[Python-Dev] Proposed unittest changes (original) (raw)

Thomas Lotze thomas at thomas-lotze.de
Tue Jul 15 08:55:59 CEST 2008

Ben Finney wrote:

I'd count this as another (minor) point in favour of making the 'fail*' methods canonical: the names are consistent and gramatically sensible:

-1

I'm surprised nobody (that I've noticed) has brought up the point yet that test code is a lot easier to read if it makes positive assertions. When reading failure conditions, one has to constantly invert them in order to deduce the behaviour that is tested. failUnless and friends aren't better either IMO since while they do work with positive assertions, the method names themselves are doubly negative. assert* methods are so much more straightforward to comprehend.

-- Thomas

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