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SpecFlow Support

Behavior-Driven Development (BDD) testing with SpecFlow and Gherkin.

Overview​

C# Dev Tools provides syntax highlighting and support for SpecFlow feature files.

Gherkin Syntax Highlighting​

Feature files (.feature) have full syntax highlighting for:

  • Feature: Feature definitions
  • Scenario: Test scenarios
  • Given/When/Then: BDD steps
  • And/But: Additional steps
  • Examples: Scenario outlines
  • Tags: Feature and scenario tags

Running SpecFlow Tests​

SpecFlow tests integrate with the Test Explorer:

  1. Test Explorer automatically discovers SpecFlow scenarios
  2. Run scenarios like regular unit tests
  3. Debug scenarios with breakpoints in step definitions
  4. View results in Test Explorer

Creating Feature Files​

Create .feature files using:

  1. Quick Add (Shift+F2): Enter MyFeature.feature
  2. Right-click in Solution Explorer: Add > New File
  3. Manually create with .feature extension

Step Definitions​

Create step definitions in C# files:

[Binding]
public class UserSteps
{
    [Given(@"a user named (.*)")]
    public void GivenAUserNamed(string name)
    {
        // Step implementation
    }
}

Best Practices​

  • Keep feature files focused and readable
  • Use descriptive scenario names
  • Organize step definitions logically
  • Tag scenarios for filtering
  • Use scenario outlines for data-driven tests

Integration​

  • Feature files show in Solution Explorer
  • Scenarios appear in Test Explorer
  • Full debugging support
  • Test results show in output panel