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Software How-To
**Test & Code**

The Python Test Podcast hosted by Brian Okken

Latest Episodes:

166: unittest expectedFailure and xfail Oct 14, 2021

Show notes

xfail isn't just for pytest tests. Python's unittest has @unittest.expectedFailure.

In this episode, we cover:

using @unittest.expectedFailure
the results of passing and failing tests with expectedFailure
using pytest as a test runner for unittest
using pytest markers on unittest tests

Docs for expectedFailure:
https://docs.python.org/3/library/unittest.html#skipping-tests-and-expected-failures

Some sample code.
unittest only:

import unittest class ExpectedFailureTestCase(unittest.TestCase): @unittest.expectedFailure def test_fail(self): self.assertEqual(1, 0, "broken") @unittest.expectedFailure def test_pass(self): self.assertEqual(1, 1, "not broken")

unittest with pytest markers:

import unittest import pytest class ExpectedFailureTestCase(unittest.TestCase): @pytest.mark.xfail def test_fail(self): self.assertEqual(1, 0, "broken") @pytest.mark.xfail def test_pass(self): self.assertEqual(1, 1, "not broken")

pytest xfail policy and workflow Oct 07, 2021

Show notes

A discussion of how to use the xfail feature of pytest to help with communication on software projects.

The episode covers:

What is xfail
Why I use it
Using reason effectively by including issue tracking numbers
Using xfail_strict
Adding --runxfail when transitioning from development to feature freeze
What to do about test failures
How all of this might help with team communication

Full Transcript

If you like Test & Code, I think you'll also like Python People

Python People is a new podcast about getting to know the people who make Python and our community awesome.
Be sure to check out pythonpeople.fm.

165: pytest xfail policy and workflow Oct 07, 2021

Show notes

A discussion of how to use the xfail feature of pytest to help with communication on software projects.

The episode covers:

What is xfail
Why I use it
Using reason effectively by including issue tracking numbers
Using xfail_strict
Adding --runxfail when transitioning from development to feature freeze
What to do about test failures
How all of this might help with team communication

Debugging Python Test Failures with pytest Sep 14, 2021

Show notes

An overview of the pytest flags that help with debugging.
From Chapter 13, Debugging Test Failures, of Python Testing with pytest, 2nd edition.

pytest includes quite a few command-line flags that are useful for debugging.

We talk about thes flags in this episode.

Flags for selecting which tests to run, in which order, and when to stop:

-lf / --last-failed: Runs just the tests that failed last.
-ff / --failed-failed: Runs all the tests, starting with the last failed.
-x / --exitfirst: Stops the tests session afterEd: after?Author: yep the first failure.
--maxfail=num: Stops the tests after num failures.
-nf / --new-first: Runs all the tests, ordered by file modification time.
--sw / --stepwise: Stops the tests at the first failure. Starts the tests at the last failure next time.
--sw-skip / --stepwise-skip: Same as --sw, but skips the first failure.

Flags to control pytest output:

-v / --verbose Displays all the test names, passing or failing.
--tb=[auto/long/short/line/native/no] Controls the traceback style.
-l / --showlocals Displays local variables alongside the stacktrace.

Flags to start a command-line debugger:

--pdb Starts an interactive debugging session at the point of failure.
--trace Starts the pdb source-code debugger immediately when running each test.
--pdbcls Uses alternatives to pdb, such as IPython’s debugger with –-pdbcls=IPython.terminal.debugger:TerminalPdb.

This list is also found in Chapter 13 of Python Testing with pytest, 2nd edition.
The chapter is "Debugging Test Failures" and covers way more than just debug flags, while walking through debugging 2 test failures.

Full Transcript

Links:

Python Testing with pytest — The fastest way to get up to speed on pytest.
all pytest flags in pytest 6.2.x

If you like Test & Code, I think you'll also like Python People

Python People is a new podcast about getting to know the people who make Python and our community awesome.
Be sure to check out pythonpeople.fm.

164: Debugging Python Test Failures with pytest Sep 14, 2021

Show notes

An overview of the pytest flags that help with debugging.
From Chapter 13, Debugging Test Failures, of Python Testing with pytest, 2nd edition.

pytest includes quite a few command-line flags that are useful for debugging.

