Monthly Archives: October 2019

Supercharge your Python testing workflow

When writing unit tests in Python you may find yourself switching back and forth between your code editor window and terminal to re-run your tests.

You can avoid this by using inotify. In short, it can re-run your tests when you change any Python files in your project. Here are some little scripts to help you do that.

First, install:

sudo apt install -y inotify-tools

If you’re using bash, add this to your ~/.bashrc and restart your terminal:

function ptw() {
    pytest $1
    while find -name "*.py" | inotifywait -e close_write --fromfile - ;
        do pytest $1
    done
}

If you’re using Fish, add to ~/.config/fish/config.fish and restart your terminal:

function ptw
    pytest $argv
    while find -name "*.py" | inotifywait -e close_write --fromfile - ;
        pytest $argv
    end
end

Now instead of running your tests like:

pytest test_stuff.py

Just do:

ptw test_stuff.py

When the tests finish you’ll see the process does not exit, and when you edit a .py file in your project the tests will automatically re-run.

This saves a tonne of time, enjoy.