Reqnroll Documentation

Reqnroll is an open-source .NET tool for Behavior Driven Development (BDD). It is a .NET port of Cucumber and is based on the SpecFlow framework.

Key features include:

• Gherkin Support: Write executable specifications using .feature files in the Given-When-Then style.
• Cross-Platform: Works on Windows, Linux, and macOS.
• Runtime Compatibility: Supports .NET Framework 4.6.2+ up to .NET 10.0.
• Test Framework Integration: Supports MsTest, NUnit, xUnit, and TUnit.
• IDE Support: Compatible with Visual Studio 2022, Visual Studio Code, and Rider, though it can be used without an IDE.

Reqnroll is an open-source .NET test automation tool designed for Behavior Driven Development (BDD). It allows you to write executable specifications using the Gherkin format (feature files) with a Given-When-Then structure.

Key characteristics:

• Compatibility: Works on Windows, Linux, and macOS.
• Runtime Support: Supports .NET Framework 4.6.2+ and .NET 8.0.
• Test Runners: Integrates with MsTest, NUnit, TUnit, or xUnit to execute automated scenarios.
• SpecFlow Heritage: Reqnroll is a .NET port of Cucumber and is based on the SpecFlow framework and codebase, making it easy for SpecFlow users to transition.

The Page Object Model (POM) is a design pattern used to abstract Web UI automation (typically with Selenium). Instead of calling FindElement or FindElements directly within your test code, you encapsulate these calls inside Page Object classes.

Advantages of POM:

• Reusability: Classes can be reused across different test scenarios.
• Maintainability: If an element's id or selector changes, you only need to update it in one place.
• Decoupling: Your automation logic becomes less dependent on the specific HTML structure.

The Driver Pattern is an architectural layer placed between your step definitions (bindings) and your automation code (e.g., Page Objects or low-level drivers).

Instead of putting complex logic, switches, or multiple assertions directly inside a [Binding] class, you move that logic into a dedicated 'Driver' class. The step definition then calls a single, descriptive method on the Driver.

Benefits include:

• Easier Maintenance: Splitting code into smaller, specialized parts makes it easier to manage.
• Reusability: Driver methods can be easily reused across different step definitions or chained together to form new steps.
• Readability: Step definitions become very short (ideally ~10 lines) and use human-readable method names, making them understandable even to non-technical stakeholders.

Reqnroll provides two primary ways to access test context, distinguished by their lifecycle:

• FeatureContext: Persists for the duration of an entire feature (all scenarios within a single .feature file).
• ScenarioContext: Persists only for the duration of a single scenario.

Use FeatureContext when you need to share state or metadata across multiple scenarios within the same feature.

The Feature Container captures the execution state of a single feature. It is disposed once the feature execution is complete. Its parent is the Test Thread Container.

Key services available in the Feature Container:

• FeatureContext (Note: This is also accessible from the Test Thread Container via IContextManager)

Extension Points:

• CustomizeFeatureDependencies (Event)

Reqnroll automatically converts step arguments (strings or Reqnroll.DataTable instances) into the specific parameter types defined in your step binding methods. This prevents the need for manual parsing inside your step definitions.

Conversions are performed using the culture of the feature file, unless a specific binding setting is defined in your reqnroll.json configuration file.

When a conversion is requested, Reqnroll follows this precedence order:

1. No conversion: If the argument is already an instance of the parameter type (e.g., string or object).
2. Step argument transformation: Custom logic defined via the [StepArgumentTransformation] attribute.
3. Standard conversion: Built-in Reqnroll conversion logic.

Reqnroll uses heuristics to automatically determine if a step definition attribute uses a Cucumber Expression or a Regular Expression. The detection order is:

1. Force Regular Expression: If the string starts with ^ or ends with $.
2. Force Cucumber Expression: If the string contains parameter placeholders like {int}, {string}, etc.
3. Regular Expression patterns: If the string contains common regex patterns like (.*), (a+), \d+, or \..
4. Default: If none of the above match, it is treated as a Cucumber Expression.

Reqnroll uses the Gherkin language for its feature files. Gherkin is a business-readable, domain-specific language that allows you to describe software behavior without detailing how that behavior is implemented.

For a complete technical reference of the syntax, keywords, and structure, refer to the Cucumber documentation.