Step Definitions in Cucumber (2023)

Introduction to Step Definitions in Cucumber :

• Once you have written your Gherkin scenarios, the next step is to implement the step definitions. 

• Step definitions are code blocks that are used to define the behavior of the application for each step in the scenario. 

• These code blocks are written in a programming language like Java, Ruby, or JavaScript, and are executed by the Cucumber framework when the scenario is run.

Java is the Primary Language we use for all the Automation Tutorials in this website.

To write a Step definition file in Cucumber, follow these steps:

1. Create a new Java class for your step definitions. 

The class name should end with "Stepdefinition" or "Steps" to indicate that it contains step definitions.

2. Import the necessary packages for Cucumber annotations and other dependencies. 

You'll need to import cucumber.api.java.en.Given, cucumber.api.java.en.When, cucumber.api.java.en.Then, and any other annotations you plan to use.

import cucumber.api.java.en.Given;
 
import cucumber.api.java.en.When;
 
import cucumber.api.java.en.Then;
 
import org.openqa.selenium.WebDriver;
 
import org.openqa.selenium.chrome.ChromeDriver;

3. Define your step definitions using the Cucumber annotations. 

The syntax for each annotation is @Given("^regex$"), @When("^regex$"), or @Then("^regex$"), where regex is a regular expression that matches the step in your feature file.

public class MyStepdefiniton {
 
    WebDriver driver;
 
 
 
    @Given("^I am on the home page$")
 
    public void iAmOnTheHomePage() {
 
        System.setProperty("webdriver.chrome.driver", "path/to/chromedriver");
 
        driver = new ChromeDriver();
 
        driver.get("http://www.example.com");
 
    }
 
 
 
    @When("^I click on the login button$")
 
    public void iClickOnTheLoginButton() {
 
        driver.findElement(By.id("login-button")).click();
 
    }
 
 
 
    @Then("^I should see the login page$")
 
    public void iShouldSeeTheLoginPage() {
 
        Assert.assertEquals("http://www.example.com/login", driver.getCurrentUrl());
 
    }
 
}

4. Use the step definitions in your feature file by referencing the class name and method name.

Feature: Login Functionality
 
    Scenario: User logs in successfully
 
        Given I am on the home page
 
        When I click on the login button
 
        Then I should see the login page

By implementing step definitions, teams can automate their scenarios and ensure that the application meets the desired behavior. It also allows for more efficient testing, as the same step definitions can be reused across multiple scenarios.