[Python-Dev] unittest.main() --catch parameter

[anatoly techtonik]

On Thu, Mar 3, 2011 at 11:58 PM, Michael Foord
<fuzzyman at voidspace.org.uk> wrote:
>>>
>>> Without this option interrupting a test run with a ctrl-c kills the run
>>> and
>>> reports nothing. Seeing an unexpected failure or error during a long test
>>> run and having to wait to the end of the test run to see the traceback
>>> can
>>> be annoying, this feature solves that problem.
>>
>> Why not just leave this behavior by default and just return -1 if the
>> Ctrl-C was pressed?
>>
>
> Because it means installing a signal handler which is not necessarily
> appropriate for all test systems. We *could* make it the default in the
> future (for the test runner only - not when unittest is used via the api).

What does it mean - "not approriate"? Do signal handlers crash or kill
people on some test systems? If tests are run with output buffering
then it's reasonable to turn off handling of Ctrl-C. If they are
executed by buildbots, I don't see how it hurts the test process. In
any case there should be a way to turn Ctrl-C handing using some
internal flag, but moving it into user command doesn't seem like a
good idea to me.

By the way, is calling unittest.main() is using unittest via api?

> So you want it on by default but are also worried about the backwards
> compatibility issues of it even existing as an option? Anyway, your
> assertion that the option is or may be useless is unfounded. Don't worry
> about it.

I am worried that I won't have space to add more useful options to the
runner or they will be lost for users in the abundance of highly
technical parameters that runner provides. I am concerned that users
will never ever understand the true Awesomeness of the New Runner
(tm). ;)
-- 
anatoly t.