unittest: how to specify which suites to run with unittest.main()?

[Fernando Perez]

Hi all,

I have a unittest question for which my current solution looks very ugly.  I 
need to build some test classes based on a subclass of TestCase:

# pseudo-code follows:

class testBase(TestCase): pass

class test1(testBase): pass

class test2(testBase): pass


Now I want to build a test suite which uses all the test* methdods in test1 
and test2, but NOT in testBase. testBase is meant to be used only to 
provide common functionality to other test classes, not to be used by 
itself.

Further, I want to have a way of using unittest.main() to call this test 
suite.

I tried

mysuite = makeSuite(test1)
mysuite.addTests(makeSuite(test2))

but that doesn't work. Furthermore, main() seems to want to run _all_ 
subclasses of TestCase.

My solution was to make testBase a mix-in which doesn't inherit from 
TestCase so that it 'flies under the radar' of main(), but I find that 
rather kludgy:

class testBase(): pass

class test1(testBase,TestCase): pass

class test2(testBase,TestCase): pass


Are there any better solutions?  I read the code for unittest.main() and I 
guess I can just re-implement it myself by putting just what I want in, but 
I'm sure what I'm trying to accomplish is routine enough that a standard 
solution must exist.

Thanks in advance for any input.

Cheers,

f.