Cucumber is a command-line tool that reads specifications from plain-language text files but cucumber itself does not have any idea as how to execute the scenario steps. Cucumber needs step definition to convert Gherkin step into some desired activity.

Whenever cucumber executes any step then it looks its respective step definition in the entire project and execute the code written inside the step definition.

Step definition may contain a single line code or a multi-line code depending on the steps logic.

Feature:

Scenario:Verify the registration

  Given I am at Home Page

  Then I click Registration link

  And I enter valid data for Registration

  Then I should see Edit Profile page

  And I should see Terms and Conditions overlay

Step Definitions of few steps:

Then(/^I click Registration link$/) do

@page = @page.click_registration_link

end

And(/^I enter valid data for Registration$/) do

@Timestamp = @page.read_time_stamp

@page = @page.enter_username("#{@Timestamp}_xxxxxxxxxxxx")

@page = @page.enter_email("#{@Timestamp}_xxxxxxxxxxx@mailinator.com")

@page = @page.enter_password("xxxxxxxxxxxx")

@page = @page.enter_confirm_password("xxxxxxxxxxxxx")

@page = @page.click_register_button

end

Then(/^I should see Edit Profile page$/) do

pending

end

And(/^I should see Terms and Conditions overlay$/) do

pending

End

In the above example as we can see that only single line code is associated with “I click Registration link” step but multiline code is associated with “I enter valid data for Registration”. If the same step is written with different Gherkin keywords in the Feature then also we do not have to re-write the steps again. Cucumber while reading the step definition ignore Gherkin keywords.