Custom Step Definition Attributes¶

Reqnroll provides the ability to create custom step definition attributes, enabling teams to express scenarios in local languages or to define grouped categories for step types beyond Given, When, and Then. This flexibility is commonly leveraged:

To use attribute names and conventions in a localized (non-English) language, increasing naturalness for teams that work in other languages.
To create broader or grouped step definition types (such as a general-purpose attribute that covers both “Given” and “When” semantics).

Key Requirements¶

To create a custom step definition attribute, the attribute class must:

Inherit from StepDefinitionBaseAttribute.
Derived constructors should use the same parameter names (expression, types) as the base class constructor.

Example: Custom Step Attribute¶

Below is a sample custom attribute that demonstrates the correct pattern. This example creates a GivenWhenAttribute attribute, which will match both Given and When steps.

using Reqnroll;
using System;

public class GivenWhenAttribute : StepDefinitionBaseAttribute
{
    readonly static StepDefinitionType[] types = [StepDefinitionType.Given, StepDefinitionType.When];
    public GivenWhenAttribute(string expression) : base(expression, types) { 
    }
}

Usage:

[Binding]
public class CalculatorSteps
{
    [GivenWhen("I add {int} and {int}")]
    public void MyAddStep(int x, int y)
    {
        // Step logic
    }
}