Testing & modern typing
pytest basics, mocks, type hints, TypedDict, Protocol, and static-checking patterns.
Fix and Test a Regression Bug in Python with Unit Tests
This code implements a circle area function that raises ValueError for negative radii, then runs basic tests and a regression check for that edge case.
import math
def calculate_area(radius):
"""Calculate the area of a circle given its radius."""
if radius < 0:
raise ValueError("Radius cannot be negative")
return math.pi * radius ** 2
def main():
test_cases = [0, 1, 2.5, 5, 10]
print("Circle Area Calculator")
print("-" * 30)
…
Generate Fake User Data with Faker in Python
Use the Faker library to generate realistic fake user profiles with names, emails, phone numbers, and addresses for tests or demos.
from faker import Faker
fake = Faker()
def generate_user():
return {
"name": fake.name(),
"email": fake.email(),
"phone": fake.phone_number(),
"address": fake.address().replace("\n", ", "),
}
if __name__ == "__main__":
user = generate_user()
for key, value in user.ite…
How to Assert Exceptions in Python with pytest.raises
Use pytest.raises as a context manager to assert that a function raises an expected exception and inspect its message in pytest tests.
import pytest
def divide(a, b):
if b == 0:
raise ValueError("Cannot divide by zero")
return a / b
def test_divide_by_zero():
with pytest.raises(ValueError) as exc_info:
divide(10, 0)
assert str(exc_info.value) == "Cannot divide by zero"
assert "zero" in str(exc_info.value)
def te…
How to Convert Strings to Types in Python Using TypeVar
A beginner-friendly helper that converts a string to int, float, bool, or str with type hints and graceful failure handling.
from typing import TypeVar, Optional
T = TypeVar("T")
def convert_data(value: str, target_type: type[T]) -> Optional[T]:
"""Convert string value to target type; return None on failure."""
try:
if target_type is int:
return int(value)
elif target_type is float:
return f…
How to Write a Fast Smoke Test for a Critical Path in Python
A quick smoke test that validates the /health critical path executes fast enough, raising errors on wrong paths or slow responses.
import time
def smoke_test(path):
if path != "/health":
raise ValueError("Critical path expected /health")
start = time.perf_counter()
# Simulate the critical health check work
time.sleep(0.01)
elapsed = time.perf_counter() - start
if elapsed > 0.05:
raise RuntimeError("Health …
How to Write a pytest Test Function with assert Equal in Python
Define simple pytest test functions that use assert to verify result equality and run them with pytest.main.
import pytest
def add(a, b):
return a + b
def test_add_positive_numbers():
result = add(2, 3)
assert result == 5
def test_add_negative_numbers():
result = add(-2, -3)
assert result == -5
def test_add_mixed_numbers():
result = add(2, -3)
assert result == -1
if __name__ == "__main__":
…
How to mark known bugs with pytest xfail in Python
Use @pytest.mark.xfail to mark tests that are expected to fail due to known bugs, with optional strict mode to control pass/fail behavior.
import pytest
def divide(a: int, b: int) -> float:
if b == 0:
raise ZeroDivisionError("Cannot divide by zero")
return a / b
@pytest.mark.xfail(reason="Known bug: division returns int instead of float", strict=False)
def test_divide_integer_division():
result = divide(10, 4)
assert isinstanc…
How to use unittest mock side_effect with a sequence in Python
Demonstrates using Mock.side_effect with a list to return different values per call and raise an exception at a specific call in unittest.
import unittest
from unittest.mock import Mock
class TestMockSideEffectSequence(unittest.TestCase):
def test_side_effect_sequence(self):
mock = Mock()
mock.side_effect = [1, 2, 3, Exception("boom")]
self.assertEqual(mock(), 1)
self.assertEqual(mock(), 2)
self.asser…
Table-Driven Tests in Python (unittest)
Run a single unittest test against many input cases using a list of tuples and subTest.
import unittest
def add(a, b):
return a + b
class TestAddFunction(unittest.TestCase):
def test_add_with_table(self):
cases = [
(1, 2, 3),
(-1, 1, 0),
(0, 0, 0),
(2, -3, -1),
]
for x, y, expected in cases:
with self.subTest(x…
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