.. _pythonpath:

pytest import mechanisms and ``sys.path``/``PYTHONPATH``
========================================================

.. _`import-modes`:

Import modes
------------

pytest as a testing framework needs to import test modules and ``conftest.py`` files for execution.

Importing files in Python (at least until recently) is a non-trivial processes, often requiring
changing `sys.path <https://docs.python.org/3/library/sys.html#sys.path>`__. Some aspects of the
import process can be controlled through the ``--import-mode`` command-line flag, which can assume
these values:

* ``prepend`` (default): the directory path containing each module will be inserted into the *beginning*
  of ``sys.path`` if not already there, and then imported with the `__import__ <https://docs.python.org/3/library/functions.html#__import__>`__ builtin.

  This requires test module names to be unique when the test directory tree is not arranged in
  packages, because the modules will put in ``sys.modules`` after importing.

  This is the classic mechanism, dating back from the time Python 2 was still supported.

* ``append``: the directory containing each module is appended to the end of ``sys.path`` if not already
  there, and imported with ``__import__``.

  This better allows to run test modules against installed versions of a package even if the
  package under test has the same import root. For example:

  ::

        testing/__init__.py
        testing/test_pkg_under_test.py
        pkg_under_test/

  the tests will run against the installed version
  of ``pkg_under_test`` when ``--import-mode=append`` is used whereas
  with ``prepend`` they would pick up the local version. This kind of confusion is why
  we advocate for using :ref:`src <src-layout>` layouts.

  Same as ``prepend``, requires test module names to be unique when the test directory tree is
  not arranged in packages, because the modules will put in ``sys.modules`` after importing.

* ``importlib``: new in pytest-6.0, this mode uses `importlib <https://docs.python.org/3/library/importlib.html>`__ to import test modules. This gives full control over the import process, and doesn't require
  changing ``sys.path`` or ``sys.modules`` at all.

  For this reason this doesn't require test module names to be unique at all, but also makes test
  modules non-importable by each other. This was made possible in previous modes, for tests not residing
  in Python packages, because of the side-effects of changing ``sys.path`` and ``sys.modules``
  mentioned above. Users which require this should turn their tests into proper packages instead.

  We intend to make ``importlib`` the default in future releases.

``prepend`` and ``append`` import modes scenarios
-------------------------------------------------

Here's a list of scenarios when using ``prepend`` or ``append`` import modes where pytest needs to
change ``sys.path`` in order to import test modules or ``conftest.py`` files, and the issues users
might encounter because of that.

Test modules / ``conftest.py`` files inside packages
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Consider this file and directory layout::

    root/
    |- foo/
       |- __init__.py
       |- conftest.py
       |- bar/
          |- __init__.py
          |- tests/
             |- __init__.py
             |- test_foo.py


When executing:

.. code-block:: bash

    pytest root/

pytest will find ``foo/bar/tests/test_foo.py`` and realize it is part of a package given that
there's an ``__init__.py`` file in the same folder. It will then search upwards until it can find the
last folder which still contains an ``__init__.py`` file in order to find the package *root* (in
this case ``foo/``). To load the module, it will insert ``root/``  to the front of
``sys.path`` (if not there already) in order to load
``test_foo.py`` as the *module* ``foo.bar.tests.test_foo``.

The same logic applies to the ``conftest.py`` file: it will be imported as ``foo.conftest`` module.

Preserving the full package name is important when tests live in a package to avoid problems
and allow test modules to have duplicated names. This is also discussed in details in
:ref:`test discovery`.

Standalone test modules / ``conftest.py`` files
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Consider this file and directory layout::

    root/
    |- foo/
       |- conftest.py
       |- bar/
          |- tests/
             |- test_foo.py


When executing:

.. code-block:: bash

    pytest root/

pytest will find ``foo/bar/tests/test_foo.py`` and realize it is NOT part of a package given that
there's no ``__init__.py`` file in the same folder. It will then add ``root/foo/bar/tests`` to
``sys.path`` in order to import ``test_foo.py`` as the *module* ``test_foo``. The same is done
with the ``conftest.py`` file by adding ``root/foo`` to ``sys.path`` to import it as ``conftest``.

For this reason this layout cannot have test modules with the same name, as they all will be
imported in the global import namespace.

This is also discussed in details in :ref:`test discovery`.

.. _`pytest vs python -m pytest`:

Invoking ``pytest`` versus ``python -m pytest``
-----------------------------------------------

Running pytest with ``pytest [...]`` instead of ``python -m pytest [...]`` yields nearly
equivalent behaviour, except that the latter will add the current directory to ``sys.path``, which
is standard ``python`` behavior.

See also :ref:`cmdline`.