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(python2.1-lib.info)TestLoader Objects

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TestLoader Objects
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The `TestLoader' class is used to create test suites from classes and
modules.  Normally, there is no need to create an instance of this
class; the `unittest' module provides an instance that can be shared as
the `defaultTestLoader' module attribute.  Using a subclass or instance
would allow customization of some configurable properties.

`TestLoader' objects have the following methods:

`loadTestsFromTestCase(testCaseClass)'
     Return a suite of all tests cases contained in the
     `TestCase'-derived class `testCaseClass'.

`loadTestsFromModule(module)'
     Return a suite of all tests cases contained in the given module.
     This method searches MODULE for classes derived from `TestCase'
     and creates an instance of the class for each test method defined
     for the class.

     *Warning:*  While using a hierarchy of `Testcase'-derived classes
     can be convenient in sharing fixtures and helper functions,
     defining test methods on base classes that are not intended to be
     instantiated directly does not play well with this method.  Doing
     so, however, can be useful when the fixtures are different and
     defined in subclasses.

`loadTestsFromName(name[, module])'
     Return a suite of all tests cases given a string specifier.

     The specifier NAME may resolve either to a module, a test case
     class, a test method within a test case class, or a callable object
     which returns a `TestCase' or `TestSuite' instance.

     The method optionally resolves NAME relative to a given module.

`loadTestsFromNames(names[, module])'
     Similar to `loadTestsFromName()', but takes a sequence of names
     rather than a single name.  The return value is a test suite which
     supports all the tests defined for each name.

`getTestCaseNames(testCaseClass)'
     Return a sorted sequence of method names found within
     TESTCASECLASS.

The following attributes of a `TestLoader' can be configured either by
subclassing or assignment on an instance:

`testMethodPrefix'
     String giving the prefix of method names which will be interpreted
     as test methods.  The default value is `'test''.

`sortTestMethodsUsing'
     Function to be used to compare method names when sorting them in
     `getTestCaseNames()'.  The default value is the built-in `cmp()'
     function; it can be set to `None' to disable the sort.

`suiteClass'
     Callable object that constructs a test suite from a list of tests.
     No methods on the resulting object are needed.  The default value
     is the `TestSuite' class.