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Ruby-based Cucumber is a free software testing tool that facilitates Behavior Driven Development (BDD). It provides a means to write tests that everyone, irrespective of technical ability, can comprehend. Before experts develop their code in BDD, participants such as product owners and business analysts, first create scenarios or acceptance criteria that explain the behavior of the system from the customer’s point of view. These models and acceptance tests are then reviewed and approved by the product owners
The software development methodology known as Behavioral Driven Development emerged from test-driven development (TDD).
BDD comprises the creation of test cases in the form of straightforward English sentences inside of a feature file that is created by a person. Test case statements are much more user-focused and dependent on how the system behaves. Instead of using a traditional programming language, BDD is expressed in straightforward English sentences, which enhances communication amongst stakeholders that are both technically and non-technically competent.
Advantages of Cucumber Software
- Enables reaching a larger audience by using terminology that is not technical
- Cucumber Testing’s end-user experience is its main concern.
- Test writing techniques make it simpler to reuse code inside them.
- Rapid and simple setup and use
- The increased coding quality lowers project risks while also lowering maintenance expenditures.
What is Cucumber Framework
Automated acceptance tests developed in the “Gherkin” language are run using the cucumber framework. A domain-specific language of behavior descriptions is called Gherkin. Even those without technical expertise Business people can read Gherkin.
The automation of cucumber tests makes use of two crucial files. –
- Feature file – Gherkin-written code or simple English text is found in this file
- Step definition file – This file contains the developer’s real code.
How does it work?
- Software development is carried out concurrently with the writing of cucumber test cases. In the Gherkin Language, such test cases are referred to as steps.
- Initially, the Cucumber tool examines the step included in the feature file in plain English or Gherkin language.
- Now it looks in the step definition file for an exact fit for each step. Once it locates a link, it runs the test case and outputs a pass/fail verdict.
- Software that has been produced must have code that matches the test scripts specified by BDD. Code restructuring will be necessary if it doesn’t. Only when the specified test scripts have been successfully run does the code freeze.
Cucumber framework and Selenium
The Selenium framework is favored by many businesses for evaluating cross-browser compliance. These firms also like the integration of Cucumber and Selenium since it makes it simpler to read and comprehend the communication between users from various teams. Test cases are simpler to comprehend when written in gherkin syntax since it uses basic, clear English.
Limitations BDD
- Testers need to have prior expertise with TDD (Test-driven Development) to work with BDD.
- The BDD technique may be useless if the requirements are not appropriately understood.
Wrapping Up
Designed exclusively for commercial purposes, the Ruby-based Cucumber testing tool uses the Gherkin (a basic plain text language parser) framework to express anticipated software behavior in logical terms. A group’s technical and non-technical members can communicate and work together more effectively as a consequence. Additionally, Cucumber offers connectivity with well-liked software frameworks like Selenium, Ruby, and others well-known frameworks.
Before choosing the behavior-driven development strategy, it is also important to consider the various constraints of such strategies.