I have just started using cucumber and am seeking clarification whether the folder having my step definitions must be named exactly as step_defnitions or can it be anything (e.g. my_defs). I tried renaming in my local machine but sometimes it works and sometimes doesn't.
features/
|
|-- step_definitions/
Cucumber will automatically load any files within the features folder. This means that your step definition files can be located in any folder name/structure as long as they are in the features folder.
Note that it is possible to override this setting and explicitly state the location of your steps by doing:
cucumber -r your/steps/folder/location
For more details you can see the help - cucumber -h:
-r: Require files before executing the features. If this option is not specified, all *.rb files that are siblings or below the features will be loaded auto-matically. Automatic loading is disabled when this option is specified, and all loading becomes explicit. Files under directories named "support" are always loaded first. This option can be specified multiple times.
In every reference I've seen (including the RSpec Book), they always have a "step_definitions" folder for definitions. A lot of things in Ruby (and especially Rails) utilize a "convention over configuration" philosophy, and I believe this is one of those things. I think it'd be less hassle for you to just make the "step_definitions" folder inside the "features" folder and know that it should work than to try and figure out how to change the configuration.
