow.co.ukFeature: Sign up Scenario: New user redirected to their own page Given I am not logged in And I visit the homepage And I follow "Sign up" And I fill in "Username" with "Matt" And I fill in "Password" with "password" And I fill in "Confirm password" with "password" When I press "Sign up" Then I should be on my feeds page And I should see "Hello, Matt"


Emphasise the likely need for detail somewhere else.

Feature: Sign up Scenario: New user redirected to their own page When I sign up for a new accountThen I should be taken to my feeds pageAnd I should see a greeting message

@sebrose http://claysnow.co.uk(A great blog post on this subject by Dan North)http://dannorth.net/2011/01/31/whose-domain-is-it-anyway/Whose domain is it anyway?

@sebrose http://claysnow.co.uk10. Deliberate practice



@sebrose http://claysnow.co.uk11. Conference time ;)Which long running agile conference is being held in Edinburgh in May?

ELISABETH HENDRICKSON * LIONEL BRIAND * MARY POPPENDIECK * NAT PRYCE * STEVE FREEMAN * BERTRAND MEYER * BRIAN MARICK * DAN NORTH * KATHERINE KIRK * DAVE FARLEY * DAVID EVANS * DIANA LARSEN * EOIN WOOD * JUTTA ECKSTEIN * KEVLIN HENNEY * MICHAEL FEATHERS * RACHEL DAVIES * REBECCA WIRFS-BROCK * SANDRO MANCUSO * WOODY ZUILL@XPConf http://xp2016.org#xp2016


Which major agile conference is being held in Edinburgh next year?

01 BDD demands collaboration

10 Examples facilitate feedback102 things you should know

@sebrose http://claysnow.co.ukSeb Rose

Twitter: @sebrose

Blog: www.claysnow.co.uk

E-mail:[email protected]


10 things about bdd, cucumber and specflow

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