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1
2:mod:`unittest.mock` --- mock object library
3============================================
4
5.. module:: unittest.mock
6   :synopsis: Mock object library.
7
8.. moduleauthor:: Michael Foord <michael@python.org>
9.. currentmodule:: unittest.mock
10
11.. versionadded:: 3.3
12
13**Source code:** :source:`Lib/unittest/mock.py`
14
15--------------
16
17:mod:`unittest.mock` is a library for testing in Python. It allows you to
18replace parts of your system under test with mock objects and make assertions
19about how they have been used.
20
21:mod:`unittest.mock` provides a core :class:`Mock` class removing the need to
22create a host of stubs throughout your test suite. After performing an
23action, you can make assertions about which methods / attributes were used
24and arguments they were called with. You can also specify return values and
25set needed attributes in the normal way.
26
27Additionally, mock provides a :func:`patch` decorator that handles patching
28module and class level attributes within the scope of a test, along with
29:const:`sentinel` for creating unique objects. See the `quick guide`_ for
30some examples of how to use :class:`Mock`, :class:`MagicMock` and
31:func:`patch`.
32
33Mock is very easy to use and is designed for use with :mod:`unittest`. Mock
34is based on the 'action -> assertion' pattern instead of 'record -> replay'
35used by many mocking frameworks.
36
37There is a backport of :mod:`unittest.mock` for earlier versions of Python,
38available as `mock on PyPI <https://pypi.org/project/mock>`_.
39
40
41Quick Guide
42-----------
43
44.. testsetup::
45
46    class ProductionClass:
47        def method(self, a, b, c):
48            pass
49
50    class SomeClass:
51        @staticmethod
52        def static_method(args):
53            return args
54
55        @classmethod
56        def class_method(cls, args):
57            return args
58
59
60:class:`Mock` and :class:`MagicMock` objects create all attributes and
61methods as you access them and store details of how they have been used. You
62can configure them, to specify return values or limit what attributes are
63available, and then make assertions about how they have been used:
64
65    >>> from unittest.mock import MagicMock
66    >>> thing = ProductionClass()
67    >>> thing.method = MagicMock(return_value=3)
68    >>> thing.method(3, 4, 5, key='value')
69    3
70    >>> thing.method.assert_called_with(3, 4, 5, key='value')
71
72:attr:`side_effect` allows you to perform side effects, including raising an
73exception when a mock is called:
74
75   >>> mock = Mock(side_effect=KeyError('foo'))
76   >>> mock()
77   Traceback (most recent call last):
78    ...
79   KeyError: 'foo'
80
81   >>> values = {'a': 1, 'b': 2, 'c': 3}
82   >>> def side_effect(arg):
83   ...     return values[arg]
84   ...
85   >>> mock.side_effect = side_effect
86   >>> mock('a'), mock('b'), mock('c')
87   (1, 2, 3)
88   >>> mock.side_effect = [5, 4, 3, 2, 1]
89   >>> mock(), mock(), mock()
90   (5, 4, 3)
91
92Mock has many other ways you can configure it and control its behaviour. For
93example the *spec* argument configures the mock to take its specification
94from another object. Attempting to access attributes or methods on the mock
95that don't exist on the spec will fail with an :exc:`AttributeError`.
96
97The :func:`patch` decorator / context manager makes it easy to mock classes or
98objects in a module under test. The object you specify will be replaced with a
99mock (or other object) during the test and restored when the test ends::
100
101    >>> from unittest.mock import patch
102    >>> @patch('module.ClassName2')
103    ... @patch('module.ClassName1')
104    ... def test(MockClass1, MockClass2):
105    ...     module.ClassName1()
106    ...     module.ClassName2()
107    ...     assert MockClass1 is module.ClassName1
108    ...     assert MockClass2 is module.ClassName2
109    ...     assert MockClass1.called
110    ...     assert MockClass2.called
111    ...
112    >>> test()
113
114.. note::
115
116   When you nest patch decorators the mocks are passed in to the decorated
117   function in the same order they applied (the normal *Python* order that
118   decorators are applied). This means from the bottom up, so in the example
119   above the mock for ``module.ClassName1`` is passed in first.
120
121   With :func:`patch` it matters that you patch objects in the namespace where they
122   are looked up. This is normally straightforward, but for a quick guide
123   read :ref:`where to patch <where-to-patch>`.
124
125As well as a decorator :func:`patch` can be used as a context manager in a with
126statement:
127
128    >>> with patch.object(ProductionClass, 'method', return_value=None) as mock_method:
129    ...     thing = ProductionClass()
130    ...     thing.method(1, 2, 3)
131    ...
132    >>> mock_method.assert_called_once_with(1, 2, 3)
133
134
135There is also :func:`patch.dict` for setting values in a dictionary just
136during a scope and restoring the dictionary to its original state when the test
137ends:
138
139   >>> foo = {'key': 'value'}
140   >>> original = foo.copy()
141   >>> with patch.dict(foo, {'newkey': 'newvalue'}, clear=True):
142   ...     assert foo == {'newkey': 'newvalue'}
143   ...
144   >>> assert foo == original
145
146Mock supports the mocking of Python :ref:`magic methods <magic-methods>`. The
147easiest way of using magic methods is with the :class:`MagicMock` class. It
148allows you to do things like:
149
150    >>> mock = MagicMock()
151    >>> mock.__str__.return_value = 'foobarbaz'
152    >>> str(mock)
153    'foobarbaz'
154    >>> mock.__str__.assert_called_with()
155
156Mock allows you to assign functions (or other Mock instances) to magic methods
157and they will be called appropriately. The :class:`MagicMock` class is just a Mock
158variant that has all of the magic methods pre-created for you (well, all the
159useful ones anyway).
160
161The following is an example of using magic methods with the ordinary Mock
162class:
163
164    >>> mock = Mock()
165    >>> mock.__str__ = Mock(return_value='wheeeeee')
166    >>> str(mock)
167    'wheeeeee'
168
169For ensuring that the mock objects in your tests have the same api as the
170objects they are replacing, you can use :ref:`auto-speccing <auto-speccing>`.
171Auto-speccing can be done through the *autospec* argument to patch, or the
172:func:`create_autospec` function. Auto-speccing creates mock objects that
173have the same attributes and methods as the objects they are replacing, and
174any functions and methods (including constructors) have the same call
175signature as the real object.
176
177This ensures that your mocks will fail in the same way as your production
178code if they are used incorrectly:
179
180   >>> from unittest.mock import create_autospec
181   >>> def function(a, b, c):
182   ...     pass
183   ...
184   >>> mock_function = create_autospec(function, return_value='fishy')
185   >>> mock_function(1, 2, 3)
186   'fishy'
187   >>> mock_function.assert_called_once_with(1, 2, 3)
188   >>> mock_function('wrong arguments')
189   Traceback (most recent call last):
190    ...
191   TypeError: <lambda>() takes exactly 3 arguments (1 given)
192
193:func:`create_autospec` can also be used on classes, where it copies the signature of
194the ``__init__`` method, and on callable objects where it copies the signature of
195the ``__call__`` method.
