Use -k option to run test_foo but not test_foo_bar

[jwodder]

I have a suite of test functions whose names include test_foo, test_foo_bar, test_foo_quux, test_foo_the_other_way, and so forth, and I want to tell pytest via the -k option (or any other applicable method) to only run test_foo. Unfortunately, -k test_foo runs all of the mentioned tests, because their names start with "test_foo". How can I get pytest to run just the one test?

[nicoddemus]

Unfortunately this is not possible currently, the only way to run just test_foo is to pass the full test node id, say pytest tests/test_suite.py::test_foo.

[jwodder]

And if all the tests I mentioned are in tests/test_suite.py, will that run just test_foo or all the test_foo_stuffs?

[nicoddemus]

Just test_foo.

When you give the full node id, pytest will run only that.

-k on the other hand uses fuzzy matching, meaning if the test node id contains the text given to -k, it will be executed.

[oakkitten]

foo and not foo_ will also work, although i prefer to just name my tests such that the name of one is never a part of the name of the other

[ramachandargadde]

try -k "test_foo-"

it will work, it will pick only test_foo

[twmr]

Better would be a commandline parameter (ore a new flag that changes the behavior of -k) that allows the user to specify a nodeid regex. Then you could write .*test_foo$ to just select the tests that end with test_foo.