Create feature files

In Cucumber, feature files store high-level description of scenarios and steps in the Gherkin language. Gherkin uses plain English by default and promotes behavior-driven development.

Feature files are usually located in the features folder under Test Resources Root . If you don't have a folder for test resources, you need to create one.

Create the features folder

Right-click Test Resources Root and select New | Directory.
Name the new folder features.

Create a new feature file

In the Project tool window, right-click the features folder and select New | File.
Name the new file. You can give it any name, but make sure to use the .feature extension (for example, BeerCans.feature).
In the Project tool window, the new file will be marked with .
After that, you can add the code for the feature file and create your test scenario.

For more information about using Gherkin, refer to Gherkin Syntax.

As you type, the IDE offers code completion and instant inspections with quick-fixes that help you define the scenario correctly. For example, creating a scenario goes before adding step definitions. That is why at this stage, the steps are highlighted as unresolved. When the feature file is finished, you can create step definitions with one shortcut.

Feature: Beer cans

Scenario: Counting beer cans
    Given I have <opening balance> beer cans
    And I have drunk <processed> beer cans
    When I go to my fridge
    Then I should have <in stock> beer cans

In steps, you can use text notes enclosed in triple quotes. In this case, IntelliJ IDEA treats the text inside as a string and displays it when running the step.

Feature: Beer cans

    Scenario: Counting beer cans
        Given I have <opening balance> beer cans
        """
        Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet
        """

Using text notes: output shown in the Run tool window

Use the Examples table in Scenario Outline

The Scenario Outline component can be used to run the same Scenario for multiple sets of data. This data is defined in a table with the Examples header located underneath the scenario.

Use the Examples table if you want to test the entire scenario with multiple test data. If you need to pass a list of values to a single-step definition, use Data tables.

To quickly create a table with examples:

Place the caret at Scenario Outline and press Alt+Enter.
From the list that opens, select Create Examples Section.
IntelliJ IDEA creates a table in the correct format and adds there the information from the scenario. After that, you can fill in the table with the necessary data.
Feature: Beer cans Scenario Outline: Counting beer cans Given I have <opening balance> beer cans And I have drunk <processed> beer cans When I go to my fridge Then I should have <in stock> beer cans Examples: | opening balance | processed | in stock | | 123 | 50 | 73 | | 1 | 1 | 0 |

You can find more information on how to use the Examples element in Using variables and examples.

Use another language for steps

Apart from the English language, you can describe steps in feature files in other spoken languages and dialects. To use your custom language, add # language: ... to the first line of the feature file. For example, to use German, type # language: de.

In this example, we use Australian English to describe steps:

# language: en-au

Pretty much: Beer cans

    Reckon it's like: Counting beer cans
        Y'know I have <opening balance> beer cans
        Too right I have drunk <processed> beer cans
        It's just unbelievable I go to my fridge
        But at the end of the day I reckon I should have <in stock> beer cans
        You'll wanna:
            | opening balance | processed | in stock |
            | 123             | 50        | 73       |
            | 1               | 1         | 1        |

IntelliJ IDEA provides code completion, inspections, intention actions, and other coding assistance features in all supported spoken languages. For the full list of languages, refer to Spoken Languages in the Cucumber documentation.

Last modified: 05 September 2023