196
197
198
199The Mock Class
200--------------
201
202.. testsetup::
203
204    import asyncio
205    import inspect
206    import unittest
207    from unittest.mock import sentinel, DEFAULT, ANY
208    from unittest.mock import patch, call, Mock, MagicMock, PropertyMock, AsyncMock
209    from unittest.mock import mock_open
210
211:class:`Mock` is a flexible mock object intended to replace the use of stubs and
212test doubles throughout your code. Mocks are callable and create attributes as
213new mocks when you access them [#]_. Accessing the same attribute will always
214return the same mock. Mocks record how you use them, allowing you to make
215assertions about what your code has done to them.
216
217:class:`MagicMock` is a subclass of :class:`Mock` with all the magic methods
218pre-created and ready to use. There are also non-callable variants, useful
219when you are mocking out objects that aren't callable:
220:class:`NonCallableMock` and :class:`NonCallableMagicMock`
221
222The :func:`patch` decorators makes it easy to temporarily replace classes
223in a particular module with a :class:`Mock` object. By default :func:`patch` will create
224a :class:`MagicMock` for you. You can specify an alternative class of :class:`Mock` using
225the *new_callable* argument to :func:`patch`.
226
227
228.. class:: Mock(spec=None, side_effect=None, return_value=DEFAULT, wraps=None, name=None, spec_set=None, unsafe=False, **kwargs)
229
230    Create a new :class:`Mock` object. :class:`Mock` takes several optional arguments
231    that specify the behaviour of the Mock object:
232
233    * *spec*: This can be either a list of strings or an existing object (a
234      class or instance) that acts as the specification for the mock object. If
235      you pass in an object then a list of strings is formed by calling dir on
236      the object (excluding unsupported magic attributes and methods).
237      Accessing any attribute not in this list will raise an :exc:`AttributeError`.
238
239      If *spec* is an object (rather than a list of strings) then
240      :attr:`~instance.__class__` returns the class of the spec object. This
241      allows mocks to pass :func:`isinstance` tests.
242
243    * *spec_set*: A stricter variant of *spec*. If used, attempting to *set*
244      or get an attribute on the mock that isn't on the object passed as
245      *spec_set* will raise an :exc:`AttributeError`.
246
247    * *side_effect*: A function to be called whenever the Mock is called. See
248      the :attr:`~Mock.side_effect` attribute. Useful for raising exceptions or
249      dynamically changing return values. The function is called with the same
250      arguments as the mock, and unless it returns :data:`DEFAULT`, the return
251      value of this function is used as the return value.
252
253      Alternatively *side_effect* can be an exception class or instance. In
254      this case the exception will be raised when the mock is called.
255
256      If *side_effect* is an iterable then each call to the mock will return
257      the next value from the iterable.
258
259      A *side_effect* can be cleared by setting it to ``None``.
260
261    * *return_value*: The value returned when the mock is called. By default
262      this is a new Mock (created on first access). See the
263      :attr:`return_value` attribute.
264
265    * *unsafe*: By default if any attribute starts with *assert* or
266      *assret* will raise an :exc:`AttributeError`. Passing ``unsafe=True``
267      will allow access to these attributes.
268
269      .. versionadded:: 3.5
270
271    * *wraps*: Item for the mock object to wrap. If *wraps* is not ``None`` then
272      calling the Mock will pass the call through to the wrapped object
273      (returning the real result). Attribute access on the mock will return a
274      Mock object that wraps the corresponding attribute of the wrapped
275      object (so attempting to access an attribute that doesn't exist will
276      raise an :exc:`AttributeError`).
277
278      If the mock has an explicit *return_value* set then calls are not passed
279      to the wrapped object and the *return_value* is returned instead.
280
281    * *name*: If the mock has a name then it will be used in the repr of the
282      mock. This can be useful for debugging. The name is propagated to child
283      mocks.
284
285    Mocks can also be called with arbitrary keyword arguments. These will be
286    used to set attributes on the mock after it is created. See the
287    :meth:`configure_mock` method for details.
288
289    .. method:: assert_called()
290
291        Assert that the mock was called at least once.
292
293            >>> mock = Mock()
294            >>> mock.method()
295            <Mock name='mock.method()' id='...'>
296            >>> mock.method.assert_called()
297
298        .. versionadded:: 3.6
299
300    .. method:: assert_called_once()
301
302        Assert that the mock was called exactly once.
303
304            >>> mock = Mock()
305            >>> mock.method()
306            <Mock name='mock.method()' id='...'>
307            >>> mock.method.assert_called_once()
308            >>> mock.method()
309            <Mock name='mock.method()' id='...'>
310            >>> mock.method.assert_called_once()
311            Traceback (most recent call last):
312            ...
313            AssertionError: Expected 'method' to have been called once. Called 2 times.
314
315        .. versionadded:: 3.6
316
317
318    .. method:: assert_called_with(*args, **kwargs)
319
320        This method is a convenient way of asserting that the last call has been
321        made in a particular way:
322
323            >>> mock = Mock()
324            >>> mock.method(1, 2, 3, test='wow')
325            <Mock name='mock.method()' id='...'>
326            >>> mock.method.assert_called_with(1, 2, 3, test='wow')
327
328    .. method:: assert_called_once_with(*args, **kwargs)
329
330       Assert that the mock was called exactly once and that that call was
331       with the specified arguments.
332
333            >>> mock = Mock(return_value=None)
334            >>> mock('foo', bar='baz')
335            >>> mock.assert_called_once_with('foo', bar='baz')
336            >>> mock('other', bar='values')
337            >>> mock.assert_called_once_with('other', bar='values')
338            Traceback (most recent call last):
339              ...
340            AssertionError: Expected 'mock' to be called once. Called 2 times.
341
342
343    .. method:: assert_any_call(*args, **kwargs)
344
345        assert the mock has been called with the specified arguments.
346
347        The assert passes if the mock has *ever* been called, unlike
348        :meth:`assert_called_with` and :meth:`assert_called_once_with` that
349        only pass if the call is the most recent one, and in the case of
350        :meth:`assert_called_once_with` it must also be the only call.
351
352            >>> mock = Mock(return_value=None)
353            >>> mock(1, 2, arg='thing')
354            >>> mock('some', 'thing', 'else')
355            >>> mock.assert_any_call(1, 2, arg='thing')
356
357
358    .. method:: assert_has_calls(calls, any_order=False)
359
360        assert the mock has been called with the specified calls.
361        The :attr:`mock_calls` list is checked for the calls.
362
363        If *any_order* is false then the calls must be
364        sequential. There can be extra calls before or after the
365        specified calls.
366
367        If *any_order* is true then the calls can be in any order, but
368        they must all appear in :attr:`mock_calls`.
