Using Pytest

So, you already have testcord installed, and can import it. However, setting up a client for every test is a pain. The library is designed to work well with pytest (Thus the name), and it can make writing tests much easier. In the following tutorial we’ll show how to set it up.

Starting with Pytest

pytest can be installed through pip the same way testcord is. Once that’s done, using it is as easy as:

• Windows: py -m pytest

• Linux: python3 -m pytest

pytest will detect any functions starting with ‘test’ in directories it searches, and run them. It also supports a feature we will use heavily, called ‘fixtures’. Fixtures are functions that do some common test setup, and then can be used in tests to always perform that setup. They can also return an object that will be passed to the test.

The final piece of this is pytest-asyncio, a library for allowing pytest to run async tests. It is automatically installed when you get testcord from pip, so you don’t need to worry about installing it.

Putting all this together, we can rewrite our previous tests to look like this:

import pytest
import discord.ext.test as testcord


@pytest.fixture
def bot(event_loop):
    bot = ... # However you create your bot, make sure to use loop=event_loop
    testcord.configure(bot)
    return bot


@pytest.mark.asyncio
async def test_ping(bot):
    await testcord.message("!ping")
    assert testcord.verify().message().contains().content("Ping:")


@pytest.mark.asyncio
async def test_foo(bot):
    await testcord.message("!hello")
    assert testcord.verify().message().content("Hello World!")

Much less writing the same code over and over again, and tests will be automatically run by pytest, then the results output in a nice pretty format once it’s done.

What is conftest.py?

As you write tests, you may want to split them into multiple files. One file for testing this cog, another for ensuring reactions work right. As it stands, you’ll still need to copy your bot fixture into every file. To fix this, you need to create a file named conftest.py at the root of where you’re putting your tests. If you haven’t already, you should probably put them all in their own directory. Then you can put any fixtures you want in conftest.py, and pytest will let you use them in any other test file. pytest also recognizes certain function names with special meanings, for example pytest_sessionfinish will be run after all tests are done if defined in your conftest.

An example conftest.py might look like this:

import pytest
import discord.ext.test as testcord


@pytest.fixture
def bot(event_loop):
    bot = ... # However you create your bot, make sure to use loop=event_loop
    testcord.configure(bot)
    return bot


def pytest_sessionfinish():
    # Clean up attachment files
    files = glob.glob('./testcord_*.dat')
    for path in files:
        try:
            os.remove(path)
        except Exception as e:
            print(f"Error while deleting file {path}: {e}")

With that, you should be ready to use testcord with your bot.

Troubleshooting

• I wrote a fixture, but I can’t use the bot

Make sure your tests take a parameter with the exact same name as the fixture, pytest runs them based on name, including capitalization.

• I get an instance of my bot, but it just gets stuck / doesn’t do anything when I await

Make sure you passed event_loop to your bot when creating it. Pytest-asyncio does not necessarily use the default event loop, so your bot may not actually be running.

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This is currently the end of the tutorials. Take a look at the Runner Documentation to see all the things you can do with testcord.