[Python-Dev] Adding test.support.safe_rmpath()

[Tim Golden]

On 14/02/2019 14:56, Giampaolo Rodola' wrote:
> 
> 
> On Thu, Feb 14, 2019 at 3:25 PM Eric Snow <ericsnowcurrently at gmail.com 
> <mailto:ericsnowcurrently at gmail.com>> wrote:
> 
>     On Thu, Feb 14, 2019, 02:47 Ronald Oussoren via Python-Dev
>     <python-dev at python.org <mailto:python-dev at python.org> wrote:
> 
> 
>         I usually use shutil.rmtree for tests that need to create
>         temporary files, and create a temporary directory for those
>         files (that is, use tempfile.mkdtemp in setUp() and use
>         shutil.rmtree in tearDown()). That way I don’t have to adjust
>         house-keeping code when I make changes to test code.
> 
> 
>     Same here.
> 
>     -eric
> 
> 
> What I generally do is avoid relying on tempfile.mkdtemp() and always 
> use TESTFN instead. I think it's cleaner as a pradigm because it's an 
> incentive to not pollute the single unit tests with  `self.addCleanup()` 
> instructions (the whole cleanup logic is always supposed to occur in 
> setUp/tearDown):

Must chime in here because I've been pushing (variously months & years 
ago) to move *away* from TESTFN because it generates numerous 
intermittent errors on my Windows setup. I've had several goes at 
starting to do that but a combination of my own lack of time plus some 
people's reluctance to go that route altogether has stalled the thing.

I'm not sure I understand the difference in cleanup/teardown terms 
between using tempfile and using TESTFN. The objections I've seen from 
people (apart, obviously, from test churn) are to do with building up 
testing temp artefacts on a possibly low-sized disk.

TJG