369
370            >>> mock = Mock(return_value=None)
371            >>> mock(1)
372            >>> mock(2)
373            >>> mock(3)
374            >>> mock(4)
375            >>> calls = [call(2), call(3)]
376            >>> mock.assert_has_calls(calls)
377            >>> calls = [call(4), call(2), call(3)]
378            >>> mock.assert_has_calls(calls, any_order=True)
379
380    .. method:: assert_not_called()
381
382        Assert the mock was never called.
383
384            >>> m = Mock()
385            >>> m.hello.assert_not_called()
386            >>> obj = m.hello()
387            >>> m.hello.assert_not_called()
388            Traceback (most recent call last):
389              ...
390            AssertionError: Expected 'hello' to not have been called. Called 1 times.
391
392        .. versionadded:: 3.5
393
394
395    .. method:: reset_mock(*, return_value=False, side_effect=False)
396
397        The reset_mock method resets all the call attributes on a mock object:
398
399            >>> mock = Mock(return_value=None)
400            >>> mock('hello')
401            >>> mock.called
402            True
403            >>> mock.reset_mock()
404            >>> mock.called
405            False
406
407        .. versionchanged:: 3.6
408           Added two keyword only argument to the reset_mock function.
409
410        This can be useful where you want to make a series of assertions that
411        reuse the same object. Note that :meth:`reset_mock` *doesn't* clear the
412        return value, :attr:`side_effect` or any child attributes you have
413        set using normal assignment by default. In case you want to reset
414        *return_value* or :attr:`side_effect`, then pass the corresponding
415        parameter as ``True``. Child mocks and the return value mock
416        (if any) are reset as well.
417
418        .. note:: *return_value*, and :attr:`side_effect` are keyword only
419                  argument.
420
421
422    .. method:: mock_add_spec(spec, spec_set=False)
423
424        Add a spec to a mock. *spec* can either be an object or a
425        list of strings. Only attributes on the *spec* can be fetched as
426        attributes from the mock.
427
428        If *spec_set* is true then only attributes on the spec can be set.
429
430
431    .. method:: attach_mock(mock, attribute)
432
433        Attach a mock as an attribute of this one, replacing its name and
434        parent. Calls to the attached mock will be recorded in the
435        :attr:`method_calls` and :attr:`mock_calls` attributes of this one.
436
437
438    .. method:: configure_mock(**kwargs)
439
440        Set attributes on the mock through keyword arguments.
441
442        Attributes plus return values and side effects can be set on child
443        mocks using standard dot notation and unpacking a dictionary in the
444        method call:
445
446            >>> mock = Mock()
447            >>> attrs = {'method.return_value': 3, 'other.side_effect': KeyError}
448            >>> mock.configure_mock(**attrs)
449            >>> mock.method()
450            3
451            >>> mock.other()
452            Traceback (most recent call last):
453              ...
454            KeyError
455
456        The same thing can be achieved in the constructor call to mocks:
457
458            >>> attrs = {'method.return_value': 3, 'other.side_effect': KeyError}
459            >>> mock = Mock(some_attribute='eggs', **attrs)
460            >>> mock.some_attribute
461            'eggs'
462            >>> mock.method()
463            3
464            >>> mock.other()
465            Traceback (most recent call last):
466              ...
467            KeyError
468
469        :meth:`configure_mock` exists to make it easier to do configuration
470        after the mock has been created.
471
472
473    .. method:: __dir__()
474
475        :class:`Mock` objects limit the results of ``dir(some_mock)`` to useful results.
476        For mocks with a *spec* this includes all the permitted attributes
477        for the mock.
478
479        See :data:`FILTER_DIR` for what this filtering does, and how to
480        switch it off.
481
482
483    .. method:: _get_child_mock(**kw)
484
485        Create the child mocks for attributes and return value.
486        By default child mocks will be the same type as the parent.
487        Subclasses of Mock may want to override this to customize the way
488        child mocks are made.
489
490        For non-callable mocks the callable variant will be used (rather than
491        any custom subclass).
492
493
494    .. attribute:: called
495
496        A boolean representing whether or not the mock object has been called:
497
498            >>> mock = Mock(return_value=None)
499            >>> mock.called
500            False
501            >>> mock()
502            >>> mock.called
503            True
504
505    .. attribute:: call_count
506
507        An integer telling you how many times the mock object has been called:
508
509            >>> mock = Mock(return_value=None)
510            >>> mock.call_count
511            0
512            >>> mock()
513            >>> mock()
514            >>> mock.call_count
515            2
516
517    .. attribute:: return_value
518
519        Set this to configure the value returned by calling the mock:
520
521            >>> mock = Mock()
522            >>> mock.return_value = 'fish'
523            >>> mock()
524            'fish'
525
526        The default return value is a mock object and you can configure it in
527        the normal way:
528
529            >>> mock = Mock()
530            >>> mock.return_value.attribute = sentinel.Attribute
531            >>> mock.return_value()
532            <Mock name='mock()()' id='...'>
533            >>> mock.return_value.assert_called_with()
534
535        :attr:`return_value` can also be set in the constructor:
536
537            >>> mock = Mock(return_value=3)
538            >>> mock.return_value
539            3
540            >>> mock()
541            3
542
543
544    .. attribute:: side_effect
545
546        This can either be a function to be called when the mock is called,
547        an iterable or an exception (class or instance) to be raised.
548
549        If you pass in a function it will be called with same arguments as the
550        mock and unless the function returns the :data:`DEFAULT` singleton the
551        call to the mock will then return whatever the function returns. If the
552        function returns :data:`DEFAULT` then the mock will return its normal
553        value (from the :attr:`return_value`).
554
555        If you pass in an iterable, it is used to retrieve an iterator which
556        must yield a value on every call.  This value can either be an exception
557        instance to be raised, or a value to be returned from the call to the
558        mock (:data:`DEFAULT` handling is identical to the function case).
559
560        An example of a mock that raises an exception (to test exception
561        handling of an API):
562
563            >>> mock = Mock()
564            >>> mock.side_effect = Exception('Boom!')
565            >>> mock()
566            Traceback (most recent call last):
567              ...
568            Exception: Boom!
569
570        Using :attr:`side_effect` to return a sequence of values:
571
572            >>> mock = Mock()
573            >>> mock.side_effect = [3, 2, 1]
574            >>> mock(), mock(), mock()
575            (3, 2, 1)
576
577        Using a callable:
578
579            >>> mock = Mock(return_value=3)
580            >>> def side_effect(*args, **kwargs):
581            ...     return DEFAULT
582            ...
583            >>> mock.side_effect = side_effect
584            >>> mock()
585            3
586
587        :attr:`side_effect` can be set in the constructor. Here's an example that
588        adds one to the value the mock is called with and returns it:
589
590            >>> side_effect = lambda value: value + 1
591            >>> mock = Mock(side_effect=side_effect)
592            >>> mock(3)
593            4
594            >>> mock(-8)
595            -7
596
597        Setting :attr:`side_effect` to ``None`` clears it:
598
599            >>> m = Mock(side_effect=KeyError, return_value=3)
600            >>> m()
601            Traceback (most recent call last):
602             ...
