How to Validate a Non-JSON response body using Karate (2) - karate

Question

This is in continuation to How to validate Non-JSON response body using Karate.
Details: When the API post call is made, if the employee is already available in the DB, then an error response is thrown as follows in the response body, which is not of Json/String format:
{"error":{"text":SQLSTATE[23000]: Integrity constraint violation: 1062 Duplicate entry 'NewEmp' for key 'employee_name_unique'}}
My aim is to validate the above if the error response is thrown as expected.
I tried the solution provided in How to validate Non-JSON response body using Karate, but it did not work as expected. Below are the details:
I do not understand how to use the * provided in the solution of my previous question. Could you please explain how to use the *
Karate Feature:
Scenario: Testing non-string response
Given url 'dummy.restapiexample.com/api/v1/create'
And request {"name":"PutTest8","salary":"123","age":"23"}
When method POST
Then status 200
* string temp = response
And match temp contains 'error'
The above is throwing an error as follows --
line 20:4 mismatched input '*' expecting <EOF>
17:43:46.230 [main] ERROR com.intuit.karate.core.FeatureParser - syntax error: mismatched input '*' expecting <EOF>
17:43:46.235 [main] ERROR com.intuit.karate.core.FeatureParser - not a valid feature file: src/test/java/learnKarate/postcall.feature - mismatched input '*' expecting <EOF>
NOTE: I also tried to 'assert' the response - which failed, too, with the below error.
Then assert $ contains 'error'
Error:
com.intuit.karate.exception.KarateException: postcall.feature:29 - javascript evaluation failed: $ contains 'error', <eval>:1:2 Expected ; but found contains
$ contains 'error'
^ in <eval> at line number 1 at column number 2
at ✽.Then assert $ contains 'error' (postcall.feature:29)

Answer 1

There is something seriously wrong in your example or your environment. The * is just a replacement for Given When etc. For example paste this into a new Scenario, and this works for me:
* def response = 'error'
* string temp = response
And match temp contains 'error'
Since you seem to be stuck, it is time for you to follow this process: https://github.com/intuit/karate/wiki/How-to-Submit-an-Issue
All the best !