epyunit 0.2.6

The 'epyunit' package provides a wrapper for unit tests of commandline interfaces, and the automation of debugging with PyDev for external processes. The package could be used either from the comandline, or integrated into Eclipse with PyDev.

Abstract

The ePyUnit package provides extensions for the integrated Testautomation and Debugging of executables and scipts as subprocesses.

Technically ePyUnit provides extensions for the PyUnit and PyDev/Eclipse frameworks for blackbox tests and seamless integrated debugging of executables and scripts including nested calls of subprocesses. The standard frameworks, libraries and IDEs provide components as presented by the following figure.:

.                                 :
   +----------------+             :       +---------------------------+
   |    unittest    |             :       |  scripts and executables  |
   +---+------------+---+         :       +---+-----------------------+---+
       |   automation   |         :           |       debugging           |
       +----------------+         :           +---------------------------+
.                                 :

These are extended by framework features for the seamless cross-process integration of scripts and programs.:

.
+------------------------------+       +-----------------------------+
|   automation and unittest    |       |   seamless cross-process    |
|        for arbitrary         | <---> |          debugging          |
|   scripts and executables    |       |                             |
+------------------------------+       +-----------------------------+

|<---                     seamless integration                   --->|
.

The included automation extension for the PyDev/Eclipse based debugging of – local and remote – Python subprocesses provides simplified support of detailed error analysis in case of test failures.

Blueprint

The ‘ePyUnit’ package provides a minimal but sufficient approach in particular for the low-effort test automation of scripts and tools suitable for operations of large scale application tests as well as for daily and advanced DevOps tasks.

• ePyUnit encapsulates processes and relies on PyUnit for commandline based unit and regression tests. The main focus is general blackbox testing of executables, for Python in addition the automation of PyDev debugging is included , see ‘https://pythonhosted.org/epyunit/call_integration.html’.

• ePyUnit integrates into PyDev for the support of the graphical Eclipse IDE of unit testing and integrated graphical debugging, this is also supported for external processes started independently from the commandline, see ‘https://pythonhosted.org/epyunit/pydevd_integration.html’.

The ePyUnit components call the wrapped process and read the execution results from STDOUT, STDERR, and the exit value. The values are cached by Python variables either for further processing, or optional pass-through to the caller.

The architecture is based on the packages ‘PyUnit’ and ‘PyDev’:

                   +-----------------------+     call      +-----------------------+
                   |                       |    ------>    |                       |
Subprocess         |        ePyUnit        |               |  Wrapped-Executable   |
                   |                       |    <-----     |                       |
                   +-----------------------+     stdin     +-----------------------+
                               |                 stderr                |
                               |                 exit                  V
                               |                           +-----------------------+
PyDev Remote                   |                           |        PyDevRDC       |   Debug into
Debug Server                   |                           +-----------------------+   subprocess
                               |                                       |
               . . . . . . . . | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | . . . . . . . .
                               |                                       |
                               V                                       V
                   +-----------------------+               +-----------------------+
Python Units       |         PyUnit        |     <--->     |         PyDev         |
                   +-----------------------+               +-----------------------+
                       |               |                              |
                       V               V                             /
                 +-----------+   +-----------+                      /
IDE              |    CLI    |   |  Eclipse  |<--------------------/
                 +-----------+   +-----------+

The test components collect internally the data of multiple output sources and decide based on the selection of the user parameters whether the test was successful or has failed. Therefore a similar approach to Fuzzy-Logic is applied on mixed results consisting of partial failures and success. The provided scenarios are single level subprocesses:

+----------------+      +------------+
| Python-Process | <--> | Subprocess |
+----------------+      +------------+

and nested multilevel scripts and executables as subprocesses:

+----------------+      +------------+            +------------+
| Python-Process | <--> | Subprocess | <- ... --> | Subprocess |
+----------------+      +------------+            +------------+

Where each level of subprocesses could start an arbitrary number of local and remote subprocesses itself, and either correlate or pass-through the results. Due to some bugfixes the backport from Python3.x subprocess32 is optionally supported when present.

