NOSETESTS(1) User Commands NOSETESTS(1)
NAME
nosetests - unit testing for Python software
SYNOPSIS
nosetests [options] [names]
DESCRIPTION
nose provides extended test discovery and running features for
unittest.
nose collects tests automatically from python source files, directories
and packages found in its working directory (which defaults to the cur-
rent working directory). Any python source file, directory or package
that matches the testMatch regular expression (by default:
(?:^|[\b_\.-])[Tt]est) will be collected as a test (or source for col-
lection of tests). In addition, all other packages found in the working
directory will be examined for python source files or directories that
match testMatch. Package discovery descends all the way down the tree,
so package.tests and package.sub.tests and package.sub.sub2.tests will
all be collected.
Within a test directory or package, any python source file matching
testMatch will be examined for test cases. Within a test module, func-
tions and classes whose names match testMatch and TestCase subclasses
with any name will be loaded and executed as tests. Tests may use the
assert keyword or raise AssertionErrors to indicate test failure. Test-
Case subclasses may do the same or use the various TestCase methods
available.
Selecting Tests
To specify which tests to run, pass test names on the command line:
nosetests only_test_this.py
Test names specified may be file or module names, and may optionally
indicate the test case to run by separating the module or file name
from the test case name with a colon. Filenames may be relative or
absolute. Examples:
nosetests test.module
nosetests another.test:TestCase.test_method
nosetests a.test:TestCase
nosetests /path/to/test/file.py:test_function
You may also change the working directory where nose looks for tests,
use the -w switch:
nosetests -w /path/to/tests
Note however that support for multiple -w arguments is deprecated in
this version and will be removed in a future release, since as of nose
0.10 you can get the same behavior by specifying the target directories
*without* the -w switch:
nosetests /path/to/tests /another/path/to/tests
Further customization of test selection and loading is possible through
the use of plugins.
Test result output is identical to that of unittest, except for the
additional features (error classes, and plugin-supplied features such
as output capture and assert introspection) detailed in the options
below.
Configuration
In addition to passing command-line options, you may also put configu-
ration options in a .noserc or nose.cfg file in your home directory.
These are standard .ini-style config files. Put your nosetests configu-
ration in a [nosetests] section, with the -- prefix removed:
[nosetests]
verbosity=3
with-doctest=1
All configuration files that are found will be loaded and their options
combined.
options:
-h, --help
show this help message and exit
-V, --version
Output nose version and exit
-p, --plugins
Output list of available plugins and exit. Combine with higher
verbosity for greater detail
-v, --verbose
Be more verbose. [NOSE_VERBOSE]
--verbosity=VERBOSITY
Set verbosity; --verbosity=2 is the same as -v
-q, --quiet
-c FILES, --config=FILES
Load configuration from config file(s). May be specified multi-
ple times; in that case, all config files will be loaded and
combined
-w WHERE, --where=WHERE
Look for tests in this directory. May be specified multiple
times. The first directory passed will be used as the working
directory, in place of the current working directory, which is
the default. Others will be added to the list of tests to exe-
cute. [NOSE_WHERE]
-m TESTMATCH, --match=TESTMATCH, --testmatch=TESTMATCH
Use this regular expression to find tests [NOSE_TESTMATCH]
--tests=TESTNAMES
Run these tests (comma-separated list). This argument is useful
mainly from configuration files; on the command line, just pass
the tests to run as additional arguments with no switch.
-l DEBUG, --debug=DEBUG
Activate debug logging for one or more systems. Available debug
loggers: nose, nose.importer, nose.inspector, nose.plugins,
nose.result and nose.selector. Separate multiple names with a
comma.
--debug-log=DEBUGLOG
Log debug messages to this file (default: sys.stderr)
--logging-config=LOGGINGCONFIG, --log-config=LOGGINGCONFIG
Load logging config from this file -- bypasses all other logging
config settings.
-e EXCLUDE, --exclude=EXCLUDE
Don’t run tests that match regular expression [NOSE_EXCLUDE]
-i INCLUDE, --include=INCLUDE
Also run tests that match regular expression [NOSE_INCLUDE]
-x, --stop
Stop running tests after the first error or failure
-P, --no-path-adjustment
Don’t make any changes to sys.path when loading tests
[NOSE_NOPATH]
--exe Look for tests in python modules that are executable. Normal
behavior is to exclude executable modules, since they may not be
import-safe [NOSE_INCLUDE_EXE]
--noexe
DO NOT look for tests in python modules that are executable.
(The default on the windows platform is to do so.)
--with-html-output
Enable plugin HtmlOutput: Output test results as ugly, unstyled
html. [NOSE_WITH_HTML-OUTPUT]
--with-watch
Enable plugin NoseWatch: watch failing tests, retesting when
modified [NOSE_WITH_WATCH]
--with-stopwatch
Enable plugin Stopwatch: (no help available) [NOSE_WITH_STOP-
WATCH]
--faster-than=FASTER_THAN
Run only tests that are faster than FASTER_THAN seconds.
