How to only log in once before all features are run

[Jesper Rønn-Jensen]

For reasons which have been discussed previously in this forum, there is not a @BeforeAll hook or similar where you can run steps once before all other features.

Instead, I should just put code for it in env.rb.

Before I describe my problem, have a look at my setup:

I have a step like this defined in all feature files:

  Background: 

    Given I log in as testuser10

The step uses capybara/phantomjs:

Given /^I log in as (\w+)$/ do |username|

  step "I am not logged in"

    visit('/login')

    fill_in("username", :with => username)

    fill_in("password", :with => LOGIN_PW)

    click_button("Logon")

    page.should  have_content("Authentication successful")

  end

And we use cucumber to verify legacy web-app in several environments. For some of these environments, logging in takes up to 5 seconds. In case I could run this step just once, I could shave off 2-3 minutes in our current suite.

My intuition was to run this code directly in env.rb

    step "I log in as testuser10"

'

But it fails:

undefined method `step' for main:Object (NoMethodError)

/home/xleap/workspace/core/gitclone/webchannel/test-suite/cucumber/features/support/env.rb:107

/usr/lib/ruby/gems/1.8/gems/cucumber-1.2.1/bin/../lib/cucumber/rb_support/rb_language.rb:129:in `load'

/usr/lib/ruby/gems/1.8/gems/cucumber-1.2.1/bin/../lib/cucumber/rb_support/rb_language.rb:129:in `load_code_file'

/usr/lib/ruby/gems/1.8/gems/cucumber-1.2.1/bin/../lib/cucumber/runtime/support_code.rb:171:in `load_file'

/usr/lib/ruby/gems/1.8/gems/cucumber-1.2.1/bin/../lib/cucumber/runtime/support_code.rb:83:in `load_files!'

/usr/lib/ruby/gems/1.8/gems/cucumber-1.2.1/bin/../lib/cucumber/runtime/support_code.rb:82:in `each'

/usr/lib/ruby/gems/1.8/gems/cucumber-1.2.1/bin/../lib/cucumber/runtime/support_code.rb:82:in `load_files!'

/usr/lib/ruby/gems/1.8/gems/cucumber-1.2.1/bin/../lib/cucumber/runtime.rb:175:in `load_step_definitions'

/usr/lib/ruby/gems/1.8/gems/cucumber-1.2.1/bin/../lib/cucumber/runtime.rb:40:in `run!'

/usr/lib/ruby/gems/1.8/gems/cucumber-1.2.1/bin/../lib/cucumber/cli/main.rb:43:in `execute!'

/usr/lib/ruby/gems/1.8/gems/cucumber-1.2.1/bin/../lib/cucumber/cli/main.rb:20:in `execute'

/usr/lib/ruby/gems/1.8/gems/cucumber-1.2.1/bin/cucumber:14

/usr/bin/cucumber:19:in `load'

/usr/bin/cucumber:19

Now my question is: How do I run this code from env.rb?

Thanks!

/Jesper Rønn-Jensen

http://justaddwater.dk/

[aslak hellesoy]

On Wed, Oct 10, 2012 at 11:59 AM, Jesper Rønn-Jensen <jesp...@gmail.com> wrote:
> For reasons which have been discussed previously in this forum, there is not
> a @BeforeAll hook or similar where you can run steps once before all other
> features.
> Instead, I should just put code for it in env.rb.
>

Another way to implement a Before All hook is to use a global variable
in a regular hook:

Before do
if !$dunit
# do it
$dunit = true
end
end

Have you tried that?

Aslak

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[Jesper Rønn-Jensen]

On Wednesday, October 10, 2012 1:16:57 PM UTC+2, Aslak Hellesøy wrote:

 

Another way to implement a Before All hook is to use a global variable
in a regular hook:

Before do
  if !$dunit
    # do it
    $dunit = true
  end
end

This works. Absolutely awesome. Oddly enough I did not think of that. I know you have previously been against a @BeforeAll hook (you wrote that you were against adding code that did nothing).

This example, however, proves that a @BeforeAll hook will be intuitive and useful.

In case you agree, we could add the hook? Until then, I will add this example to the "hooks" wiki page (with your permission)..

thanks for your quick and concise reply!

/Jesper

 

[aslak hellesoy]

Please go ahead and add it to the Wiki.

I'm still against adding explicit support for this in Cucumber, for
the simple reason that anyone can implement it with 5 lines of code.
Documenting the pattern seems enough.

Aslak

>
> thanks for your quick and concise reply!
>
> /Jesper
>
>
>

[Jesper Rønn-Jensen]

Aslak Hellesøy wrote:

Please go ahead and add it to the Wiki.

Done https://github.com/cucumber/cucumber/wiki/Hooks

 

I'm still against adding explicit support for this in Cucumber, for
the simple reason that anyone can implement it with 5 lines of code.
Documenting the pattern seems enough.

Aslak

Fair enough. In case i sneak in the word BeforeAll hook, this is probably enough for people to find it :)

/Jesper