603            KeyError
604            >>> m.side_effect = None
605            >>> m()
606            3
607
608
609    .. attribute:: call_args
610
611        This is either ``None`` (if the mock hasn't been called), or the
612        arguments that the mock was last called with. This will be in the
613        form of a tuple: the first member, which can also be accessed through
614        the ``args`` property, is any ordered arguments the mock was
615        called with (or an empty tuple) and the second member, which can
616        also be accessed through the ``kwargs`` property, is any keyword
617        arguments (or an empty dictionary).
618
619            >>> mock = Mock(return_value=None)
620            >>> print(mock.call_args)
621            None
622            >>> mock()
623            >>> mock.call_args
624            call()
625            >>> mock.call_args == ()
626            True
627            >>> mock(3, 4)
628            >>> mock.call_args
629            call(3, 4)
630            >>> mock.call_args == ((3, 4),)
631            True
632            >>> mock.call_args.args
633            (3, 4)
634            >>> mock.call_args.kwargs
635            {}
636            >>> mock(3, 4, 5, key='fish', next='w00t!')
637            >>> mock.call_args
638            call(3, 4, 5, key='fish', next='w00t!')
639            >>> mock.call_args.args
640            (3, 4, 5)
641            >>> mock.call_args.kwargs
642            {'key': 'fish', 'next': 'w00t!'}
643
644        :attr:`call_args`, along with members of the lists :attr:`call_args_list`,
645        :attr:`method_calls` and :attr:`mock_calls` are :data:`call` objects.
646        These are tuples, so they can be unpacked to get at the individual
647        arguments and make more complex assertions. See
648        :ref:`calls as tuples <calls-as-tuples>`.
649
650        .. versionchanged:: 3.8
651           Added ``args`` and ``kwargs`` properties.
652
653
654    .. attribute:: call_args_list
655
656        This is a list of all the calls made to the mock object in sequence
657        (so the length of the list is the number of times it has been
658        called). Before any calls have been made it is an empty list. The
659        :data:`call` object can be used for conveniently constructing lists of
660        calls to compare with :attr:`call_args_list`.
661
662            >>> mock = Mock(return_value=None)
663            >>> mock()
664            >>> mock(3, 4)
665            >>> mock(key='fish', next='w00t!')
666            >>> mock.call_args_list
667            [call(), call(3, 4), call(key='fish', next='w00t!')]
668            >>> expected = [(), ((3, 4),), ({'key': 'fish', 'next': 'w00t!'},)]
669            >>> mock.call_args_list == expected
670            True
671
672        Members of :attr:`call_args_list` are :data:`call` objects. These can be
673        unpacked as tuples to get at the individual arguments. See
674        :ref:`calls as tuples <calls-as-tuples>`.
675
676
677    .. attribute:: method_calls
678
679        As well as tracking calls to themselves, mocks also track calls to
680        methods and attributes, and *their* methods and attributes:
681
682            >>> mock = Mock()
683            >>> mock.method()
684            <Mock name='mock.method()' id='...'>
685            >>> mock.property.method.attribute()
686            <Mock name='mock.property.method.attribute()' id='...'>
687            >>> mock.method_calls
688            [call.method(), call.property.method.attribute()]
689
690        Members of :attr:`method_calls` are :data:`call` objects. These can be
691        unpacked as tuples to get at the individual arguments. See
692        :ref:`calls as tuples <calls-as-tuples>`.
693
694
695    .. attribute:: mock_calls
696
697        :attr:`mock_calls` records *all* calls to the mock object, its methods,
698        magic methods *and* return value mocks.
699
700            >>> mock = MagicMock()
701            >>> result = mock(1, 2, 3)
702            >>> mock.first(a=3)
703            <MagicMock name='mock.first()' id='...'>
704            >>> mock.second()
705            <MagicMock name='mock.second()' id='...'>
706            >>> int(mock)
707            1
708            >>> result(1)
709            <MagicMock name='mock()()' id='...'>
710            >>> expected = [call(1, 2, 3), call.first(a=3), call.second(),
711            ... call.__int__(), call()(1)]
712            >>> mock.mock_calls == expected
713            True
714
715        Members of :attr:`mock_calls` are :data:`call` objects. These can be
716        unpacked as tuples to get at the individual arguments. See
717        :ref:`calls as tuples <calls-as-tuples>`.
718
719        .. note::
720
721            The way :attr:`mock_calls` are recorded means that where nested
722            calls are made, the parameters of ancestor calls are not recorded
723            and so will always compare equal:
724
725                >>> mock = MagicMock()
726                >>> mock.top(a=3).bottom()
727                <MagicMock name='mock.top().bottom()' id='...'>
728                >>> mock.mock_calls
729                [call.top(a=3), call.top().bottom()]
730                >>> mock.mock_calls[-1] == call.top(a=-1).bottom()
731                True
732
733    .. attribute:: __class__
734
735        Normally the :attr:`__class__` attribute of an object will return its type.
736        For a mock object with a :attr:`spec`, ``__class__`` returns the spec class
737        instead. This allows mock objects to pass :func:`isinstance` tests for the
738        object they are replacing / masquerading as:
739
740            >>> mock = Mock(spec=3)
741            >>> isinstance(mock, int)
742            True
743
744        :attr:`__class__` is assignable to, this allows a mock to pass an
745        :func:`isinstance` check without forcing you to use a spec:
746
747            >>> mock = Mock()
748            >>> mock.__class__ = dict
749            >>> isinstance(mock, dict)
750            True
751
752.. class:: NonCallableMock(spec=None, wraps=None, name=None, spec_set=None, **kwargs)
753
754    A non-callable version of :class:`Mock`. The constructor parameters have the same
755    meaning of :class:`Mock`, with the exception of *return_value* and *side_effect*
756    which have no meaning on a non-callable mock.
757
758Mock objects that use a class or an instance as a :attr:`spec` or
759:attr:`spec_set` are able to pass :func:`isinstance` tests:
760
761    >>> mock = Mock(spec=SomeClass)
762    >>> isinstance(mock, SomeClass)
763    True
764    >>> mock = Mock(spec_set=SomeClass())
765    >>> isinstance(mock, SomeClass)
766    True
767
768The :class:`Mock` classes have support for mocking magic methods. See :ref:`magic
769methods <magic-methods>` for the full details.
770
771The mock classes and the :func:`patch` decorators all take arbitrary keyword
772arguments for configuration. For the :func:`patch` decorators the keywords are
773passed to the constructor of the mock being created. The keyword arguments
774are for configuring attributes of the mock:
775
776        >>> m = MagicMock(attribute=3, other='fish')
777        >>> m.attribute
778        3
779        >>> m.other
780        'fish'
781
782The return value and side effect of child mocks can be set in the same way,
783using dotted notation. As you can't use dotted names directly in a call you
784have to create a dictionary and unpack it using ``**``:
785
786    >>> attrs = {'method.return_value': 3, 'other.side_effect': KeyError}
787    >>> mock = Mock(some_attribute='eggs', **attrs)
788    >>> mock.some_attribute
789    'eggs'
790    >>> mock.method()
791    3
792    >>> mock.other()
793    Traceback (most recent call last):
794      ...
