I have a fixture mocking an external library like so, using pytest-mock, which is a wrapper around unittest.mock.
# client.py
import Test as TestLibrary
class LibraryName():
def get_client():
return TestLibrary.Library()
# library_service.py
def using_library():
'''
Edited note: Library().attribute behind the scenes is set to
self.attribute = Attribute()
so this may be affecting the mocking
'''
client = LibraryName.get_client()
return client.attribute.method()
# conftest.py
@pytest.fixture
def library_client_mock(mocker):
import Test as TestLibrary
return mocker.patch.object(TestLibrary, 'Library')
# test_library_service.py
def test_library_method(library_client_mock):
result = using_library()
I can mock a return value like so:
def test_library_method(library_client_mock):
library_client_mock.return_value.attribute.return_value.method.return_value = "test"
result = using_library()
assert result == "test"
but I can't mock throwing an Exception with side_effect
def test_library_method(library_client_mock):
library_client_mock.return_value.attribute.return_value.method.side_effect = TypeError # doesn't work
library_client_mock.return_value.attribute.return_value.method.side_effect = TypeError() # doesn't work
attrs = { 'attribute.method.side_effect': TypeError }
library_client_mock.configure_mock(**attrs) # doesn't work
with pytest.raises(TypeError):
using_library() # fails assertion
what I missing here?
CodePudding user response:
These are the errors in your code:
Change:
library_client_mock.return_value.attribute.return_value.method.return_value = "test"
To:
library_client_mock.return_value.attribute.method.return_value = "test"
Change:
library_client_mock.return_value.attribute.return_value.method.side_effect = TypeError
To:
library_client_mock.return_value.attribute.method.side_effect = TypeError
Explanation
The .return_value
must only be used for callable objects e.g. a function as documented:
return_value
Set this to configure the value returned by calling the mock:
>>> mock = Mock() >>> mock.return_value = 'fish' >>> mock() 'fish'
Thus, you can use .return_value
only for the following:
TestLibrary.Library()
TestLibrary.Library().attribute.method()
But not for:
TestLibrary.Library().attribute
Because .attribute
is not a callable e.g. TestLibrary.Library().attribute()
.
Warning
The way you are patching Library
is via its source location at Test.Library
(or aliased as TestLibrary.Library
). specifically via:
import Test as TestLibrary
return mocker.patch.object(TestLibrary, 'Library')
It works currently because the way you import and use it is via the root path.
# client.py
import Test as TestLibrary
...
return TestLibrary.Library()
...
But if we change the way we imported that library and imported a local version to client.py:
# client.py
from Test import Library # Instead of <import Test as TestLibrary>
...
return Library() # Instead of <TestLibrary.Library()>
...
It will now fail. Ideally, you should patch the specific name that is used by the system under test, which here is client.Library
.
import client
return mocker.patch.object(client, 'Library')
Unless you are sure that all files that will use the library will import only the root and not a local version.
CodePudding user response:
@Niel Godfrey Ponciano set me on the right path with this syntax for the side_effect
library_client_mock.return_value.attribute.method.side_effect = TypeError
but it wasn't enough.
In
# conftest.py
@pytest.fixture
def library_client_mock(mocker):
import Test as TestLibrary
return mocker.patch.object(TestLibrary, 'Library')
I had to add an extra mock:
# conftest.py
@pytest.fixture
def library_client_mock(mocker):
import Test as TestLibrary
mock_library_client = mocker.patch.object(TestLibrary, 'Library')
# option 1
mock_attribute = Mock()
# option 2, path to Library.attribute = Attribute()
mock_attribute = mocker.patch.object(TestLibrary.services, 'Attribute', autospec=True)
mock_library_client.attach_mock(mock_attribute, "attribute")
return mock_library_client
and then both of the following statements worked as expected. Although I am not sure why return_value
works out of the box without an attached mock, but side_effect
does not.
# return_value set correctly
# NOTE return_value needed after each
library_client_mock.return_value.attribute.return_value.method.return_value = "test"
# side_effect set correctly
# NOTE return_value not needed after "attribute"
library_client_mock.return_value.attribute.method.side_effect = TypeError