--stopwatch-file=STOPWATCH_FILE
Store test timing results in this file.
--with-figleafsections
Enable plugin FigleafSections: (no help available)
[NOSE_WITH_FIGLEAFSECTIONS]
--figleaf-file=FIGLEAF_FILE
Store figleaf section coverage in this file
--decorator-file=DECORATOR_FILE
Apply attributes in this file to matching functions, classes,
and methods
--with-tty
Enable plugin NoseTTY: run nosetests more interactively
[NOSE_WITH_TTY]
--tty Enable plugin NoseTTY: run nosetests more interactively
[NOSE_TTY]
--tty-editor=NOSE_TTY_EDITOR
editor program [NOSE_TTY_EDITOR or EDITOR] (currently: ‘None‘)
--tty-edit-cmd=NOSE_TTY_EDIT_CMD
template to invoke edit command. [NOSE_TTY_EDIT_CMD] (cur-
rently: ‘%(editor)s %(filename)s --line %(lineno)s‘)
-a ATTR, --attr=ATTR
Run only tests that have attributes specified by ATTR
[NOSE_ATTR]
-A EXPR, --eval-attr=EXPR
Run only tests for whose attributes the Python expression EXPR
evaluates to True [NOSE_EVAL_ATTR]
-s, --nocapture
Don’t capture stdout (any stdout output will be printed immedi-
ately) [NOSE_NOCAPTURE]
--with-coverage
Enable plugin Coverage: If you have Ned Batchelder’s coverage
module installed, you may activate a coverage report. The cover-
age report will cover any python source module imported after
the start of the test run, excluding modules that match test-
Match. If you want to include those modules too, use the
--covertests switch, or set the NOSE_COVER_TESTS environment
variable to a true value. To restrict the coverage report to
modules from a particular package or packages, use the
--cover-packages switch or the NOSE_COVER_PACKAGES environment
variable. [NOSE_WITH_COVERAGE]
--cover-package=COVER_PACKAGES
Restrict coverage output to selected packages [NOSE_COVER_PACK-
AGE]
--cover-erase
Erase previously collected coverage statistics before run
--cover-tests
Include test modules in coverage report [NOSE_COVER_TESTS]
--cover-inclusive
Include all python files under working directory in coverage
report. Useful for discovering holes in test coverage if not
all files are imported by the test suite. [NOSE_COVER_INCLUSIVE]
--pdb Drop into debugger on errors
--pdb-failures
Drop into debugger on failures
--no-deprecated
Disable special handling of DeprecatedTest exceptions.
--with-doctest
Enable plugin Doctest: Activate doctest plugin to find and run
doctests in non-test modules. [NOSE_WITH_DOCTEST]
--doctest-tests
Also look for doctests in test modules [NOSE_DOCTEST_TESTS]
--doctest-extension=DOCTESTEXTENSION
Also look for doctests in files with this extension
[NOSE_DOCTEST_EXTENSION]
--with-isolation
Enable plugin IsolationPlugin: Activate the isolation plugin to
isolate changes to external modules to a single test module or
package. The isolation plugin resets the contents of sys.modules
after each test module or package runs to its state before the
test. PLEASE NOTE that this plugin should not be used with the
coverage plugin in any other case where module reloading may
produce undesirable side-effects. [NOSE_WITH_ISOLATION]
-d, --detailed-errors, --failure-detail
Add detail to error output by attempting to evaluate failed
asserts [NOSE_DETAILED_ERRORS]
--with-profile
Enable plugin Profile: Use this plugin to run tests using the
hotshot profiler. [NOSE_WITH_PROFILE]
--profile-sort=PROFILE_SORT
Set sort order for profiler output
--profile-stats-file=PROFILE_STATS_FILE
Profiler stats file; default is a new temp file on each run
--profile-restrict=PROFILE_RESTRICT
Restrict profiler output. See help for pstats.Stats for details
--no-skip
Disable special handling of SkipTest exceptions.
--with-id
Enable plugin TestId: Activate to add a test id (like #1) to
each test name output. After you’ve run once to generate test
ids, you can re-run individual tests by activating the plugin
and passing the ids (with or without the # prefix) instead of
test names. [NOSE_WITH_ID]
--id-file=TESTIDFILE
Store test ids found in test runs in this file.
AUTHOR
nose is written by Jason Pellerin. This manpage was adapted from the
output of the help2man(1) program by Jason Pellerin, following the ver-
sion made by Gustavo Noronha Silva for the Debian GNU/Linux system, but
may be used by others.
COPYRIGHT
Copyright (C) 2005-2007 Jason Pellerin
This is free software. You may redistribute copies of it under the
terms of the GNU Lesser General Public License
<http://www.gnu.org/licenses/lgpl.html>. There is NO WARRANTY, to the
extent permitted by law.
SEE ALSO
The project website is at http://somethingaboutor-
ange.com/mrl/projects/nose/
nosetests version 0.10.0a1 July 2007 NOSETESTS(1)
