Writing clean Concordion specifications is a core practice of Behavior-Driven Development (BDD) and Specification by Example (SbE) in the Java ecosystem. Concordion is an open-source framework that bridges the gap between stakeholders by turning plain English requirement documents into executable acceptance tests.
Unlike Gherkin-based tools like Cucumber, Concordion instruments real natural language paragraphs, tables, and lists, converting them into beautiful, live-updated green and red HTML reports. 🧱 The Anatomy of a Concordion Specification
Every active specification in Concordion consists of two tightly coupled components:
The Specification Document: A requirement document written in Markdown or HTML containing real business examples.
The Fixture Code: A standard Java class (backed by JUnit) that extracts data from the document and runs it against your application code. 🎨 Writing Clean Specifications: Core Principles
To keep your Concordion documentation maintainable and highly valuable to business analysts, engineers, and product owners, you should follow specific styling and architectural rules: 1. Write Specifications, Not Scripts
Do not list raw UI interactions (e.g., “Click button X”, “Type text into box Y”). Focus entirely on business intent and outcomes.
Keep technical implementation details separated from your requirements. 2. Use Markdown for High Readability
Lean on Markdown for standard specifications to ensure they remain accessible to non-developers.
Reserve HTML for highly complex presentation structures that require custom extensions or unique layouts. An Ultimate Guide To BDD
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