Interview #229: Cucumber - Describe a practical example of reusing steps across multiple scenarios.

In Cucumber, one of its key strengths is the ability to reuse step definitions across multiple scenarios, so that common actions or verifications don’t have to be rewritten each time. This makes test automation DRY (Don’t Repeat Yourself), easier to maintain, and more readable for both testers and non-technical stakeholders.

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Let’s break it down with a practical example:

1. The Real-World Situation

Imagine you are testing a banking web application that has multiple features:

• Transferring funds between accounts

• Paying utility bills

• Checking transaction history

All these features require a common precondition:

• The user must be logged in before performing any action.

2. Without Step Reuse (The Problem)

If you write each scenario separately without reusing steps, you might end up repeating:

This same login sequence might appear in every scenario, leading to duplication and maintenance headaches if the login flow changes.

3. With Step Reuse (The Solution)

Cucumber allows you to define these steps once in a file and then reuse them in multiple scenarios.

Feature File Example

4. Step Definition for the Reusable Step

This step:

• Can be used in any feature file where login is required.

• Accepts parameters for flexibility.

• Changes only in one place if the login process changes.

5. How Reuse Helps in Practice

• Maintains consistency → If login changes, only one step definition needs updating.

• Improves readability → Scenarios focus on the business action, not repetitive login steps.

• Supports parameterization → Same step works for different users or environments.

• Works with Backgrounds & Hooks → Login can be in a Background (as above) or automated with hooks in Cucumber.

6. More Advanced Reuse Example

Some steps like:

can be reused across modules—fund transfer, bill payment, profile update—because they share the same verification style.

✅ In summary: A practical example of reusing steps in Cucumber is the login process in a banking application, where the same step is defined once and reused across multiple scenarios. This approach reduces duplication, simplifies maintenance, and keeps scenarios focused on business logic rather than setup details.