Testing in Python

Directory Structure and Scope:

tests/
├── conftest.py          # Global fixtures
├── unit/
│   ├── conftest.py      # Unit test fixtures
│   └── test_models.py
├── integration/
│   ├── conftest.py      # Integration test fixtures
│   └── test_api.py
└── e2e/
    ├── conftest.py      # E2E test fixtures
    └── test_workflow.py

what is conftest what does it do?

conftest.py is a special file used in pytest for sharing fixtures across multiple test files. Let me explain its key features and usage:

import pytest
 
# Shared fixture available to all test files
@pytest.fixture
def api_client():
    """Create a test client for the API."""
    from app import create_app
    app = create_app('testing')
    with app.test_client() as client:
        yield client

Key Features:

• Automatically discovered by pytest
• Can be placed in different directories for different scopes
• No need to import fixtures in test files
• Can define fixture hierarchies

Key Benefits:

• Reusability across test files
• Centralized test configuration
• Clean test organization
• Reduced code duplication

5. Easy mocking and dependency injection

• Flexible scoping options
• Automatic fixture discovery

Remember:

• Place common fixtures in the root conftest.py
• Use directory-specific conftest.py for specialized fixtures
• Consider fixture scope for performance
• Use clear naming conventions
• Document fixtures with docstrings