[Python-ideas] doctest

[Ben Finney]

Ian Bicking <ianb at colorstudy.com> writes:

> On Feb 17, 2012 4:12 PM, "Nick Coghlan" <ncoghlan at gmail.com> wrote:

> > An interesting third party alternative that has been created
> > recently is behave: http://crate.io/packages/behave/
>
> This style of test is why it's so sad that doctest is ignored and
> unmaintained.

I don't see why you draw a connection. There doesn't, to me, seem any
need to expand the capabilities of ‘doctest’: it does what it says on
the tin, and does it well. Other tasks require other tools.

> [the ‘behave’ library is] based on testing patterns developed by
> people who care to promote what they are doing, but I'm of the strong
> opinion that they are inferior to doctest.

I think the code-examples-in-documentation is a good thing to have and
it's what ‘doctest’ excels at.

I don't think distorting behaviour-driven specifications, of the kind
‘behave’ is designed to read, to fit the doctest model would be a good
thing. Can you present an argument why you think it would?

-- 
 \          “Now Maggie, I’ll be watching you too, in case God is busy |
  `\       creating tornadoes or not existing.” —Homer, _The Simpsons_ |
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Ben Finney