Choosing a specification style

Part 1 · Fundamentals›5 · Specification stylesRFCP 1.4

Chapter lab: Specification stylesch05-specification-styles.zip · 3 KB

This lesson continues in the same lab as the lesson before it. If you don’t have it yet, download it here.

Download ch05-specification-styles.zip

Or fetch and unpack it from a terminal in VS Code:

bash / zsh

curl -fsSLO https://manykarim.github.io/robotframework-essentials-web/labs/ch05-specification-styles.zip && unzip -q ch05-specification-styles.zip && rm ch05-specification-styles.zip

PowerShell

Invoke-WebRequest https://manykarim.github.io/robotframework-essentials-web/labs/ch05-specification-styles.zip -OutFile ch05-specification-styles.zip; Expand-Archive ch05-specification-styles.zip -DestinationPath .; Remove-Item ch05-specification-styles.zip

Open the folder in VS Code with code rfe-ch05-specification-styles (or File → Open Folder…) and accept the recommended RobotCode and Python extensions. Then set it up:

uv sync

bash / zsh

python3 -m venv .venv
source .venv/bin/activate
pip install -r requirements.txt

PowerShell

python -m venv .venv
.venv\Scripts\Activate.ps1
pip install -r requirements.txt

Keep the environment active in every terminal where you run lesson commands.

poetry install --no-root

Python 3.13 or newer is required; uv installs it when it is missing.

Open in browserNo setup? Try the lab right here: its files, an editor and a terminal, running in your browser.

What's inside

• Directoryrfe-ch05-specification-styles/

  • Directory.vscode/

    • extensions.json
  • Directorychecks/

    • prices.robot
  • .gitignore
  • .python-version
  • LAB.md
  • pyproject.toml
  • README.md
  • requirements.txt
  • uv.lock

You have now written all three specification styles. Each suits a different job:

• Keyword-driven — the default. Tests are sequences of keyword calls. Use it for most work; it is the most flexible.
• Behavior-driven — keyword calls prefixed with Given/When/Then so a test reads as a sentence. Use it when non-engineers read or write the tests, or when the behavior is the specification.
• Data-driven — a template run once per data row. Use it when one action is checked against many input/expected pairs; it removes repetition.

These are not exclusive. A suite can be mostly keyword-driven with one templated data table, and a behavior-driven test can call templated keywords underneath. Choose the style that makes each test easiest to read and to change.

Tip

When a suite starts to repeat itself row after row, that is the signal to reach for a template. When stakeholders need to read the tests, reach for behavior-driven phrasing.

Answer the recall check below, then continue to structure and execution control.

Read how to choose between the three styles

Read

Check your understanding

Quick recall. Your first answer stays in this browser; the quiz never blocks your progress.

1. Behavior-driven style is the best fit when…

   the same steps run over many data rowstests should read as Given/When/Then sentences for non-engineersyou need the fastest possible execution
   Show the answer

   Answer: tests should read as Given/When/Then sentences for non-engineers — Behavior-driven style expresses tests as readable Given/When/Then sentences; data-driven suits many-rows, keyword-driven is the default.

2. Data-driven (template) style shines when…

   each test is structurally uniqueone action is checked against many input/expected pairsthere is only one test
   Show the answer

   Answer: one action is checked against many input/expected pairs — Templates collapse many near-identical tests (one action, many data rows) into a compact table.

Key terms

specification stylesconcept

Keyword-driven (default), behavior-driven (Given/When/Then), data-driven (templates).

All terms in the glossary →