As often with Python, there is a complicated way to provide a simple solution.
In that case, we can use metaprogramming, decorators, and various nifty Python tricks to achieve a nice result. Here is what the final test will look like:
import unittest
# Some magic code will be added here later
class DummyTest(unittest.TestCase):
@for_examples(1, 2)
@for_examples(3, 4)
def test_is_smaller_than_four(self, value):
self.assertTrue(value < 4)
@for_examples((1,2),(2,4),(3,7))
def test_double_of_X_is_Y(self, x, y):
self.assertEqual(2 * x, y)
if __name__ == "__main__":
unittest.main()
When executing this script, the result is:
..F...F
======================================================================
FAIL: test_double_of_X_is_Y(3,7)
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Traceback (most recent call last):
File "/Users/xdecoret/Documents/foo.py", line 22, in method_for_example
method(self, *example)
File "/Users/xdecoret/Documents/foo.py", line 41, in test_double_of_X_is_Y
self.assertEqual(2 * x, y)
AssertionError: 6 != 7
======================================================================
FAIL: test_is_smaller_than_four(4)
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Traceback (most recent call last):
File "/Users/xdecoret/Documents/foo.py", line 22, in method_for_example
method(self, *example)
File "/Users/xdecoret/Documents/foo.py", line 37, in test_is_smaller_than_four
self.assertTrue(value < 4)
AssertionError
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Ran 7 tests in 0.001s
FAILED (failures=2)
which achieves our goal:
- it is unobtrusive: we derive from TestCase as usual
- we write parametrized tests only once
- each example value is considered an individual test
- the decorator can be stacked, so it is easy to use sets of examples (e.g., using a function to build the list of values from example files or directories)
- The icing on the cake is it works for arbitrary arity of the signature
So how does it work? Basically, the decorator stores the examples in an attribute of the function. We use a metaclass to replace every decorated function with a list of functions. And we replace the unittest.TestCase with our new magic code (to be pasted in the "magic" comment above) is:
__examples__ = "__examples__"
def for_examples(*examples):
def decorator(f, examples=examples):
setattr(f, __examples__, getattr(f, __examples__,()) + examples)
return f
return decorator
class TestCaseWithExamplesMetaclass(type):
def __new__(meta, name, bases, dict):
def tuplify(x):
if not isinstance(x, tuple):
return (x,)
return x
for methodname, method in dict.items():
if hasattr(method, __examples__):
dict.pop(methodname)
examples = getattr(method, __examples__)
delattr(method, __examples__)
for example in (tuplify(x) for x in examples):
def method_for_example(self, method = method, example = example):
method(self, *example)
methodname_for_example = methodname + "(" + ", ".join(str(v) for v in example) + ")"
dict[methodname_for_example] = method_for_example
return type.__new__(meta, name, bases, dict)
class TestCaseWithExamples(unittest.TestCase):
__metaclass__ = TestCaseWithExamplesMetaclass
pass
unittest.TestCase = TestCaseWithExamples
If someone wants to package this nicely, or propose a patch for unittest, feel free! A quote of my name will be appreciated.
The code can be made much simpler and fully encapsulated in the decorator if you are ready to use frame introspection (import the sys module)
def for_examples(*parameters):
def tuplify(x):
if not isinstance(x, tuple):
return (x,)
return x
def decorator(method, parameters=parameters):
for parameter in (tuplify(x) for x in parameters):
def method_for_parameter(self, method=method, parameter=parameter):
method(self, *parameter)
args_for_parameter = ",".join(repr(v) for v in parameter)
name_for_parameter = method.__name__ + "(" + args_for_parameter + ")"
frame = sys._getframe(1) # pylint: disable-msg=W0212
frame.f_locals[name_for_parameter] = method_for_parameter
return None
return decorator