We talk about thes flags in this episode.

Flags for selecting which tests to run, in which order, and when to stop:

-lf / --last-failed: Runs just the tests that failed last.
-ff / --failed-failed: Runs all the tests, starting with the last failed.
-x / --exitfirst: Stops the tests session afterEd: after?Author: yep the first failure.
--maxfail=num: Stops the tests after num failures.
-nf / --new-first: Runs all the tests, ordered by file modification time.
--sw / --stepwise: Stops the tests at the first failure. Starts the tests at the last failure next time.
--sw-skip / --stepwise-skip: Same as --sw, but skips the first failure.

Flags to control pytest output:

-v / --verbose Displays all the test names, passing or failing.
--tb=[auto/long/short/line/native/no] Controls the traceback style.
-l / --showlocals Displays local variables alongside the stacktrace.

Flags to start a command-line debugger:

--pdb Starts an interactive debugging session at the point of failure.
--trace Starts the pdb source-code debugger immediately when running each test.
--pdbcls Uses alternatives to pdb, such as IPython’s debugger with –-pdbcls=IPython.terminal.debugger:TerminalPdb.

Links:

Python Testing with pytest — The fastest way to get up to speed on pytest.
all pytest flags in pytest 6.2.x

pip install ./local_directory - Stéphane Bidoul Aug 20, 2021

Show notes

pip : "pip installs packages" or maybe "Package Installer for Python"
pip is an invaluable tool when developing with Python.
A lot of people know pip as a way to install third party packages from pypi.org
You can also use pip to install from other indexes (or is it indices?)

You can also use pip to install a package in a local directory.
That's the part I want to jump in and explore with Stéphane Bidoul.
The way pip installs from a local directory is about to change, and the story is fascinating.

Full Transcript

Special Guest: Stéphane Bidoul.

Links:

If you like Test & Code, I think you'll also like Python People

Python People is a new podcast about getting to know the people who make Python and our community awesome.
Be sure to check out pythonpeople.fm.

163: pip install ./local_directory - Stéphane Bidoul Aug 20, 2021

Show notes

Special Guest: Stéphane Bidoul.

Links:

162: Flavors of TDD Aug 03, 2021

Show notes

What flavor of TDD do you practice?

In this episode we talk about:

Classical vs Mockist TDD
Detroit vs London (I actually refer to it in the episode as Chicago instead of Detroit. Oh well.)
Static vs Behavior
Inside Out vs Outside In
Double Loop TDD
BDD
FDD
Tracer Bullets
Rules of TDD
Team Structure
Lean TDD

This is definitely an episode I'd like feedback on. Reach out to me for further questions or if I missed some crucial variant of TDD that you know and love.

Links:

Mocks Aren't Stubs - Martin Fowler
Mockists Are Dead. Long Live Classicists.
Double Loop TDD
BDD: Behavior-driven development
FDD: Feature-driven development
My reaction to “Is TDD Dead?” - pythontest.com
Test First Programming / Test First Development
Humorous list of TDD variants — BDD = Buzzword Driven Development, CDD = Calendar Driven Development, etc

161: Waste in Software Development Jul 20, 2021

Show notes

Software development processes create value, and have waste, in the Lean sense of the word waste.
Lean manufacturing and lean software development changed the way we look at value and waste.
This episode looks at lean definitions of waste, so we can see it clearly when we encounter it.

I'm going to use the term waste and value in future episodes. I'm using waste in a Lean sense, so we can look at software processes critically, see the value chain, and try to reduce waste.

Lean manufacturing and lean software development caused people to talk about and examine waste and value, even in fields where we didn't really think about waste that much to begin with.

Software is just ones and zeros. Is there waste?
When I delete a file, nothing goes into the landfill.

The mistake I'm making here is confusing the common English definition of waste when what we're talking about is the Lean definition of waste.

This episode tries to clear up the confusion.

Links:

160: DRY, WET, DAMP, AHA, and removing duplication from production code and test code Jul 08, 2021

Show notes

Should your code be DRY or DAMP or something completely different?
How about your test code? Do different rules apply?
Wait, what do all of these acronyms mean?

We'll get to all of these definitions, and then talk about how it applies to both production code and test code in this episode.

Links:

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