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What is the preferred (or just a good) pattern for a multi-part Codecept.js scenario, such as this:

  1. Select file to upload.
  2. Clear selection.
  3. Select file to upload after having cleared selection.

I can do this in a single scenario and use I.say to delineate the parts, but it feels like I should be able to write these as independent scenarios and use .only on part 2, for example, and have part 1 run prior to part 2, because it depends on it.

I would also want to skip parts 2 and 3 if part 1 fails when running the whole suite.

Dane
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2 Answers2

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I like thinking about behaviour in terms of capabilities. I can see that you have a couple here:

  • Uploading files
  • Correcting mistakes while uploading files.

So I would expect these to be in two scenarios:

  • One where you actually upload the file
  • One where you correct mistakes you make.

A lot of people say there should only be one "When" in scenarios, but that doesn't take into account interactions with people (including your past mistaken self) or time. In this situation, it's the whole process of correcting the file upload that provides the value. I can't see any value in the intermediate steps, so I'd leave them all in one scenario.

If there's any different behaviour associated with different contexts (eg: you've already got too many files uploaded) or outcomes (eg: your file system doesn't have room) or rules (eg: your status means you qualify for super-fast upload) then I would expect those to be new scenarios. If you start getting to the point where there are a lot of scenarios associated with file uploads and different things that happen to them, that might be a good time to separate this scenario out. Right now I can't see any reason to do that.

Re failing the first part: if you're doing BDD right, you'll be talking through not just the behaviour of your system, but the behaviour of individual bits of code too. That should help produce a good design which minimizes the chances of having bugs. Really good BDD teams produce scenarios that hardly ever catch bugs!

The scenarios act as living documentation, rather than regression tests; helping future devs understand the value of the code and get it right, rather than nailing it down to stop them getting it wrong.

So I wouldn't worry about it failing. If it's doing that a lot, you've got a different problem. Code it as if it's going to be passing most of the time, and make sure it's readable and comprehensible. As long as you can see when it fails and work it out, even if that takes a little bit of time, it'll be fine.

Having said that, I'd be surprised if Codecept doesn't have at least an option to stop on failure. Most BDD tools don't continue a scenario after a failed step; it would be an odd thing to do.

Lunivore
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As far as I know, you're not be able to set priority for execution in codeceptjs. Better make one test. it is also will be more flexible if you will need to add or delete some part.

Eduard Lind
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