Configuration ============= Command line options and configuration file settings ----------------------------------------------------------------- You can get help on command line options and values in INI-style configurations files by using the general help option: .. code-block:: bash pytest -h # prints options _and_ config file settings This will display command line and configuration file settings which were registered by installed plugins. .. _`config file formats`: Configuration file formats -------------------------- Many :ref:`pytest settings ` can be set in a *configuration file*, which by convention resides on the root of your repository or in your tests folder. A quick example of the configuration files supported by pytest: pytest.ini ~~~~~~~~~~ ``pytest.ini`` files take precedence over other files, even when empty. .. code-block:: ini # pytest.ini [pytest] minversion = 6.0 addopts = -ra -q testpaths = tests integration pyproject.toml ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ .. versionadded:: 6.0 ``pyproject.toml`` are considered for configuration when they contain a ``tool.pytest.ini_options`` table. .. code-block:: toml # pyproject.toml [tool.pytest.ini_options] minversion = "6.0" addopts = "-ra -q" testpaths = [ "tests", "integration", ] .. note:: One might wonder why ``[tool.pytest.ini_options]`` instead of ``[tool.pytest]`` as is the case with other tools. The reason is that the pytest team intends to fully utilize the rich TOML data format for configuration in the future, reserving the ``[tool.pytest]`` table for that. The ``ini_options`` table is being used, for now, as a bridge between the existing ``.ini`` configuration system and the future configuration format. tox.ini ~~~~~~~ ``tox.ini`` files are the configuration files of the `tox `__ project, and can also be used to hold pytest configuration if they have a ``[pytest]`` section. .. code-block:: ini # tox.ini [pytest] minversion = 6.0 addopts = -ra -q testpaths = tests integration setup.cfg ~~~~~~~~~ ``setup.cfg`` files are general purpose configuration files, used originally by `distutils `__, and can also be used to hold pytest configuration if they have a ``[tool:pytest]`` section. .. code-block:: ini # setup.cfg [tool:pytest] minversion = 6.0 addopts = -ra -q testpaths = tests integration .. warning:: Usage of ``setup.cfg`` is not recommended unless for very simple use cases. ``.cfg`` files use a different parser than ``pytest.ini`` and ``tox.ini`` which might cause hard to track down problems. When possible, it is recommended to use the latter files, or ``pyproject.toml``, to hold your pytest configuration. .. _rootdir: .. _configfiles: Initialization: determining rootdir and configfile -------------------------------------------------- pytest determines a ``rootdir`` for each test run which depends on the command line arguments (specified test files, paths) and on the existence of configuration files. The determined ``rootdir`` and ``configfile`` are printed as part of the pytest header during startup. Here's a summary what ``pytest`` uses ``rootdir`` for: * Construct *nodeids* during collection; each test is assigned a unique *nodeid* which is rooted at the ``rootdir`` and takes into account the full path, class name, function name and parametrization (if any). * Is used by plugins as a stable location to store project/test run specific information; for example, the internal :ref:`cache ` plugin creates a ``.pytest_cache`` subdirectory in ``rootdir`` to store its cross-test run state. ``rootdir`` is **NOT** used to modify ``sys.path``/``PYTHONPATH`` or influence how modules are imported. See :ref:`pythonpath` for more details. The ``--rootdir=path`` command-line option can be used to force a specific directory. Note that contrary to other command-line options, ``--rootdir`` cannot be used with :confval:`addopts` inside ``pytest.ini`` because the ``rootdir`` is used to *find* ``pytest.ini`` already. Finding the ``rootdir`` ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Here is the algorithm which finds the rootdir from ``args``: - Determine the common ancestor directory for the specified ``args`` that are recognised as paths that exist in the file system. If no such paths are found, the common ancestor directory is set to the current working directory. - Look for ``pytest.ini``, ``pyproject.toml``, ``tox.ini``, and ``setup.cfg`` files in the ancestor directory and upwards. If one is matched, it becomes the ``configfile`` and its directory becomes the ``rootdir``. - If no configuration file was found, look for ``setup.py`` upwards from the common ancestor directory to determine the ``rootdir``. - If no ``setup.py`` was found, look for ``pytest.ini``, ``pyproject.toml``, ``tox.ini``, and ``setup.cfg`` in each of the specified ``args`` and upwards. If one is matched, it becomes the ``configfile`` and its directory becomes the ``rootdir``. - If no ``configfile`` was found, use the already determined common ancestor as root directory. This allows the use of pytest in structures that are not part of a package and don't have any particular configuration file. If no ``args`` are given, pytest collects test below the current working directory and also starts determining the ``rootdir`` from there. Files will only be matched for configuration if: * ``pytest.ini``: will always match and take precedence, even if empty. * ``pyproject.toml``: contains a ``[tool.pytest.ini_options]`` table. * ``tox.ini``: contains a ``[pytest]`` section. * ``setup.cfg``: contains a ``[tool:pytest]`` section. The files are considered in the order above. Options from multiple ``configfiles`` candidates are never merged - the first match wins. The internal :class:`Config <_pytest.config.Config>` object (accessible via hooks or through the :fixture:`pytestconfig` fixture) will subsequently carry these attributes: - ``config.rootdir``: the determined root directory, guaranteed to exist. - ``config.inifile``: the determined ``configfile``, may be ``None`` (it is named ``inifile`` for historical reasons). The ``rootdir`` is used as a reference directory for constructing test addresses ("nodeids") and can be used also by plugins for storing per-testrun information. Example: .. code-block:: bash pytest path/to/testdir path/other/ will determine the common ancestor as ``path`` and then check for configuration files as follows: .. code-block:: text # first look for pytest.ini files path/pytest.ini path/pyproject.toml # must contain a [tool.pytest.ini_options] table to match path/tox.ini # must contain [pytest] section to match path/setup.cfg # must contain [tool:pytest] section to match pytest.ini ... # all the way up to the root # now look for setup.py path/setup.py setup.py ... # all the way up to the root .. warning:: Custom pytest plugin commandline arguments may include a path, as in ``pytest --log-output ../../test.log args``. Then ``args`` is mandatory, otherwise pytest uses the folder of test.log for rootdir determination (see also `issue 1435 `_). A dot ``.`` for referencing to the current working directory is also possible. .. _`how to change command line options defaults`: .. _`adding default options`: Builtin configuration file options ---------------------------------------------- For the full list of options consult the :ref:`reference documentation `.