Testing & modern typing
pytest basics, mocks, type hints, TypedDict, Protocol, and static-checking patterns.
How to Mock open() in Python for Reading File Data
This example shows how to mock Python's built-in open() function using unittest.mock to simulate file reading without touching the disk.
import builtins
from unittest.mock import patch
def read_file_data(filename):
with open(filename, 'r') as f:
return f.read()
def mock_read_data():
fake_data = "This is mocked file content"
class FakeFile:
def __enter__(self):
return self
def __exit__(self, *args):…How to Mock requests.get in Python
Mock requests.get with unittest.mock to test code that makes HTTP calls without hitting the network.
import requests
from unittest.mock import Mock, patch
def fetch_user_data(user_id):
response = requests.get(f"https://api.example.com/users/{user_id}")
return response.json()
def process_user(user_id):
mock_response = Mock()
mock_response.json.return_value = {"id": user_id, "name": "Alice", "age": 30…How to Mock return_value with MagicMock in Python unittest
Use unittest.mock.MagicMock to replace a dependency and set return_value to control what a mocked method returns during unit tests.
import unittest
from unittest.mock import MagicMock
class PaymentGateway:
def charge(self, amount):
raise NotImplementedError
class OrderService:
def __init__(self, gateway):
self.gateway = gateway
def process_order(self, amount):
return self.gateway.charge(amount)
class Test…How to Mock subprocess.run returncode in Python
Simulate subprocess.run return codes in tests with unittest.mock.patch and CompletedProcess.
import subprocess
from unittest.mock import patch
def run_command(cmd):
result = subprocess.run(cmd, capture_output=True, text=True)
return result.returncode
if __name__ == "__main__":
with patch("subprocess.run") as mock_run:
# Simulate a successful command (returncode 0)
mock_run.retu…How to Use mock.assert_called_with in Python
Verify that a MagicMock received a call with specific positional and keyword arguments using assert_called_with in unittest.
import unittest
from unittest.mock import MagicMock
class TestMockAssertions(unittest.TestCase):
def test_assert_called_with(self):
# Create a mock object
mock = MagicMock()
# Call the mock with specific arguments
mock.send_email("alice@example.com", subject="Greetings", body="Hel…How to Use setUp and tearDown in Python unittest TestCase
Demonstrates how to structure unit tests with setUp and tearDown methods in Python's unittest framework for reusable test fixtures.
import unittest
class ExampleTest(unittest.TestCase):
def setUp(self):
self.data = [1, 2, 3]
def tearDown(self):
self.data = None
def test_length(self):
self.assertEqual(len(self.data), 3)
def test_contains(self):
self.assertIn(2, self.data)
if __name__ == "__main…How to Verify Formatted Output with an Approval Test in Python
Write a small Python approval test that verifies a function's exact formatted output using unittest.
import sys
from io import StringIO
import unittest
def generate_output(name, score):
return f"Player: {name} | Score: {score:03d}"
class TestFormattedOutput(unittest.TestCase):
def test_output_format(self):
expected = "Player: Alice | Score: 042"
result = generate_output("Alice", 42)
…How to Write a Contract Test with Mock in Python
Use unittest.mock to verify a consumer's expectations match the provider's response shape in a Python contract test.
from unittest.mock import Mock
# Contract test: verify consumer expects data shape that provider delivers.
# We mock the provider and assert the consumer's calls match the agreed contract.
def fetch_user(provider_client, user_id):
"""Consumer code: expects provider to return {'id', 'name', 'email'}."""
respo…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…Mock datetime.now to freeze time in Python
Use unittest.mock.patch to replace datetime.now with a fixed value so your code always sees the same time during tests.
from datetime import datetime
from unittest.mock import patch
def current_message():
now = datetime.now()
return f"Current time: {now:%Y-%m-%d %H:%M:%S}"
if __name__ == "__main__":
with patch("__main__.datetime") as mock_dt:
mock_dt.now.return_value = datetime(2024, 3, 15, 10, 30, 0)
prin…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…Browse by section
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