Dry up your code: Simple OR clause [1st mile]

1. Simple OR clause

Consider the following scenario,

#1 - Given the "user" launches the app 

#2 - When he logs in

#3 - Then he sees the home page

Lets look at step #2 closer and identify possible variations of it

#2.0 - When he logs in                 [Def #1: When /^he logs in$/]

#2.1 - When "user" logs in           [Def #2: When /^"([^"]*)" logs in$/]

#2.2 - When "admin" logs in        [Def #2: When /^"([^"]*)" logs in$/]

#2.3 -  When she logs in              [Def #3: When /^she logs in$/]

Believe me variation #2.3 will be used a lot if your team has a healthy gender ratio.

Now do we need 3 step definitions to capture all the 4 variations. Nope (otherwise why am I writing this blog anyways :-)

Step:   When /^(?:he|she|"([^"]*)") logs in$/

The above definition will hold good for step 2 and all its variations 2.1..2.3

Similarly, following 8 possible variations of step #3,

#3.0 - Then he sees the home page

#3.1 - Then he still sees the home page

#3.2 - Then she sees the home page

#3.3 - Then she still sees the home page

#3.4- Then admin sees the home page

#3.5 - Then admin still sees the home page

#3.6 - Then user sees the home page

#3.7 - Then user still sees the home page

can be defined as,

Step:   Then /^(?:he|she|"([^"]*)") (?:sees|still sees) the home page$/

Remember, the Simple OR clause just enables paraphrasing without adding any new parameter to the step definition. No wonder we call it Simple OR clause.
  

More miles To be treaded...