Doctest integration for modules and test files ========================================================= By default all files matching the ``test*.txt`` pattern will be run through the python standard ``doctest`` module. You can change the pattern by issuing:: py.test --doctest-glob='*.rst' on the command line. Since version ``2.9``, ``--doctest-glob`` can be given multiple times in the command-line. You can also trigger running of doctests from docstrings in all python modules (including regular python test modules):: py.test --doctest-modules You can make these changes permanent in your project by putting them into a pytest.ini file like this: .. code-block:: ini # content of pytest.ini [pytest] addopts = --doctest-modules If you then have a text file like this:: # content of example.rst hello this is a doctest >>> x = 3 >>> x 3 and another like this:: # content of mymodule.py def something(): """ a doctest in a docstring >>> something() 42 """ return 42 then you can just invoke ``py.test`` without command line options:: $ py.test ======= test session starts ======== platform linux -- Python 3.4.0, pytest-2.9.1, py-1.4.31, pluggy-0.3.1 rootdir: $REGENDOC_TMPDIR, inifile: pytest.ini collected 1 items mymodule.py . ======= 1 passed in 0.12 seconds ======== It is possible to use fixtures using the ``getfixture`` helper:: # content of example.rst >>> tmp = getfixture('tmpdir') >>> ... >>> Also, :ref:`usefixtures` and :ref:`autouse` fixtures are supported when executing text doctest files. The standard ``doctest`` module provides some setting flags to configure the strictness of doctest tests. In py.test You can enable those flags those flags using the configuration file. To make pytest ignore trailing whitespaces and ignore lengthy exception stack traces you can just write: .. code-block:: ini [pytest] doctest_optionflags= NORMALIZE_WHITESPACE IGNORE_EXCEPTION_DETAIL py.test also introduces new options to allow doctests to run in Python 2 and Python 3 unchanged: * ``ALLOW_UNICODE``: when enabled, the ``u`` prefix is stripped from unicode strings in expected doctest output. * ``ALLOW_BYTES``: when enabled, the ``b`` prefix is stripped from byte strings in expected doctest output. As with any other option flag, these flags can be enabled in ``pytest.ini`` using the ``doctest_optionflags`` ini option: .. code-block:: ini [pytest] doctest_optionflags = ALLOW_UNICODE ALLOW_BYTES Alternatively, it can be enabled by an inline comment in the doc test itself:: # content of example.rst >>> get_unicode_greeting() # doctest: +ALLOW_UNICODE 'Hello'