New doc role: globalvar for special variables

This introduces a new role, `:globalvar:`, so we can mark/reference
variables like `pytest_plugins`, `pytestmark`, etc. This besides being useful
also makes the documentation look more consistent.

doc/en/assert.rst

@@ -294,8 +294,6 @@ Assertion introspection details
 -------------------------------
 
 
-
-
 Reporting details about a failing assertion is achieved by rewriting assert
 statements before they are run.  Rewritten assert statements put introspection
 information into the assertion failure message.  ``pytest`` only rewrites test

doc/en/changelog.rst

@@ -2188,7 +2188,7 @@ Features
 
 
 - `#3711 <https://github.com/pytest-dev/pytest/issues/3711>`_: Add the ``--ignore-glob`` parameter to exclude test-modules with Unix shell-style wildcards.
-  Add the ``collect_ignore_glob`` for ``conftest.py`` to exclude test-modules with Unix shell-style wildcards.
+  Add the :globalvar:`collect_ignore_glob` for ``conftest.py`` to exclude test-modules with Unix shell-style wildcards.
 
 
 - `#4698 <https://github.com/pytest-dev/pytest/issues/4698>`_: The warning about Python 2.7 and 3.4 not being supported in pytest 5.0 has been removed.

doc/en/conf.py

@@ -390,4 +390,11 @@ def setup(app: "sphinx.application.Sphinx") -> None:
         indextemplate="pair: %s; configuration value",
     )
 
+    app.add_object_type(
+        "globalvar",
+        "globalvar",
+        objname="global variable interpreted by pytest",
+        indextemplate="pair: %s; global variable interpreted by pytest",
+    )
+
     configure_logging(app)

doc/en/deprecations.rst

@@ -413,7 +413,7 @@ pytest_plugins in non-top-level conftest files
 
 .. versionremoved:: 4.0
 
-Defining ``pytest_plugins`` is now deprecated in non-top-level conftest.py
+Defining :globalvar:`pytest_plugins` is now deprecated in non-top-level conftest.py
 files because they will activate referenced plugins *globally*, which is surprising because for all other pytest
 features ``conftest.py`` files are only *active* for tests at or below it.
 

doc/en/example/markers.rst

@@ -280,27 +280,7 @@ its test methods:
 This is equivalent to directly applying the decorator to the
 two test functions.
 
-Due to legacy reasons, it is possible to set the ``pytestmark`` attribute on a TestClass like this:
-
-.. code-block:: python
-
-    import pytest
-
-
-    class TestClass:
-        pytestmark = pytest.mark.webtest
-
-or if you need to use multiple markers you can use a list:
-
-.. code-block:: python
-
-    import pytest
-
-
-    class TestClass:
-        pytestmark = [pytest.mark.webtest, pytest.mark.slowtest]
-
-You can also set a module level marker::
+To apply marks at the module level, use the :globalvar:`pytestmark` global variable:
 
     import pytest
     pytestmark = pytest.mark.webtest
@@ -309,8 +289,17 @@ or multiple markers::
 
     pytestmark = [pytest.mark.webtest, pytest.mark.slowtest]
 
-in which case markers will be applied (in left-to-right order) to
-all functions and methods defined in the module.
+
+Due to legacy reasons, before class decorators were introduced, it is possible to set the
+:globalvar:`pytestmark` attribute on a test class like this:
+
+.. code-block:: python
+
+    import pytest
+
+
+    class TestClass:
+        pytestmark = pytest.mark.webtest
 
 .. _`marking individual tests when using parametrize`:
 

doc/en/example/pythoncollection.rst

@@ -299,7 +299,7 @@ file will be left out:
     ========================== no tests ran in 0.12s ===========================
 
 It's also possible to ignore files based on Unix shell-style wildcards by adding
-patterns to ``collect_ignore_glob``.
+patterns to :globalvar:`collect_ignore_glob`.
 
 The following example ``conftest.py`` ignores the file ``setup.py`` and in
 addition all files that end with ``*_py2.py`` when executed with a Python 3

doc/en/fixture.rst

@@ -1213,15 +1213,12 @@ You can specify multiple fixtures like this:
     def test():
         ...
 
-and you may specify fixture usage at the test module level, using
-a generic feature of the mark mechanism:
+and you may specify fixture usage at the test module level using :globalvar:`pytestmark`:
 
 .. code-block:: python
 
     pytestmark = pytest.mark.usefixtures("cleandir")
 
-Note that the assigned variable *must* be called ``pytestmark``, assigning e.g.
-``foomark`` will not activate the fixtures.
 
 It is also possible to put fixtures required by all tests in your project
 into an ini-file:

doc/en/plugins.rst

@@ -70,7 +70,7 @@ You may also discover more plugins through a `pytest- pypi.org search`_.
 Requiring/Loading plugins in a test module or conftest file
 -----------------------------------------------------------
 
-You can require plugins in a test module or a conftest file like this:
+You can require plugins in a test module or a conftest file using :globalvar:`pytest_plugins`:
 
 .. code-block:: python
 
@@ -80,6 +80,7 @@ When the test module or conftest plugin is loaded the specified plugins
 will be loaded as well.
 
 .. note::
+
     Requiring plugins using a ``pytest_plugins`` variable in non-root
     ``conftest.py`` files is deprecated. See
     :ref:`full explanation <requiring plugins in non-root conftests>`

doc/en/reference.rst

@@ -900,14 +900,14 @@ Result used within :ref:`hook wrappers <hookwrapper>`.
 .. automethod:: pluggy.callers._Result.get_result
 .. automethod:: pluggy.callers._Result.force_result
 
-Special Variables
------------------
+Global Variables
+----------------
 
-pytest treats some global variables in a special manner when defined in a test module.
+pytest treats some global variables in a special manner when defined in a test module or
+``conftest.py`` files.
 