The provided package comprises functional atoms for various UseCases, as well as extension classes for the ‘unittest’ package to be used in combination with PyUnit and PyDev..

The ‘epyunit’ package provides in particular:

• Support for unit tests of shell scripts - bash - from command line and Eclipse/PyDev

• The simplified reuse of executables as test-dummies within multiple test cases.

• The categorization of structures defined by the directory tree.

• The support of arbitrary intermixed implementation languages for executables.

The implementation supports Python(>=2.7) and integrates into the Eclipse IDE with PyDev, and PyUnit.

The package ‘epyunit’ is a spin off from the project ‘UnifiedSessionsManager-2.0’.

For examples and patterns see subdirectories:

• UseCases

• tests

Downloads:

• Sourceforge.net: https://sourceforge.net/projects/epyunit/files/

• Github: https://github.com/ArnoCan/epyunit/

Online documentation:

• Documentation: https://pythonhosted.org/epyunit/

• API: https://pythonhosted.org/epyunit/epydoc/

• PyPi: https://pypi.python.org/pypi/epyunit/

setup.py

The installer adds a few options to the standard setuptools options.

• build_doc: Creates the integrated documentation for runtime systems including API in ‘epyunit/build/apidoc/epyunit’.

• install_doc: Installs documents into source project ‘epyunit/doc’, and the ‘HOME’ or ‘AppData’.

• build_sphinx: Creates documentation for runtime system by Sphinx, html only. Calls ‘callDocSphinx.sh’.

• build_epydoc: Creates documentation for runtime system by Epydoc, html only. Calls ‘callDocEpydoc.sh’.

• test: Runs PyUnit tests by discovery.

• –help-epyunit: Displays this help.

• –no-install-required: Suppresses installation dependency checks, requires appropriate PYTHONPATH.

• –offline: Sets online dependencies to offline, or ignores online dependencies.

• –exit: Exit ‘setup.py’.

After successful installation the ‘selftest’ verifies basic checks by:

epyunit –selftest

with the exit value ‘0’ when OK.

The option ‘-v’ raises the degree of verbosity for inspection

epyunit –selftest -v -v -v -v

Project Data

• PROJECT: ‘epyunit’

• MISSION: Extend the standard PyUnit package for arbitrary ExecUnits.

• VERSION: 00.02

• RELEASE: 00.02

• NICKNAME: ‘Dromi’

• STATUS: alpha

• AUTHOR: Arno-Can Uestuensoez

• COPYRIGHT: Copyright (C) 2010,2011,2015-2016 Arno-Can Uestuensoez @Ingenieurbuero Arno-Can Uestuensoez

• LICENSE: Artistic-License-2.0 + Forced-Fairplay-Constraints Refer to enclose documents:

  • ArtisticLicense20.html - for base license: Artistic-License-2.0

  • licenses-amendments.txt - for amendments: Forced-Fairplay-Constraints

Versions and Releases

Planned Releases:

• RELEASE: 00.00.00x - Pre-Alpha: Extraction of the features from hard-coded application into a reusable package.

• RELEASE: 00.01.00x - Alpha: Completion of basic features.

• RELEASE: 00.02.00x - Alpha: Completion of features, stable interface.

• RELEASE: 00.03.00x - Beta: Accomplish test cases for medium to high complexity.

• RELEASE: 00.04.00x - Production: First production release. Estimated number of UnitTests := 1000.

• RELEASE: 00.05.00x - Production: Various performance enhancements.

• RELEASE: 00.06.00x - Production: Security review.

• RELEASE: > - Production: Stable and compatible continued development.

Current Release: 00.02.006 - Alpha:

This is a nightly-build, next following soon. Major Changes:

• minor fixes

Current test status:

ATTENTION: Some of the tests involve the remote debug feature of PyDev/Eclipse,

thus require a running local RemoteDebugServer, see manuals.

• UnitTests: >600(CLI)/700(Eclipse)

• Use-Cases as UnitTests: >140

Total: >800

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