Defining Steps¶
When a step in a .feature file has no matching binding, a quick-fix /
code action “Define missing step” (or “Define all missing steps in
file” when more than one step is undefined) appears — the lightbulb in
VS Code and Visual Studio, Alt+Enter in Rider. Activating it generates stub
binding methods with method signatures and parameter types inferred from
the step text.
Where the generated method goes¶
If any existing step definition file in the project already has bindings
matched to steps in the same feature, that’s offered as the default
target — the new method is appended to that file. When more than one
existing file already covers steps in the feature (or none do), each
option is offered as a separate action, with the target file named in the
action title (e.g. “Define missing step → CalculatorSteps.cs”), plus a
“→ new file” option that scaffolds a fresh <FeatureName>StepDefinitions.cs
alongside the best-matching existing file (or next to the feature file
itself, if nothing else in the project has any bindings for it yet).
Sync vs. async skeleton style¶
The generated method’s sync/async style — and whether it uses a regular
expression or a Cucumber Expression attribute — comes from the project’s
configured
trace.stepDefinitionSkeletonStyle
setting in reqnroll.json (CucumberExpressionAttribute by default; see
also the
step-matching styles reference
for what each value produces). The LSP does not infer style from the
sync/async convention already used by sibling bindings in the target
class or file — it always follows this one project-wide setting.
Order of the offered options can vary by IDE
VS Code and Rider list the append option before the new-file option, as intended. Visual Studio’s built-in quick-fix menu sorts same-priority options alphabetically by their title text, so the two may appear in either order there — both still work identically regardless of which one is listed first.
See also New Project / Item Templates for
scaffolding a brand-new .feature file or step definitions class (as
opposed to a single missing step).