1. Learn how SpecFlow enables you to do TDD
with friction-free plain-English executable tests.
Larry Apke
Agile Expert
www.agile-doctor.com
larry@agile-doctor.com

2. • Who are You?
• Who I am and What I Believe
• What is BDD?
• SpecFlow Overview
• Visual Studio 12 SpecFlow Installation
• Interacting with Code!

3. Who are you?
•How many .net programmers?
•How many using Visual Studio 2012?
•How many familiar with TDD?
•How many familiar with BDD?
•How many using/used SpecFlow?

4. Who I am:
•A Certified Scrum Master and Certified Scrum Professional
with over 5 years experience in Agile development.
•A former Director of Software Development, Manager of
Software Development, Project Manager, etc.
Who I am not:
•A .Net Programmer

5. What I believe:
•If you are a programmer and have not acquainted yourself
with and mastered BDD/TDD then you are no longer a true
craftsman.
“TDD is probably the single most important practice
discovered in the last 10 years. “ - Robert Martin
Founder, CEO and President Object Mentor Inc.
•Without automated executable specifications (like those
created through BDD), it is nearly impossible to be truly
Agile.
•Over the next five years BDD/TDD will become THE
standard for software development.

6. • BDD is a software development process based on test-
driven development (TDD). Sometimes described as
“TDD done right.”
• Developed by Dan North as a response to the issues
encountered teaching test-driven development.
• “BDD is a second-generation, outside–in, pull-based,
multiple-stakeholder, multiple-scale, highautomation, agile methodology. It describes a cycle of
interactions with well-defined outputs, resulting in
the delivery of working, tested software that matters.”
– Dan North

7. • BDD utilizes Ubiquitous Business Language (UBL),
which is composed of plain English, to create
executable specifications.
• Because of UBL, BDD is concerned with the
communication between business needs and
developers.
• BDD allows for frameworks like SpecFlow to automate
the running of the executable specifications by using
Scenarios written using the Gherkin language (Given,
When, Then) - called Gherkin because of Cucumber
(a Ruby BDD Framework that inspired SpecFlow).

8. Input
Feature File
Output
SpecFlow
Unit Test File
Step Definitions File

9. SpecFlow
Unit Test File
Test Results File
Step Definitions File
Test Results Report
Class File

10. • Easy to install with Visual Studio Gallery
• Nearly impossible to get working under Visual
Studio Express but you can try http://watirmelon.com/2011/02/18/c-sharp-atdd-ona-shoestring/
• Make sure that you add SpecFlow and Nunit to your
Windows path
• If you use Nunit you will need something to run the
tests – like Resharper– but you can create a batch file
that will run Nunit and add it to your Tools menu

11. • Batch File Copy and Paste:
@echo off
nunit-console %1
specflow.exe nunitexecutionreport %2
/xmlTestResult:%3
if NOT %errorlevel% == 0 (
echo "Error generating report - %errorlevel%"
GOTO :exit
)
if %errorlevel% ==0 TestResult.html
:exit

12. • External Tools Setup:
Title – Run SpecFlow
Command – C:PATH TO FILEnameofbatfile.bat
Arguments - $(TargetName)$(TargetExt)
$(ProjectDir)$(ProjectFileName)
$(BinDir)TestResult.xml
Initial Directory - $(BinDir)
Check Use Output Window

13. • Setup Project
• Setup the test engine for your project through NuGet
•
•
•
•
- PM> Install-Package SpecFlow.Nunit
Create Feature File
Create Step Definitions
Run Test(s)
Write and Refactor