Updated on December 4, 2024

Debugging and Troubleshooting

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1. How do you debug failing scenarios in Cucumber?

Answer:
Debugging failing scenarios in Cucumber involves a few different approaches:

  • Use of logging: Add logging statements within your step definitions to trace the flow of execution and inspect values.
  • Print statements: Use print statements or logging frameworks (e.g., System.out.println in Java, logger.info in Python) to capture the state of variables or execution at various points.
  • Use of Debuggers: You can use an IDE’s built-in debugger to set breakpoints in the step definitions and step through the code to identify where it fails.
  • Cucumber Reports: Utilize Cucumber’s built-in reporting options (pretty, html, json) to get more detailed feedback on failed scenarios, including step failure details.

Example of using logging:

				
					@Given("the user is on the login page")
public void userOnLoginPage() {
    System.out.println("Navigating to login page");
    driver.get("https://example.com/login");
}

2. What does “Ambiguous step definitions” mean, and how do you resolve it?

Answer:
“Ambiguous step definitions” occur when Cucumber finds multiple step definitions that could match a given step in the feature file. This ambiguity arises when there are multiple methods with the same regular expression or similar patterns that could match the same step.

To resolve this, you should:

  • Ensure that each step definition is uniquely defined.
  • Use more specific regular expressions to capture steps distinctly.
  • Refactor your step definitions to avoid overlap or use different methods for different scenarios.

Example:

				
					@Given("the user is on the {string} page")
public void userOnPage(String pageName) {
    // Implementation for different pages
}

@Given("the user is on the login page")  
public void userOnLoginPage() {
    // Implementation specific to the login page
}

3. How do you handle undefined or pending steps in Cucumber?

Answer:
Undefined or pending steps in Cucumber happen when a step in the feature file is not mapped to a step definition. When a step is not defined, Cucumber marks it as pending or undefined.
To handle this:

  • Define the missing step: Write the corresponding step definition for the undefined step.
  • Skip the step temporarily: Use the @Pending annotation or leave the step empty to mark it as pending, so Cucumber doesn’t fail the scenario.

Example of a pending step:

				
					When the user clicks the "Submit" button

Step definition:

				
					@When("the user clicks the {string} button")
public void userClicksButton(String buttonName) {
    // Code to click the button
}

4. Why might Cucumber not find a step definition?

Answer:
Cucumber might not find a step definition due to the following reasons:

  • Incorrect glue path: The glue path specified in @CucumberOptions may be incorrect, preventing Cucumber from locating the step definition.
  • Mismatch in step names: There may be a mismatch in the step name in the feature file and the corresponding method name in the step definition class.
  • Missing or incorrect annotations: The step definition method may be missing the correct annotation (@Given, @When, @Then).
  • Package structure issues: The step definition class may be in the wrong package or folder, and thus not properly referenced.

To fix this:

  • Double-check the glue path in the @CucumberOptions to ensure it’s correct.
  • Ensure step definitions are annotated correctly.
  • Verify that the step definition method matches the Gherkin step.

Example:

				
					@CucumberOptions(
    features = "src/test/resources/features",
    glue = "com.project.stepdefinitions"
)
public class RunCucumberTest {
}

5. How do you handle flaky tests in Cucumber?

Answer:
Flaky tests are tests that sometimes pass and sometimes fail without changes in the codebase. Handling flaky tests in Cucumber involves the following strategies:

  • Improve Test Stability: Check for external dependencies (e.g., network, database) that might be causing instability. Improve test design to avoid dependencies on such factors.
  • Use Waits/Delays: Use implicit or explicit waits (e.g., WebDriver’s WebDriverWait) to allow elements time to load before interacting with them.
  • Use retries: Configure Cucumber or the test framework to retry flaky tests. This can be achieved by using plugins like cucumber-retry for retrying failed tests a specific number of times.
  • Increase test robustness: Ensure that tests do not depend on timing or other factors that can cause them to intermittently fail.

Example using WebDriverWait:

				
					WebDriverWait wait = new WebDriverWait(driver, 10);
WebElement element = wait.until(ExpectedConditions.visibilityOfElementLocated(By.id("submit")));

Example of configuring retries with a plugin:

				
					@CucumberOptions(
    features = "src/test/resources/features",
    glue = "stepDefinitions",
    plugin = {"io.qameta.allure.cucumber7jvm.AllureCucumber7Jvm", "retry:2"}
)
public class RunCucumberTest {
}

6. What is a Dry Run in Cucumber?

A dry run is a Cucumber feature where the framework will go through the steps defined in the feature files but without executing the actual code in the step definitions. It only checks whether all steps in the feature files have corresponding step definitions and whether the syntax is correct. If there are any missing step definitions or errors in the feature files, they will be reported, making it easier to debug issues before running the full test suite.

7. How is Dry Run Used for Debugging?

  • Missing Step Definitions: It helps in identifying if any step in the feature file does not have a corresponding step definition.
  • Step Mismatch: If there are inconsistencies or typos between the feature file and the step definition method, a dry run will highlight them.
  • Faster Validation: Since dry runs don’t execute the actual test logic, they help quickly validate the setup without consuming resources, speeding up the debugging process.

8. How do you perform a dry run in Cucumber?

Answer:
A dry run in Cucumber allows you to validate feature files and step definitions without actually executing the steps. It’s useful for checking if all steps are correctly defined and mapped. This helps quickly identify issues such as missing or mismatched step definitions.

To perform a dry run, set the dryRun option to true in the @CucumberOptions annotation.

Example:

				
					@CucumberOptions(
    features = "src/test/resources/features",
    glue = "com.project.stepdefinitions",
    dryRun = true
)
public class RunCucumberTest {
}

When dry run is enabled, Cucumber will validate the step definitions and output any missing or undefined steps. It will not execute the steps themselves.

Example output for an undefined step:

				
					Step [Given the user is on the login page] is undefined.

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