[Python-ideas] Builtin test function

[Guido van Rossum]

I think what you are really looking for is a standard API for finding
the tests associated with a module, given the module object (or
perhaps its full name), perhaps combined with a standard API for
running the tests found.

I don't think running tests is of such all-importance to warrant
adding a built-in function that wraps both the test finding and test
running APIs.

But whatever you do, don't call it 'test' -- that name is overloaded
too much as it is.

--Guido

On Fri, Mar 20, 2009 at 1:03 PM, Fredrik Johansson
<fredrik.johansson at gmail.com> wrote:
> On Thu, Mar 19, 2009 at 11:48 AM, Steven D'Aprano <steve at pearwood.info> wrote:
>> On Thu, 19 Mar 2009 08:59:08 pm Fredrik Johansson wrote:
>>> There's been some discussion about automatic test discovery lately.
>>> Here's a random (not in any way thought through) idea: add a builtin
>>> function test() that runs tests associated with a given function,
>>> class, module, or object.
>>
>> Improved testing is always welcome, but why a built-in?
>>
>> I know testing is important, but is it so common and important that we
>> need it at our fingertips, so to speak, and can't even import a module
>> first before running tests? What's the benefit to making it a built-in
>> instead of part of a test module?
>
> It would just be a convenience, and I'm just throwing the idea out.
>
> The advantage would be a uniform and very simple interface for testing any
> module, without having to know whether I should import doctest,
> unittest or something else (and having to remember the commands
> used by each framework). It would certainly not be a replacement for more
> advanced test frameworks.
>
> Fredrik
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-- 
--Guido van Rossum (home page: http://www.python.org/~guido/)