SpecFlow test execution order in VS Test Explorer

Question

In my feature file I have 1 scenario outline with two examples that creates two teams. These teams are preconditions to two other scenarios: one deletes the empty team and one adds a user to a team. Obviously I require that the team creation runs before the other two scenarios. I named them starting with 01(for the team creation)/02(removing team)/03(adding user). Now, when I run dotnet test this executes fine. But when I use VS Test Explorer the tests are displayed like this in a tree:

 _02RemoveTeam
 _03AddUser
+_01AddTeam
|- AddTeam("team1")
|- AddTeam("team2")

As you can test cases coming from scenario outline go at the end. Question is simple: how do I prevent that? I just want my tests executed in alphabetical order.

Alternatively I was considering using Gherkin's Background keyword, but to my knowledge Background cannot be parametrized so I wouldn't be able to create two teams with different names.

Greg Burghardt · Accepted Answer · 2024-08-05 12:12:00Z

1

This is the kind of problem that comes up when tests depend on one another. Fixing this means each test needs to be independent. Add steps to the "add team member" and "delete team" scenarios to create the team. You don't need to be elaborate with this. Depending on your scenario, the step can be as simple as Given a team was created where the step definition uses fake or test data for all the details necessary to create the team. No need to specify things in a scenario when that information is not relevant.

Resolving this, in my experience, means doing two things:

Add Given steps to each scenario to include all precursor use cases.
Do not specify more information in each of those steps than is necessary for the current scenario. If the name of the team really doesn't matter, then don't give the team a name.

edited Aug 5, 2024 at 12:12

answered Jul 29, 2024 at 13:30

Greg Burghardt

19.2k10 gold badges58 silver badges105 bronze badges

Sign up to request clarification or add additional context in comments.

4 Comments

Tomasz Grobelny Over a year ago

Test order matters, that's true. But I don't believe it is a fundamental problem :-) The fundamental problem is that Gherkin doesn't support it properly. Yes, I could write all the team creation logic in a Given step definition. But then I need to have a separate scenario that actually creates a team. Therefore I would be duplicating team creation logic: once in a scenario and once on Given step definition. Or am I missing something?

Greg Burghardt Over a year ago

@TomaszGrobelny: I think you misunderstood the first sentence. The problem is that test order matters -- that's the problem. Test order should not matter. That will solve your problem. Tests should not depend on one another.

Greg Burghardt Over a year ago

I clarified the first sentence.

Tomasz Grobelny Over a year ago

That still doesn't address the problem I raised about code duplication. I am not willing to trade one problem for another.

Collectives™ on Stack Overflow

SpecFlow test execution order in VS Test Explorer

1 Answer 1

4 Comments

Your Answer

Hot Network Questions

Collectives™ on Stack Overflow

1 Answer 1

4 Comments

Your Answer

Sign up or log in

Post as a guest

Related