Cucumber arity mismatch error - ruby

Question

This step in my Ruby feature file to find and access a customer record:
When I search with the following details: "<recordReference>", "<secondIdentifier>", "<postcode>":
| recordReference | secondIdentifier| postcode |
| REFABCDE12345678| IDcode1234 | PC11 1PC |
It has this step definition:
When(/^I search with the following details: "(.*?)", "(.*?)", "(.*?)":$/) do |recordReference, secondIdentifier, postcode|
find(:css, "#dln").native.send_keys recordReference
find(:css, "#nino").native.send_keys secondIdentifier
find(:css, "#postcode").native.send_keys postcode
check 'confirmation'
click_button 'submit'
end
When it's run, I get the following error:
Cucumber::ArityMismatchError: Your block takes 3 arguments, but the Regexp matched 4 arguments.
features/step_definitions/refactored_commands.rb:207:in `/^I search with the following details: "(.*?)", "(.*?)", "(.*?)":$/'
What have I done wrong and how can it be fixed?
For info - I get the same error message if the parenthases are take out of the step definition:
When /^I search with the following details: "(.*?)", "(.*?)", "(.*?)":$/ do |recordReference, secondIdentifier, postcode|

Answer 1

The fourth argument is the DataTable. Remove the first 3 parameters and put in just the DataTable option, you will get all the data from the DataTable. Suggest you use dryRun=true option to let Cucumber create the proper step definition matcher, this is from my Java knowledge dont know how this dryRun option is in ruby.
Plus you will have to change your step in the feature file to remove the mentioned 3 parameters

Answer 2

It looks like you're mixing up scenario outlines with passing data tables to steps
From the format of your table it looks like what you're going for should actually be
Scenario Outline: xxx
...
When I search with the following details: "<recordReference>", "<secondIdentifier>", "<postcode>"
...
Examples:
| recordReference | secondIdentifier| postcode |
| REFABCDE12345678| IDcode1234 | PC11 1PC |
and then each the outline will be called once for each row of Examples with the values filled in - so your step would be
When(/^I search with the following details: "(.*?)", "(.*?)", "(.*?)"$/) do |recordReference, secondIdentifier, postcode|
...
end
On a side note - is there any reason you're calling .native.send_keys - I believe every driver now supports the normal Capybara send_keys API so it would just be find(:css, '#dln').send_keys recordReference (or of course just fill_in('dln', with: recordReference) )