hitchstory 0.8.1

Type-safe, YAML-based BDD, TDD & specification by example framework for python.

HitchStory is a python 3 library for building BDD-style executable specifications.

It is currently in ALPHA. APIs may change without warning until version >= 1.0.

Example

email.story:

Log in:
  with:
    name: AzureDiamond             # default parameters for story
    password: hunter2
  given:
    website: /login                # preconditions
  steps:
    - Fill form:
        username: (( name ))       # parameterized steps
        password: (( password ))
    - Click: login


Send email:
  based on: log in                 # inherits from and continues from test above
  steps:
    - Click: new email
    - Fill form:
        to: [e-mail]
        contents: |                # long form text
          Hey guys,

          I think I got hacked!
    - Click: send email
    - Email was sent

Corresponding python execution engine:

from hitchstory import BaseEngine, StoryCollection
from tellurium import CyberDriver
from emailchecker import email_was_sent

class Engine(BaseEngine):
    def set_up(self):
        self.driver = CyberDriver()
        self.driver.visit(
            "http://localhost:5000{0}".format(self.given['website'])
        )

    def fill_form(self, **textboxes):
        for name, contents in textboxes.items():
            self.driver.fill_form(name, contents)

    def click(self, name):
        self.driver.click(name)

    def email_was_sent(self):
        email_was_sent()

This runs the story:

>>> StoryCollection(["email.story"], Engine()).named("Send email").play()

Install

To install:

$ pip install hitchstory

Tell me more

HitchStory is a YAML based DSL for writing stories that is designed primarily to be ergonomic for developers and only incidentally “business readable”.

By ergonomic for programmers, I mean:

• Stories can and should inherit from one another, because specifications ought to be DRY too.

• Stories are defined and validated using strongly typed StrictYAML. Step arguments and preconditions (‘given’) schemas can be defined by the programmer.

• The execution engine can be programmed to rewrite the executing story based upon program behavior changes (e.g. screen output changes, labels on a web app change).

• Running stories is done via a python API so you can easily write customized test workflows to suit your workflows.

• Story parameterization is built in.

This library was dogfooded for years to BDD, test and autodocument a variety of different kinds of software - web apps, python libraries, command line apps.

Why not X instead?

• Why not just write unit tests (e.g with py.test)?

• Why not use Cucumber / Behat / Lettuce / pytest-bdd?

• Why not use robot framework?