795    KeyError
796
797A callable mock which was created with a *spec* (or a *spec_set*) will
798introspect the specification object's signature when matching calls to
799the mock.  Therefore, it can match the actual call's arguments regardless
800of whether they were passed positionally or by name::
801
802   >>> def f(a, b, c): pass
803   ...
804   >>> mock = Mock(spec=f)
805   >>> mock(1, 2, c=3)
806   <Mock name='mock()' id='140161580456576'>
807   >>> mock.assert_called_with(1, 2, 3)
808   >>> mock.assert_called_with(a=1, b=2, c=3)
809
810This applies to :meth:`~Mock.assert_called_with`,
811:meth:`~Mock.assert_called_once_with`, :meth:`~Mock.assert_has_calls` and
812:meth:`~Mock.assert_any_call`.  When :ref:`auto-speccing`, it will also
813apply to method calls on the mock object.
814
815   .. versionchanged:: 3.4
816      Added signature introspection on specced and autospecced mock objects.
817
818
819.. class:: PropertyMock(*args, **kwargs)
820
821   A mock intended to be used as a property, or other descriptor, on a class.
822   :class:`PropertyMock` provides :meth:`__get__` and :meth:`__set__` methods
823   so you can specify a return value when it is fetched.
824
825   Fetching a :class:`PropertyMock` instance from an object calls the mock, with
826   no args. Setting it calls the mock with the value being set. ::
827
828        >>> class Foo:
829        ...     @property
830        ...     def foo(self):
831        ...         return 'something'
832        ...     @foo.setter
833        ...     def foo(self, value):
834        ...         pass
835        ...
836        >>> with patch('__main__.Foo.foo', new_callable=PropertyMock) as mock_foo:
837        ...     mock_foo.return_value = 'mockity-mock'
838        ...     this_foo = Foo()
839        ...     print(this_foo.foo)
840        ...     this_foo.foo = 6
841        ...
842        mockity-mock
843        >>> mock_foo.mock_calls
844        [call(), call(6)]
845
846Because of the way mock attributes are stored you can't directly attach a
847:class:`PropertyMock` to a mock object. Instead you can attach it to the mock type
848object::
849
850    >>> m = MagicMock()
851    >>> p = PropertyMock(return_value=3)
852    >>> type(m).foo = p
853    >>> m.foo
854    3
855    >>> p.assert_called_once_with()
856
857
858.. class:: AsyncMock(spec=None, side_effect=None, return_value=DEFAULT, wraps=None, name=None, spec_set=None, unsafe=False, **kwargs)
859
860  An asynchronous version of :class:`MagicMock`. The :class:`AsyncMock` object will
861  behave so the object is recognized as an async function, and the result of a
862  call is an awaitable.
863
864    >>> mock = AsyncMock()
865    >>> asyncio.iscoroutinefunction(mock)
866    True
867    >>> inspect.isawaitable(mock())  # doctest: +SKIP
868    True
869
870  The result of ``mock()`` is an async function which will have the outcome
871  of ``side_effect`` or ``return_value`` after it has been awaited:
872
873  - if ``side_effect`` is a function, the async function will return the
874    result of that function,
875  - if ``side_effect`` is an exception, the async function will raise the
876    exception,
877  - if ``side_effect`` is an iterable, the async function will return the
878    next value of the iterable, however, if the sequence of result is
879    exhausted, ``StopAsyncIteration`` is raised immediately,
880  - if ``side_effect`` is not defined, the async function will return the
881    value defined by ``return_value``, hence, by default, the async function
882    returns a new :class:`AsyncMock` object.
883
884
885  Setting the *spec* of a :class:`Mock` or :class:`MagicMock` to an async function
886  will result in a coroutine object being returned after calling.
887
888    >>> async def async_func(): pass
889    ...
890    >>> mock = MagicMock(async_func)
891    >>> mock
892    <MagicMock spec='function' id='...'>
893    >>> mock()  # doctest: +SKIP
894    <coroutine object AsyncMockMixin._mock_call at ...>
895
896
897  Setting the *spec* of a :class:`Mock`, :class:`MagicMock`, or :class:`AsyncMock`
898  to a class with asynchronous and synchronous functions will automatically
899  detect the synchronous functions and set them as :class:`MagicMock` (if the
900  parent mock is :class:`AsyncMock` or :class:`MagicMock`) or :class:`Mock` (if
901  the parent mock is :class:`Mock`). All asynchronous functions will be
902  :class:`AsyncMock`.
903
904  >>> class ExampleClass:
905  ...     def sync_foo():
906  ...         pass
907  ...     async def async_foo():
908  ...         pass
909  ...
910  >>> a_mock = AsyncMock(ExampleClass)
911  >>> a_mock.sync_foo
912  <MagicMock name='mock.sync_foo' id='...'>
913  >>> a_mock.async_foo
914  <AsyncMock name='mock.async_foo' id='...'>
915  >>> mock = Mock(ExampleClass)
916  >>> mock.sync_foo
917  <Mock name='mock.sync_foo' id='...'>
918  >>> mock.async_foo
919  <AsyncMock name='mock.async_foo' id='...'>
920
921  .. versionadded:: 3.8
922
923  .. method:: assert_awaited()
924
925      Assert that the mock was awaited at least once. Note that this is separate
926      from the object having been called, the ``await`` keyword must be used:
927
928          >>> mock = AsyncMock()
929          >>> async def main(coroutine_mock):
930          ...     await coroutine_mock
931          ...
932          >>> coroutine_mock = mock()
933          >>> mock.called
934          True
935          >>> mock.assert_awaited()
936          Traceback (most recent call last):
937          ...
938          AssertionError: Expected mock to have been awaited.
939          >>> asyncio.run(main(coroutine_mock))
940          >>> mock.assert_awaited()
941
942  .. method:: assert_awaited_once()
943
944      Assert that the mock was awaited exactly once.
945
946        >>> mock = AsyncMock()
947        >>> async def main():
948        ...     await mock()
949        ...
950        >>> asyncio.run(main())
951        >>> mock.assert_awaited_once()
952        >>> asyncio.run(main())
953        >>> mock.method.assert_awaited_once()
954        Traceback (most recent call last):
955        ...
956        AssertionError: Expected mock to have been awaited once. Awaited 2 times.
957
958  .. method:: assert_awaited_with(*args, **kwargs)
959
960      Assert that the last await was with the specified arguments.
961
962        >>> mock = AsyncMock()
963        >>> async def main(*args, **kwargs):
964        ...     await mock(*args, **kwargs)
965        ...
966        >>> asyncio.run(main('foo', bar='bar'))
967        >>> mock.assert_awaited_with('foo', bar='bar')
968        >>> mock.assert_awaited_with('other')
969        Traceback (most recent call last):
970        ...
