Output and custom HTML

Console output

BDTest captures everything written to Console while a step runs and stores it on that step (Step.Output) and on the scenario (Scenario.Output). Reports show the output next to the step that wrote it. You do not need a special logger: Console.WriteLine is enough.

Output is tracked per test, using the framework's test ID, so parallel tests do not mix their output. When cancelled work outlives its grace period, its later captured console, custom HTML, startup and teardown writes are suppressed. They cannot alter completed report output.

xUnit

The xUnit adapter does not write to ITestOutputHelper. BDTest captures output by replacing Console.Out, and reports it in BDTest reports. Inject Xunit.ITestOutputHelper and write to it yourself if you also want the output in xUnit's results.

Setup and teardown output

Output written outside the steps, for example in setup and teardown hooks, is not attached to a step. To include it in the report, use the base class methods:

Illustrative fragment

public class OrderTests : TUnitBDTestBase<OrderContext>
{
    [Before(HookType.Test)]
    public void Setup()
    {
        WriteStartupOutput($"Test user: {Context.UserName}");
    }

    [After(HookType.Test)]
    public void Teardown()
    {
        WriteTearDownOutput($"Cleaned up order {Context.OrderId}");
    }
}

The text appears on the scenario as TestStartupInformation and TearDownOutput. With async setup, the output keeps the test's identity as long as it runs in the same test flow; see Custom adapters.

Custom HTML in reports

For binary content such as screenshots, logs and HAR files, use attachments to capture run-owned files and structured metadata. The report uploader sends them to configured attachment storage, and Razor reports show downloads and safe image previews beneath the owning step or scenario. HtmlWriter remains available for custom markup and links to already hosted images.

ScenarioHtmlWriter on the base class adds content to the current scenario's report entry. Each access returns a new writer for the current test:

Illustrative fragment

[Test]
public async Task CreatesAnOrder()
{
    await When(() => Orders.Create())
        .Then(() => Orders.TheOrderExists());

    ScenarioHtmlWriter.Link("Open the order in the admin portal", $"https://admin.example.com/orders/{Context.OrderId}");
    ScenarioHtmlWriter.LineBreak();
    ScenarioHtmlWriter.Image("https://screenshots.example.com/orders/latest.png");
}

Method	Writes
Text(string value)	HTML-encoded text.
Link(string text, string url)	A link that opens in a new tab. The text is HTML-encoded.
Link(Func<string> body, string url)	A link whose text comes from the delegate. The result is treated as plain text.
Image(string url)	A lazy-loaded image.
LineBreak()	A line break.
Custom(string html)	Raw HTML, unchanged.

URL rules

Link and Image HTML-encode the text and attribute values you supply. Pass plain text and URLs, not pre-encoded entities.

• Allowed: http: and https: (any case), protocol-relative URLs (//example.com/...), and relative paths, queries or fragments. Link also allows mailto:.
• Rejected with ArgumentException: other schemes such as javascript:, vbscript:, data:, file: and blob:; empty URLs; URLs with control characters, backslashes, or leading or trailing whitespace.
• null URLs throw ArgumentNullException.
• A colon before the first /, ? or # must belong to an allowed scheme. For a relative file name containing a colon, write ./name:part.png.

The policy restricts schemes, not destination hosts.

Raw HTML

Custom(html) keeps your markup exactly as written. Both the report server and the standalone HTML report render custom output in a sandboxed iframe with scripts disabled. Links open in new tabs that keep the sandbox restrictions.