{"metadata":{"image":[],"title":"","description":""},"api":{"url":"","auth":"never","basic_auth":false,"params":[],"results":{"codes":[]},"settings":"","try":true},"next":{"description":"","pages":[]},"title":"Establishing context with 'Given'","type":"basic","slug":"establishing-context","excerpt":"","body":"In the [Given, When, Then lifecycle](doc:given-when-then), Given is the place to establish the state of things before you act on the [System Under Test (SUT)](doc:the-system-under-test-sut).  SpecsFor provides the virtual Given method that you can override to establish context for your specs. \n\nConsider a simple spec like this:\n[block:callout]\n{\n  \"type\": \"info\",\n  \"body\": \"Given a car is started, when the car is stopped, then the engine is stopped.\"\n}\n[/block]\nA spec for this implemented using SpecsFor would look like this:\n[block:code]\n{\n  \"codes\": [\n    {\n      \"code\": \"public class given_a_car_is_started_when_a_car_is_stopped : SpecsFor<Car>\\n{\\n\\t//Given: establish state, in this case, that the car is started.\\n\\t\\n\\t//When: perform an action, in this case, stopping the car.\\n\\t\\n  //Then: the engine is stopped\\n}\",\n      \"language\": \"csharp\"\n    }\n  ]\n}\n[/block]\nTo establish the state, \"Given a car is started,\" we need to override the Given method, then start the car, which is our system under test:\n[block:code]\n{\n  \"codes\": [\n    {\n      \"code\": \"\\tprotected override void Given()\\n\\t{\\n\\t\\t//Given: establish state, in this case, that the car is started.\\n\\t\\tSUT.Start();\\n\\t}\\n\",\n      \"language\": \"csharp\"\n    }\n  ]\n}\n[/block]\n\n[block:api-header]\n{\n  \"title\": \"Multiple Givens\"\n}\n[/block]\nIf you need to use multiple given statements in the same testing class you can do so in the Given method:\n[block:code]\n{\n  \"codes\": [\n    {\n      \"code\": \"protected override void Given()\\n{\\n  Given<the_item_is_available>();\\n  Given<the_item_is_valid>();\\n  \\n  base.Given();\\n}\",\n      \"language\": \"csharp\"\n    }\n  ]\n}\n[/block]\n\n[block:callout]\n{\n  \"type\": \"info\",\n  \"title\": \"Pro Tip!\",\n  \"body\": \"It is not uncommon to need to establish the same state across multiple specs.  With SpecsFor, you can easily do this using either [context classes](doc:intro-to-context-classes) or with the [SpecsFor convention system](doc:overview)\"\n}\n[/block]","updates":["590371ffa807d22700b5f6e0"],"order":5,"isReference":false,"hidden":false,"sync_unique":"","link_url":"","link_external":false,"_id":"54485217c1b42e08005b82a6","githubsync":"","version":{"version":"1.0","version_clean":"1.0.0","codename":"","is_stable":true,"is_beta":false,"is_hidden":false,"is_deprecated":false,"categories":["54471fc9e12a270800028ae0","5447b9e7b96a63140077d747","5447be130319802200fc0620","5447ed118d7af31a00dd411c","5447ed230319802200fc0702","5448524c4544c30800241f41","544854504544c30800241f4d","544854af4544c30800241f50","544854e74544c30800241f51","54485557c1b42e08005b82bf"],"_id":"54471fc9e12a270800028adf","__v":10,"project":"54471fc9e12a270800028adc","releaseDate":"2014-10-22T03:08:57.750Z","createdAt":"2014-10-22T03:08:57.750Z"},"category":{"sync":{"isSync":false,"url":""},"pages":["544853a8c1b42e08005b82b6","5447ecac8d7af31a00dd4119","5447ed6d0319802200fc0705","5447ef7a8d7af31a00dd4125","54485217c1b42e08005b82a6","5448536e4544c30800241f48","54485396c1b42e08005b82b2","547c7c5f78fd57080023c99c"],"title":"Basics","slug":"basics","order":2,"from_sync":false,"reference":false,"_id":"544854e74544c30800241f51","project":"54471fc9e12a270800028adc","version":"54471fc9e12a270800028adf","createdAt":"2014-10-23T01:07:51.270Z","__v":1},"is_link":false,"project":"54471fc9e12a270800028adc","user":"54471f91beb6320800da6f75","__v":6,"createdAt":"2014-10-23T00:55:51.491Z"}

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Establishing context with 'Given'

In the [Given, When, Then lifecycle](doc:given-when-then), Given is the place to establish the state of things before you act on the [System Under Test (SUT)](doc:the-system-under-test-sut). SpecsFor provides the virtual Given method that you can override to establish context for your specs. Consider a simple spec like this: [block:callout] { "type": "info", "body": "Given a car is started, when the car is stopped, then the engine is stopped." } [/block] A spec for this implemented using SpecsFor would look like this: [block:code] { "codes": [ { "code": "public class given_a_car_is_started_when_a_car_is_stopped : SpecsFor<Car>\n{\n\t//Given: establish state, in this case, that the car is started.\n\t\n\t//When: perform an action, in this case, stopping the car.\n\t\n //Then: the engine is stopped\n}", "language": "csharp" } ] } [/block] To establish the state, "Given a car is started," we need to override the Given method, then start the car, which is our system under test: [block:code] { "codes": [ { "code": "\tprotected override void Given()\n\t{\n\t\t//Given: establish state, in this case, that the car is started.\n\t\tSUT.Start();\n\t}\n", "language": "csharp" } ] } [/block] [block:api-header] { "title": "Multiple Givens" } [/block] If you need to use multiple given statements in the same testing class you can do so in the Given method: [block:code] { "codes": [ { "code": "protected override void Given()\n{\n Given<the_item_is_available>();\n Given<the_item_is_valid>();\n \n base.Given();\n}", "language": "csharp" } ] } [/block] [block:callout] { "type": "info", "title": "Pro Tip!", "body": "It is not uncommon to need to establish the same state across multiple specs. With SpecsFor, you can easily do this using either [context classes](doc:intro-to-context-classes) or with the [SpecsFor convention system](doc:overview)" } [/block]