#25941: Improve the error message for runtests.py when Django isn't on the path
--------------------------------------+------------------------------------
Reporter: Keryn Knight | Owner: nobody
Type: Cleanup/optimization | Status: new
Component: Testing framework | Version: master
Severity: Normal | Resolution:
Keywords: | Triage Stage: Accepted
Has patch: 0 | Needs documentation: 0
Needs tests: 0 | Patch needs improvement: 0
Easy pickings: 0 | UI/UX: 0
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Description changed by Anton Samarchyan:
Old description:
> Every time I think about contributing, literally the first thing I want
> to do is do a `git clone` and run the tests.
> This is currently annoying, because it requires (according to the
> documentation), my either adding the newly cloned directory to my path
> permanently (and knowing how to do that. I do, but it raises the barrier
> to entry for others) or having cloned it via git which intrinsically puts
> it on the path and smashes it into a `src` directory.
>
> Instead, I have to go and look in the documentation (which is squirrelled
> away via `Documentation -> How to get involved -> Write unit tests`) and
> find `PYTHONPATH=..:$PYTHONPATH ./runtests.py` because there's literally
> no chance I'm going to remember the specifics of that every time I
> sporadically want to get involved (questions in could go through my mind:
> do I need to put a semi-colon in? Do I need to export it? do I need to
> provide a specific settings file?)
>
> Executing `./runtests.py` without the incantation helpfully just errors
> with:
> {{{
> Traceback (most recent call last):
> File "./runtests.py", line 13, in <module>
> import django
> ImportError: No module named django
> }}}
> or if you're in a virtualenv with an older extant copy of Django (by way
> of example) ...
> {{{
> Traceback (most recent call last):
> File "./runtests.py", line 18, in <module>
> from django.test.runner import default_test_processes
> ImportError: cannot import name 'default_test_processes'
> }}}
> rather than let me know how to get back on the straight and narrow.
>
> The barrier to entry ''is too high''. If `runtests.py` cannot execute, a
> better error message would be useful. Ostensibly something like the
> following would probably work, for the fresh clone scenario (but not the
> already-installed-on-path one):
> {{{
> try:
> import django
> except ImportError:
> sys.stdout.write("Some error message explaining how to run the
> thing\n")
> sys.exit(1)
> }}}
> Really though, a single entry point `./runtests.sh` which passes through
> arguments (`$@` I think?) that might want to be changed would make life
> easier from both a user and documentation standpoint ("just run the shell
> script in the tests directory")
>
> (Additional note: there is a `README.rst` file in the `tests` directory,
> but it a) says to `cd` to a directory which does not exist if you're
> already in the directory [which you probably are to run the tests the
> documented way] and b) requires installing requirements files that the
> quickstart doesn't)
New description:
Every time I think about contributing, literally the first thing I want to
do is do a `git clone` and run the tests.
This is currently annoying, because it requires (according to the
documentation), my either adding the newly cloned directory to my path
permanently (and knowing how to do that. I do, but it raises the barrier
to entry for others) or having cloned it via pip which intrinsically puts
it on the path and smashes it into a `src` directory.
Instead, I have to go and look in the documentation (which is squirrelled
away via `Documentation -> How to get involved -> Write unit tests`) and
find `PYTHONPATH=..:$PYTHONPATH ./runtests.py` because there's literally
no chance I'm going to remember the specifics of that every time I
sporadically want to get involved (questions in could go through my mind:
do I need to put a semi-colon in? Do I need to export it? do I need to
provide a specific settings file?)
Executing `./runtests.py` without the incantation helpfully just errors
with:
{{{
Traceback (most recent call last):
File "./runtests.py", line 13, in <module>
import django
ImportError: No module named django
}}}
or if you're in a virtualenv with an older extant copy of Django (by way
of example) ...
{{{
Traceback (most recent call last):
File "./runtests.py", line 18, in <module>
from django.test.runner import default_test_processes
ImportError: cannot import name 'default_test_processes'
}}}
rather than let me know how to get back on the straight and narrow.
The barrier to entry ''is too high''. If `runtests.py` cannot execute, a
better error message would be useful. Ostensibly something like the
following would probably work, for the fresh clone scenario (but not the
already-installed-on-path one):
{{{
try:
import django
except ImportError:
sys.stdout.write("Some error message explaining how to run the
thing\n")
sys.exit(1)
}}}
Really though, a single entry point `./runtests.sh` which passes through
arguments (`$@` I think?) that might want to be changed would make life
easier from both a user and documentation standpoint ("just run the shell
script in the tests directory")
(Additional note: there is a `README.rst` file in the `tests` directory,
but it a) says to `cd` to a directory which does not exist if you're
already in the directory [which you probably are to run the tests the
documented way] and b) requires installing requirements files that the
quickstart doesn't)
--
--
Ticket URL: <https://code.djangoproject.com/ticket/25941#comment:7>
Django <https://code.djangoproject.com/>
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