How to use Gherkin in Robot Framework

Gherkin syntax is widely used for writing test scenarios — and for good reason. Its simplicity makes it easy to understand even for non-technical stakeholders, which can be a real advantage. Gherkin uses the following keywords to define a test case:

• Feature: Describes the functionality (the goal).
• Scenario: A description of a specific test case.
• Given: The initial condition (“when I’m in a certain state”).
• When: The user’s action (“when I do something”).
• Then: The expected result (“then something should happen”).
• And/But: Used to chain multiple steps.

We use the Selenium library to control the browser. The core code for this scenario might look like this:

You can find the full source code on our GitHub.

Some keywords take variables. For example, in the keyword I enter "${search_string}" in the search field, the variable search_string can be replaced with any value.

The result of the test appears in the standard HTML output like this:

Although Robot Framework is primarily built for keyword-driven testing, it handles Gherkin easily without major hurdles. There is no need to install anything extra as Gherkin is supported natively in Robot Framework.