971        AssertionError: expected call not found.
972        Expected: mock('other')
973        Actual: mock('foo', bar='bar')
974
975  .. method:: assert_awaited_once_with(*args, **kwargs)
976
977      Assert that the mock was awaited exactly once and with the specified
978      arguments.
979
980        >>> mock = AsyncMock()
981        >>> async def main(*args, **kwargs):
982        ...     await mock(*args, **kwargs)
983        ...
984        >>> asyncio.run(main('foo', bar='bar'))
985        >>> mock.assert_awaited_once_with('foo', bar='bar')
986        >>> asyncio.run(main('foo', bar='bar'))
987        >>> mock.assert_awaited_once_with('foo', bar='bar')
988        Traceback (most recent call last):
989        ...
990        AssertionError: Expected mock to have been awaited once. Awaited 2 times.
991
992  .. method:: assert_any_await(*args, **kwargs)
993
994      Assert the mock has ever been awaited with the specified arguments.
995
996        >>> mock = AsyncMock()
997        >>> async def main(*args, **kwargs):
998        ...     await mock(*args, **kwargs)
999        ...
1000        >>> asyncio.run(main('foo', bar='bar'))
1001        >>> asyncio.run(main('hello'))
1002        >>> mock.assert_any_await('foo', bar='bar')
1003        >>> mock.assert_any_await('other')
1004        Traceback (most recent call last):
1005        ...
1006        AssertionError: mock('other') await not found
1007
1008  .. method:: assert_has_awaits(calls, any_order=False)
1009
1010      Assert the mock has been awaited with the specified calls.
1011      The :attr:`await_args_list` list is checked for the awaits.
1012
1013      If *any_order* is false then the awaits must be
1014      sequential. There can be extra calls before or after the
1015      specified awaits.
1016
1017      If *any_order* is true then the awaits can be in any order, but
1018      they must all appear in :attr:`await_args_list`.
1019
1020        >>> mock = AsyncMock()
1021        >>> async def main(*args, **kwargs):
1022        ...     await mock(*args, **kwargs)
1023        ...
1024        >>> calls = [call("foo"), call("bar")]
1025        >>> mock.assert_has_awaits(calls)
1026        Traceback (most recent call last):
1027        ...
1028        AssertionError: Awaits not found.
1029        Expected: [call('foo'), call('bar')]
1030        Actual: []
1031        >>> asyncio.run(main('foo'))
1032        >>> asyncio.run(main('bar'))
1033        >>> mock.assert_has_awaits(calls)
1034
1035  .. method:: assert_not_awaited()
1036
1037    Assert that the mock was never awaited.
1038
1039        >>> mock = AsyncMock()
1040        >>> mock.assert_not_awaited()
1041
1042  .. method:: reset_mock(*args, **kwargs)
1043
1044    See :func:`Mock.reset_mock`. Also sets :attr:`await_count` to 0,
1045    :attr:`await_args` to None, and clears the :attr:`await_args_list`.
1046
1047  .. attribute:: await_count
1048
1049    An integer keeping track of how many times the mock object has been awaited.
1050
1051      >>> mock = AsyncMock()
1052      >>> async def main():
1053      ...     await mock()
1054      ...
1055      >>> asyncio.run(main())
1056      >>> mock.await_count
1057      1
1058      >>> asyncio.run(main())
1059      >>> mock.await_count
1060      2
1061
1062  .. attribute:: await_args
1063
1064    This is either ``None`` (if the mock hasn’t been awaited), or the arguments that
1065    the mock was last awaited with. Functions the same as :attr:`Mock.call_args`.
1066
1067      >>> mock = AsyncMock()
1068      >>> async def main(*args):
1069      ...     await mock(*args)
1070      ...
1071      >>> mock.await_args
1072      >>> asyncio.run(main('foo'))
1073      >>> mock.await_args
1074      call('foo')
1075      >>> asyncio.run(main('bar'))
1076      >>> mock.await_args
1077      call('bar')
1078
1079
1080  .. attribute:: await_args_list
1081
1082    This is a list of all the awaits made to the mock object in sequence (so the
1083    length of the list is the number of times it has been awaited). Before any
1084    awaits have been made it is an empty list.
1085
1086      >>> mock = AsyncMock()
1087      >>> async def main(*args):
1088      ...     await mock(*args)
1089      ...
1090      >>> mock.await_args_list
1091      []
1092      >>> asyncio.run(main('foo'))
1093      >>> mock.await_args_list
1094      [call('foo')]
1095      >>> asyncio.run(main('bar'))
1096      >>> mock.await_args_list
1097      [call('foo'), call('bar')]
1098
1099
1100Calling
1101~~~~~~~
1102
1103Mock objects are callable. The call will return the value set as the
1104:attr:`~Mock.return_value` attribute. The default return value is a new Mock
1105object; it is created the first time the return value is accessed (either
1106explicitly or by calling the Mock) - but it is stored and the same one
1107returned each time.
1108
1109Calls made to the object will be recorded in the attributes
1110like :attr:`~Mock.call_args` and :attr:`~Mock.call_args_list`.
1111
1112If :attr:`~Mock.side_effect` is set then it will be called after the call has
1113been recorded, so if :attr:`side_effect` raises an exception the call is still
1114recorded.
1115
1116The simplest way to make a mock raise an exception when called is to make
1117:attr:`~Mock.side_effect` an exception class or instance:
1118
1119        >>> m = MagicMock(side_effect=IndexError)
1120        >>> m(1, 2, 3)
1121        Traceback (most recent call last):
1122          ...
1123        IndexError
1124        >>> m.mock_calls
1125        [call(1, 2, 3)]
1126        >>> m.side_effect = KeyError('Bang!')
1127        >>> m('two', 'three', 'four')
1128        Traceback (most recent call last):
1129          ...
1130        KeyError: 'Bang!'
1131        >>> m.mock_calls
1132        [call(1, 2, 3), call('two', 'three', 'four')]
1133
1134If :attr:`side_effect` is a function then whatever that function returns is what
1135calls to the mock return. The :attr:`side_effect` function is called with the
1136same arguments as the mock. This allows you to vary the return value of the
1137call dynamically, based on the input:
1138
1139        >>> def side_effect(value):
1140        ...     return value + 1
1141        ...
1142        >>> m = MagicMock(side_effect=side_effect)
1143        >>> m(1)
1144        2
1145        >>> m(2)
1146        3
1147        >>> m.mock_calls
1148        [call(1), call(2)]
1149
1150If you want the mock to still return the default return value (a new mock), or
1151any set return value, then there are two ways of doing this. Either return
1152:attr:`mock.return_value` from inside :attr:`side_effect`, or return :data:`DEFAULT`:
1153
1154        >>> m = MagicMock()
1155        >>> def side_effect(*args, **kwargs):
1156        ...     return m.return_value
1157        ...
1158        >>> m.side_effect = side_effect
1159        >>> m.return_value = 3
1160        >>> m()
1161        3
1162        >>> def side_effect(*args, **kwargs):
1163        ...     return DEFAULT
1164        ...
