Gáspár Nagy on software

coach, trainer and bdd addict, creator of SpecFlow; owner of Spec Solutions

Tag Archives: SpecFlow Tips

SpecFlow Tips: Run only specific scenarios in TFS/VSTS build

by Gáspár on May 11, 2016

Many teams who use SpecFlow setup their continuous integration environment with Microsoft Team Foundation Server (TFS) or its cloud based service, the Visual Studio Team Services (VSTS, fka VSO). TFS/VSTS has an improved build system, where it is much easier to setup and customize builds. Regardless of the fact, which unit test provider you use […]

SpecFlow Tips: Collect more information on error (part 1)

by Gáspár on April 1, 2016

When BDD scenarios are turned into executable automated tests, they usually automate the application together with its dependencies (e.g. end-to-end with browser automation or headless with controller-layer automation). This ensures that the application works as a whole, but unfortunately it also makes the analysis of a failing test harder. So many things can go wrong, […]

SpecFlow Tips: Put your hooks in order

by Gáspár on March 1, 2016

SpecFlow hooks (or events) are extension points where you can insert custom automation logic into the scenario execution before or after different sections, for example before any scenario execution. These can be used to perform custom preparation or cleanup logic, e.g. resetting the database. In bigger projects, you might need to have multiple hooks of […]

SpecFlow tips: Feature file backgrounds — like them or not

by Gáspár on February 11, 2016

The format of the feature files used in Cucumber or SpecFlow is very simple. The format (or grammar), called Gherkin, was intentionally designed to be simple, so that the specification written in these files are kept simple and understandable. There are no loops or ifs. The only special structure you can make in a feature […]