Call for feedback: Expressiontype parameter (cucumber/regex) to [Given] [When] and [Then] attributes

[304NotModified]

Sometimes the detection of the expression type is incorrect (cucumber/regex)

I also don't like the ^ prefix for enforcing Regex.

Idea: add an expressiontype option to the [Given], [When] and [Then] attributes

Example:

[When(@"I execute the tests (once|twice|\d+ times)", ExpressionType = ExpressionType.RegularExpression)]

Additionally, this makes things more transparent. If users check the attribute parameters, they can see that automatic detection is in place.

I've created a Proof of Concept: #663

♻️ Anything particular you want feedback on?

• Is this a good idea?
• Is the default "Automatic" clear?
• Should I also create an overload for the constructor?

Please your feedback :)

[gasparnagy]

Here is my feedback:

Is this a good idea?

I am fine with this. Makes the things clearer.

Is the default "Automatic" clear?

Not bad. Maybe AutoDetect?

Should I also create an overload for the constructor?

No, I think the attribute property is enough.

[Code-Grump]

I think the naming of ExpressionType could be better. I believe I understand the intention clearly from the comments and it's well defined:

• ExpressionType.CucumberExpression - Interpret the text as a Cucumber expression
• ExpressionType.RegularExpression - Interpret the text as a Regular expression
• ExpressionType.Automatic - Let the runtime try to guess the expression type

I don't believe Automatic is a type of expression though, which makes this a mixed enumeration, both types and processing modes.

The simplest change is probably to replace Automatic with Unspecified - when not specified, the runtime tries to guess the expression type. It would also be acceptable to not have it in the enumeration type and instead just use a nullable value; I'm personally fine with either, others may have stronger opinions there.

If neither of those appeal, if we'd like to use Automatic, I'd suggest naming the enumeration something like ExpressionParsingMode, which then makes it clear we're not specifying the type of the expression, but instead how we'd like the runtime to process it - a subtle difference, but one in which an "automatic" strategy makes sense.

[304NotModified]

Thanks, I will go for Unspecified :)