1165        >>> m.side_effect = side_effect
1166        >>> m()
1167        3
1168
1169To remove a :attr:`side_effect`, and return to the default behaviour, set the
1170:attr:`side_effect` to ``None``:
1171
1172        >>> m = MagicMock(return_value=6)
1173        >>> def side_effect(*args, **kwargs):
1174        ...     return 3
1175        ...
1176        >>> m.side_effect = side_effect
1177        >>> m()
1178        3
1179        >>> m.side_effect = None
1180        >>> m()
1181        6
1182
1183The :attr:`side_effect` can also be any iterable object. Repeated calls to the mock
1184will return values from the iterable (until the iterable is exhausted and
1185a :exc:`StopIteration` is raised):
1186
1187        >>> m = MagicMock(side_effect=[1, 2, 3])
1188        >>> m()
1189        1
1190        >>> m()
1191        2
1192        >>> m()
1193        3
1194        >>> m()
1195        Traceback (most recent call last):
1196          ...
1197        StopIteration
1198
1199If any members of the iterable are exceptions they will be raised instead of
1200returned::
1201
1202        >>> iterable = (33, ValueError, 66)
1203        >>> m = MagicMock(side_effect=iterable)
1204        >>> m()
1205        33
1206        >>> m()
1207        Traceback (most recent call last):
1208         ...
1209        ValueError
1210        >>> m()
1211        66
1212
1213
1214.. _deleting-attributes:
1215
1216Deleting Attributes
1217~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
1218
1219Mock objects create attributes on demand. This allows them to pretend to be
1220objects of any type.
1221
1222You may want a mock object to return ``False`` to a :func:`hasattr` call, or raise an
1223:exc:`AttributeError` when an attribute is fetched. You can do this by providing
1224an object as a :attr:`spec` for a mock, but that isn't always convenient.
1225
1226You "block" attributes by deleting them. Once deleted, accessing an attribute
1227will raise an :exc:`AttributeError`.
1228
1229    >>> mock = MagicMock()
1230    >>> hasattr(mock, 'm')
1231    True
1232    >>> del mock.m
1233    >>> hasattr(mock, 'm')
1234    False
1235    >>> del mock.f
1236    >>> mock.f
1237    Traceback (most recent call last):
1238        ...
1239    AttributeError: f
1240
1241
1242Mock names and the name attribute
1243~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
1244
1245Since "name" is an argument to the :class:`Mock` constructor, if you want your
1246mock object to have a "name" attribute you can't just pass it in at creation
1247time. There are two alternatives. One option is to use
1248:meth:`~Mock.configure_mock`::
1249
1250    >>> mock = MagicMock()
1251    >>> mock.configure_mock(name='my_name')
1252    >>> mock.name
1253    'my_name'
1254
1255A simpler option is to simply set the "name" attribute after mock creation::
1256
1257    >>> mock = MagicMock()
1258    >>> mock.name = "foo"
1259
1260
1261Attaching Mocks as Attributes
1262~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
1263
1264When you attach a mock as an attribute of another mock (or as the return
1265value) it becomes a "child" of that mock. Calls to the child are recorded in
1266the :attr:`~Mock.method_calls` and :attr:`~Mock.mock_calls` attributes of the
1267parent. This is useful for configuring child mocks and then attaching them to
1268the parent, or for attaching mocks to a parent that records all calls to the
1269children and allows you to make assertions about the order of calls between
1270mocks:
1271
1272    >>> parent = MagicMock()
1273    >>> child1 = MagicMock(return_value=None)
1274    >>> child2 = MagicMock(return_value=None)
1275    >>> parent.child1 = child1
1276    >>> parent.child2 = child2
1277    >>> child1(1)
1278    >>> child2(2)
1279    >>> parent.mock_calls
1280    [call.child1(1), call.child2(2)]
1281
1282The exception to this is if the mock has a name. This allows you to prevent
1283the "parenting" if for some reason you don't want it to happen.
1284
1285    >>> mock = MagicMock()
1286    >>> not_a_child = MagicMock(name='not-a-child')
1287    >>> mock.attribute = not_a_child
1288    >>> mock.attribute()
1289    <MagicMock name='not-a-child()' id='...'>
1290    >>> mock.mock_calls
1291    []
1292
1293Mocks created for you by :func:`patch` are automatically given names. To
1294attach mocks that have names to a parent you use the :meth:`~Mock.attach_mock`
1295method::
1296
1297    >>> thing1 = object()
1298    >>> thing2 = object()
1299    >>> parent = MagicMock()
1300    >>> with patch('__main__.thing1', return_value=None) as child1:
1301    ...     with patch('__main__.thing2', return_value=None) as child2:
1302    ...         parent.attach_mock(child1, 'child1')
1303    ...         parent.attach_mock(child2, 'child2')
1304    ...         child1('one')
1305    ...         child2('two')
1306    ...
1307    >>> parent.mock_calls
1308    [call.child1('one'), call.child2('two')]
1309
1310
1311.. [#] The only exceptions are magic methods and attributes (those that have
1312       leading and trailing double underscores). Mock doesn't create these but
1313       instead raises an :exc:`AttributeError`. This is because the interpreter
1314       will often implicitly request these methods, and gets *very* confused to
1315       get a new Mock object when it expects a magic method. If you need magic
1316       method support see :ref:`magic methods <magic-methods>`.
1317
1318
1319The patchers
1320------------
1321
1322The patch decorators are used for patching objects only within the scope of
1323the function they decorate. They automatically handle the unpatching for you,
1324even if exceptions are raised. All of these functions can also be used in with
1325statements or as class decorators.
1326
1327
1328patch
1329~~~~~
1330
1331.. note::
1332
1333    The key is to do the patching in the right namespace. See the section `where to patch`_.
1334
1335.. function:: patch(target, new=DEFAULT, spec=None, create=False, spec_set=None, autospec=None, new_callable=None, **kwargs)
1336
1337    :func:`patch` acts as a function decorator, class decorator or a context
1338    manager. Inside the body of the function or with statement, the *target*
1339    is patched with a *new* object. When the function/with statement exits
1340    the patch is undone.
1341
1342    If *new* is omitted, then the target is replaced with an
1343    :class:`AsyncMock` if the patched object is an async function or
1344    a :class:`MagicMock` otherwise.
1345    If :func:`patch` is used as a decorator and *new* is
1346    omitted, the created mock is passed in as an extra argument to the
1347    decorated function. If :func:`patch` is used as a context manager the created
1348    mock is returned by the context manager.
1349
1350    *target* should be a string in the form ``'package.module.ClassName'``. The
1351    *target* is imported and the specified object replaced with the *new*
1352    object, so the *target* must be importable from the environment you are
1353    calling :func:`patch` from. The target is imported when the decorated function
1354    is executed, not at decoration time.
1355
1356    The *spec* and *spec_set* keyword arguments are passed to the :class:`MagicMock`
1357    if patch is creating one for you.
1358
1359    In addition you can pass ``spec=True`` or ``spec_set=True``, which causes
1360    patch to pass in the object being mocked as the spec/spec_set object.
