unit-testing Getting started with unit-testing A basic python unit test

Example

import unittest

def addition(*args):
    """ add two or more summands and return the sum """

    if len(args) < 2:
        raise ValueError, 'at least two summands are needed'
    
    for ii in args: 
        if not isinstance(ii, (int, long, float, complex )):
            raise TypeError

    # use build in function to do the job
    return sum(args) 

Now the test part:

class Test_SystemUnderTest(unittest.TestCase):

    def test_addition(self):
        """test addition function"""

        # use only one summand - raise an error 
        with self.assertRaisesRegexp(ValueError, 'at least two summands'):
            addition(1)
        
        # use None - raise an error
        with self.assertRaises(TypeError):
            addition(1, None)
        
        # use ints and floats 
        self.assertEqual(addition(1, 1.), 2)

        # use complex numbers
        self.assertEqual(addition(1, 1., 1+2j), 3+2j)

if __name__ == '__main__':
    unittest.main()