Introduction to Gherkin

Gherkin is a domain-specific language that enables the writing of human-readable acceptance tests for software behavior without requiring programming knowledge. It is a pivotal component of Behavior-Driven Development (BDD), allowing collaboration between developers, testers, and non-technical stakeholders. Gherkin’s syntax is simple and structured, making it an effective tool for defining application behavior and automating tests.

Gherkin Syntax

Gherkin statements are written in plain English. Each line in a Gherkin document starts with one of the keywords:

• Feature: A high-level description of a software feature.
• Scenario: A specific behavior or example.
• Given: The initial context or precondition.
• When: An action or event.
• Then: The expected outcome or result.
• And, But: Used to chain multiple steps together.

Writing Gherkin Feature Files

A feature file contains one or more scenarios. Below is an example:

Feature: User login
  Scenario: Successful login with valid credentials
    Given the user is on the login page
    When the user enters valid credentials
    And clicks the login button
    Then the user is redirected to the dashboard

Useful Gherkin APIs with Code Snippets

1. Basic Authentication API

Scenario: User logs in with valid credentials
  Given the user is on the login page
  When the user enters "user@example.com" and "password123"
  Then the user should see their dashboard

2. User Registration API

Scenario: New user registration
  Given the user is on the signup page
  When the user enters the required details
  And submits the form
  Then the user should receive a confirmation email

3. Password Reset API

Scenario: User requests a password reset
  Given the user is on the forgot password page
  When the user enters their email address
  Then the user should receive a password reset link

4. Product Search API

Scenario: User searches for a product
  Given the user is on the homepage
  When the user enters "laptop" in the search bar
  Then the user should see a list of laptops

5. Add to Cart API

Scenario: User adds a product to the cart
  Given the user is on a product page
  When the user clicks the "Add to Cart" button
  Then the product should be added to the user's cart

6. Checkout API

Scenario: User completes a purchase
  Given the user has products in their cart
  When the user initiates the checkout process
  Then the user should see a checkout summary

7. Order History API

Scenario: User views their past orders
  Given the user is logged in
  When the user navigates to the order history page
  Then the user should see a list of past orders

Application Example Using Gherkin

Let’s look at an example of a simple e-commerce application using the APIs discussed.

Feature: E-commerce application
  Scenario: User registration and purchase
    Given the user is on the signup page
    When the user registers with "newuser@example.com" and "password123"
    Then the user should receive a confirmation email

  Scenario: User logs in and adds product to cart
    Given the user is on the login page
    When the user enters "newuser@example.com" and "password123"
    And clicks the login button
    Then the user should see their dashboard
    When the user searches for "laptop"
    And selects a laptop
    And clicks the "Add to Cart" button
    Then the product should be added to the user's cart

  Scenario: User completes the purchase
    Given the user has products in their cart
    When the user initiates the checkout process
    Then the user should see a checkout summary
    When the user confirms the purchase
    Then the user should see an order confirmation page

Gherkin makes it possible to create clear, structured, and easily readable tests for your application, bridging the gap between technical and non-technical team members.

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