173 lines
6.3 KiB
Plaintext
173 lines
6.3 KiB
Plaintext
==================================
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Frequently Asked Questions
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==================================
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.. contents::
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:local:
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:depth: 2
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On naming, nosetests, licensing and magic
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===========================================
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Why the ``py`` naming? Why not ``pytest``?
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----------------------------------------------------
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This mostly has historic reasons - the aim is
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to get away from the somewhat questionable 'py' name
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at some point. These days (2010) the 'py' library
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almost completely comprises APIs that are used
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by the ``py.test`` tool. There also are some
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other uses, e.g. of the ``py.path.local()`` and
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other path implementations. So it requires some
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work to factor them out and do the shift.
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Why the ``py.test`` naming?
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------------------------------------
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because of TAB-completion under Bash/Shells. If you hit
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``py.<TAB>`` you'll get a list of available development
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tools that all share the ``py.`` prefix. Another motivation
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was to unify the package ("py.test") and tool filename.
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What's py.test's relation to ``nosetests``?
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---------------------------------------------
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py.test and nose_ share basic philosophy when it comes
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to running Python tests. In fact,
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with py.test-1.1.0 it is ever easier to run many test suites
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that currently work with ``nosetests``. nose_ was created
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as a clone of ``py.test`` when py.test was in the ``0.8`` release
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cycle so some of the newer features_ introduced with py.test-1.0
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and py.test-1.1 have no counterpart in nose_.
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.. _nose: http://somethingaboutorange.com/mrl/projects/nose/0.11.1/
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.. _features: test/features.html
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.. _apipkg: http://pypi.python.org/pypi/apipkg
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What's this "magic" with py.test?
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----------------------------------------
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issues where people have used the term "magic" in the past:
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* `py/__init__.py`_ uses the apipkg_ mechanism for lazy-importing
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and full control on what API you get when importing "import py".
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* when an ``assert`` statement fails, py.test re-interprets the expression
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to show intermediate values if a test fails. If your expression
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has side effects the intermediate values may not be the same, obfuscating
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the initial error (this is also explained at the command line if it happens).
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``py.test --no-assert`` turns off assert re-intepretation.
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Sidenote: it is good practise to avoid asserts with side effects.
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.. _`py namespaces`: index.html
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.. _`py/__init__.py`: http://bitbucket.org/hpk42/py-trunk/src/trunk/py/__init__.py
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Where does my ``py.test`` come/import from?
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----------------------------------------------
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You can issue::
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py.test --version
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which tells you both version and import location of the tool.
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function arguments, parametrized tests and setup
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====================================================
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.. _funcargs: test/funcargs.html
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Is using funcarg- versus xUnit-based setup a style question?
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---------------------------------------------------------------
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It depends. For simple applications or for people experienced
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with nose_ or unittest-style test setup using `xUnit style setup`_
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make some sense. For larger test suites, parametrized testing
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or setup of complex test resources using funcargs_ is recommended.
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Moreover, funcargs are ideal for writing advanced test support
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code (like e.g. the monkeypatch_, the tmpdir_ or capture_ funcargs)
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because the support code can register setup/teardown functions
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in a managed class/module/function scope.
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.. _monkeypatch: test/plugin/monkeypatch.html
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.. _tmpdir: test/plugin/tmpdir.html
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.. _capture: test/plugin/capture.html
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.. _`xUnit style setup`: test/xunit_setup.html
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.. _`pytest_nose`: test/plugin/nose.html
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.. _`why pytest_pyfuncarg__ methods?`:
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Why the ``pytest_funcarg__*`` name for funcarg factories?
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---------------------------------------------------------------
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When experimenting with funcargs an explicit registration mechanism
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was considered. But lacking a good use case for this indirection and
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flexibility we decided to go for `Convention over Configuration`_ and
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allow to directly specify the factory. Besides removing the need
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for an indirection it allows to "grep" for ``pytest_funcarg__MYARG``
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and will safely find all factory functions for the ``MYARG`` function
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argument. It helps to alleviate the de-coupling of function
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argument usage and creation.
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.. _`Convention over Configuration`: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Convention_over_Configuration
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Can I yield multiple values from a factory function?
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-----------------------------------------------------
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There are two conceptual reasons why yielding from a factory function
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is not possible:
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* Calling factories for obtaining test function arguments
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is part of setting up and running a test. At that
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point it is not possible to add new test calls to
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the test collection anymore.
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* If multiple factories yielded values there would
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be no natural place to determine the combination
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policy - in real-world examples some combinations
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often should not run.
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Use the `pytest_generate_tests`_ hook to solve both issues
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and implement the `parametrization scheme of your choice`_.
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.. _`pytest_generate_tests`: test/funcargs.html#parametrizing-tests
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.. _`parametrization scheme of your choice`: http://tetamap.wordpress.com/2009/05/13/parametrizing-python-tests-generalized/
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py.test interaction with other packages
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===============================================
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Issues with py.test, multiprocess and setuptools?
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------------------------------------------------------------
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On windows the multiprocess package will instantiate sub processes
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by pickling and thus implicitely re-import a lot of local modules.
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Unfortuantely, setuptools-0.6.11 does not ``if __name__=='__main__'``
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protect its generated command line script. This leads to infinite
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recursion when running a test that instantiates Processes.
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There are these workarounds:
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* `install Distribute`_ as a drop-in replacement for setuptools
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and install py.test
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* `directly use a checkout`_ which avoids all setuptools/Distribute
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installation
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If those options are not available to you, you may also manually
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fix the script that is created by setuptools by inserting an
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``if __name__ == '__main__'``. Or you can create a "pytest.py"
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script with this content and invoke that with the python version::
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import py
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if __name__ == '__main__':
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py.cmdline.pytest()
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.. _`directly use a checkout`: install.html#directly-use-a-checkout
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.. _`install distribute`: http://pypi.python.org/pypi/distribute#installation-instructions
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