 
-collect_ignore
-~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
+.. globalvar:: collect_ignore
 
 **Tutorial**: :ref:`customizing-test-collection`
 
@@ -919,8 +919,7 @@ Needs to be ``list[str]``.
   collect_ignore = ["setup.py"]
 
 
-collect_ignore_glob
-~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
+.. globalvar:: collect_ignore_glob
 
 **Tutorial**: :ref:`customizing-test-collection`
 
@@ -933,8 +932,7 @@ contain glob patterns.
   collect_ignore_glob = ["*_ignore.py"]
 
 
-pytest_plugins
-~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
+.. globalvar:: pytest_plugins
 
 **Tutorial**: :ref:`available installable plugins`
 
@@ -950,13 +948,12 @@ Can be either a ``str`` or ``Sequence[str]``.
     pytest_plugins = ("myapp.testsupport.tools", "myapp.testsupport.regression")
 
 
-pytestmark
-~~~~~~~~~~
+.. globalvar:: pytestmark
 
 **Tutorial**: :ref:`scoped-marking`
 
 Can be declared at the **global** level in *test modules* to apply one or more :ref:`marks <marks ref>` to all
-test functions and methods. Can be either a single mark or a list of marks.
+test functions and methods. Can be either a single mark or a list of marks (applied in left-to-right order).
 
 .. code-block:: python
 
@@ -971,12 +968,6 @@ test functions and methods. Can be either a single mark or a list of marks.
 
     pytestmark = [pytest.mark.integration, pytest.mark.slow]
 
-PYTEST_DONT_REWRITE (module docstring)
-~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
-
-The text ``PYTEST_DONT_REWRITE`` can be add to any **module docstring** to disable
-:ref:`assertion rewriting <assert introspection>` for that module.
-
 
 Environment Variables
 ---------------------

doc/en/skipping.rst

@@ -152,8 +152,8 @@ You can use the ``skipif`` marker (as any other marker) on classes:
 If the condition is ``True``, this marker will produce a skip result for
 each of the test methods of that class.
 
-If you want to skip all test functions of a module, you may use
-the ``pytestmark`` name on the global level:
+If you want to skip all test functions of a module, you may use the
+:globalvar:`pytestmark` global:
 
 .. code-block:: python
 

doc/en/warnings.rst

@@ -117,7 +117,7 @@ Filters applied using a mark take precedence over filters passed on the command
 by the ``filterwarnings`` ini option.
 
 You may apply a filter to all tests of a class by using the ``filterwarnings`` mark as a class
-decorator or to all tests in a module by setting the ``pytestmark`` variable:
+decorator or to all tests in a module by setting the :globalvar:`pytestmark` variable:
 
 .. code-block:: python
 

doc/en/writing_plugins.rst

@@ -52,7 +52,7 @@ Plugin discovery order at tool startup
   your ``conftest.py`` file in the top level test or project root directory.
 
 * by recursively loading all plugins specified by the
-  ``pytest_plugins`` variable in ``conftest.py`` files
+  :globalvar:`pytest_plugins` variable in ``conftest.py`` files
 
 
 .. _`pytest/plugin`: http://bitbucket.org/pytest-dev/pytest/src/tip/pytest/plugin/
@@ -227,7 +227,7 @@ import ``helper.py`` normally.  The contents of
 Requiring/Loading plugins in a test module or conftest file
 -----------------------------------------------------------
 
-You can require plugins in a test module or a ``conftest.py`` file like this:
+You can require plugins in a test module or a ``conftest.py`` file using :globalvar:`pytest_plugins`:
 
 .. code-block:: python
 
@@ -241,31 +241,31 @@ application modules:
 
     pytest_plugins = "myapp.testsupport.myplugin"
 
-``pytest_plugins`` variables are processed recursively, so note that in the example above
-if ``myapp.testsupport.myplugin`` also declares ``pytest_plugins``, the contents
+:globalvar:`pytest_plugins` are processed recursively, so note that in the example above
+if ``myapp.testsupport.myplugin`` also declares :globalvar:`pytest_plugins`, the contents
 of the variable will also be loaded as plugins, and so on.
 
 .. _`requiring plugins in non-root conftests`:
 
 .. note::
-    Requiring plugins using a ``pytest_plugins`` variable in non-root
+    Requiring plugins using :globalvar:`pytest_plugins` variable in non-root
     ``conftest.py`` files is deprecated.
 
     This is important because ``conftest.py`` files implement per-directory
     hook implementations, but once a plugin is imported, it will affect the
     entire directory tree. In order to avoid confusion, defining
-    ``pytest_plugins`` in any ``conftest.py`` file which is not located in the
+    :globalvar:`pytest_plugins` in any ``conftest.py`` file which is not located in the
     tests root directory is deprecated, and will raise a warning.
 
 This mechanism makes it easy to share fixtures within applications or even
 external applications without the need to create external plugins using
 the ``setuptools``'s entry point technique.
 
-Plugins imported by ``pytest_plugins`` will also automatically be marked
+Plugins imported by :globalvar:`pytest_plugins` will also automatically be marked
 for assertion rewriting (see :func:`pytest.register_assert_rewrite`).
 However for this to have any effect the module must not be
 imported already; if it was already imported at the time the
-``pytest_plugins`` statement is processed, a warning will result and
+:globalvar:`pytest_plugins` statement is processed, a warning will result and
 assertions inside the plugin will not be rewritten.  To fix this you
 can either call :func:`pytest.register_assert_rewrite` yourself before
 the module is imported, or you can arrange the code to delay the