1361
1362    *new_callable* allows you to specify a different class, or callable object,
1363    that will be called to create the *new* object. By default :class:`AsyncMock`
1364    is used for async functions and :class:`MagicMock` for the rest.
1365
1366    A more powerful form of *spec* is *autospec*. If you set ``autospec=True``
1367    then the mock will be created with a spec from the object being replaced.
1368    All attributes of the mock will also have the spec of the corresponding
1369    attribute of the object being replaced. Methods and functions being mocked
1370    will have their arguments checked and will raise a :exc:`TypeError` if they are
1371    called with the wrong signature. For mocks
1372    replacing a class, their return value (the 'instance') will have the same
1373    spec as the class. See the :func:`create_autospec` function and
1374    :ref:`auto-speccing`.
1375
1376    Instead of ``autospec=True`` you can pass ``autospec=some_object`` to use an
1377    arbitrary object as the spec instead of the one being replaced.
1378
1379    By default :func:`patch` will fail to replace attributes that don't exist.
1380    If you pass in ``create=True``, and the attribute doesn't exist, patch will
1381    create the attribute for you when the patched function is called, and delete
1382    it again after the patched function has exited. This is useful for writing
1383    tests against attributes that your production code creates at runtime. It is
1384    off by default because it can be dangerous. With it switched on you can
1385    write passing tests against APIs that don't actually exist!
1386
1387    .. note::
1388
1389        .. versionchanged:: 3.5
1390           If you are patching builtins in a module then you don't
1391           need to pass ``create=True``, it will be added by default.
1392
1393    Patch can be used as a :class:`TestCase` class decorator. It works by
1394    decorating each test method in the class. This reduces the boilerplate
1395    code when your test methods share a common patchings set. :func:`patch` finds
1396    tests by looking for method names that start with ``patch.TEST_PREFIX``.
1397    By default this is ``'test'``, which matches the way :mod:`unittest` finds tests.
1398    You can specify an alternative prefix by setting ``patch.TEST_PREFIX``.
1399
1400    Patch can be used as a context manager, with the with statement. Here the
1401    patching applies to the indented block after the with statement. If you
1402    use "as" then the patched object will be bound to the name after the
1403    "as"; very useful if :func:`patch` is creating a mock object for you.
1404
1405    :func:`patch` takes arbitrary keyword arguments. These will be passed to
1406    :class:`AsyncMock` if the patched object is asynchronous, to
1407    :class:`MagicMock` otherwise or to *new_callable* if specified.
1408
1409    ``patch.dict(...)``, ``patch.multiple(...)`` and ``patch.object(...)`` are
1410    available for alternate use-cases.
1411
1412:func:`patch` as function decorator, creating the mock for you and passing it into
1413the decorated function::
1414
1415    >>> @patch('__main__.SomeClass')
1416    ... def function(normal_argument, mock_class):
1417    ...     print(mock_class is SomeClass)
1418    ...
1419    >>> function(None)
1420    True
1421
1422Patching a class replaces the class with a :class:`MagicMock` *instance*. If the
1423class is instantiated in the code under test then it will be the
1424:attr:`~Mock.return_value` of the mock that will be used.
1425
1426If the class is instantiated multiple times you could use
1427:attr:`~Mock.side_effect` to return a new mock each time. Alternatively you
1428can set the *return_value* to be anything you want.
1429
1430To configure return values on methods of *instances* on the patched class
1431you must do this on the :attr:`return_value`. For example::
1432
1433    >>> class Class:
1434    ...     def method(self):
1435    ...         pass
1436    ...
1437    >>> with patch('__main__.Class') as MockClass:
1438    ...     instance = MockClass.return_value
1439    ...     instance.method.return_value = 'foo'
1440    ...     assert Class() is instance
1441    ...     assert Class().method() == 'foo'
1442    ...
1443
1444If you use *spec* or *spec_set* and :func:`patch` is replacing a *class*, then the
1445return value of the created mock will have the same spec. ::
1446
1447    >>> Original = Class
1448    >>> patcher = patch('__main__.Class', spec=True)
1449    >>> MockClass = patcher.start()
1450    >>> instance = MockClass()
1451    >>> assert isinstance(instance, Original)
1452    >>> patcher.stop()
1453
1454The *new_callable* argument is useful where you want to use an alternative
1455class to the default :class:`MagicMock` for the created mock. For example, if
1456you wanted a :class:`NonCallableMock` to be used::
1457
1458    >>> thing = object()
1459    >>> with patch('__main__.thing', new_callable=NonCallableMock) as mock_thing:
1460    ...     assert thing is mock_thing
1461    ...     thing()
1462    ...
1463    Traceback (most recent call last):
1464      ...
1465    TypeError: 'NonCallableMock' object is not callable
1466
1467Another use case might be to replace an object with an :class:`io.StringIO` instance::
1468
1469    >>> from io import StringIO
1470    >>> def foo():
1471    ...     print('Something')
1472    ...
1473    >>> @patch('sys.stdout', new_callable=StringIO)
1474    ... def test(mock_stdout):
1475    ...     foo()
1476    ...     assert mock_stdout.getvalue() == 'Something\n'
1477    ...
1478    >>> test()
1479
1480When :func:`patch` is creating a mock for you, it is common that the first thing
1481you need to do is to configure the mock. Some of that configuration can be done
1482in the call to patch. Any arbitrary keywords you pass into the call will be
1483used to set attributes on the created mock::
1484
1485    >>> patcher = patch('__main__.thing', first='one', second='two')
1486    >>> mock_thing = patcher.start()
1487    >>> mock_thing.first
1488    'one'
1489    >>> mock_thing.second
1490    'two'
1491
1492As well as attributes on the created mock attributes, like the
1493:attr:`~Mock.return_value` and :attr:`~Mock.side_effect`, of child mocks can
1494also be configured. These aren't syntactically valid to pass in directly as
1495keyword arguments, but a dictionary with these as keys can still be expanded
1496into a :func:`patch` call using ``**``::
1497
1498    >>> config = {'method.return_value': 3, 'other.side_effect': KeyError}
1499    >>> patcher = patch('__main__.thing', **config)
1500    >>> mock_thing = patcher.start()
1501    >>> mock_thing.method()
1502    3
1503    >>> mock_thing.other()
1504    Traceback (most recent call last):
1505      ...
1506    KeyError
1507
1508By default, attempting to patch a function in a module (or a method or an
1509attribute in a class) that does not exist will fail with :exc:`AttributeError`::
1510
1511    >>> @patch('sys.non_existing_attribute', 42)
1512    ... def test():
1513    ...     assert sys.non_existing_attribute == 42
1514    ...
1515    >>> test()
1516    Traceback (most recent call last):
1517      ...
1518    AttributeError: <module 'sys' (built-in)> does not have the attribute 'non_existing'
1519
1520but adding ``create=True`` in the call to :func:`patch` will make the previous example
1521work as expected::
1522
1523    >>> @patch('sys.non_existing_attribute', 42, create=True)
1524    ... def test(mock_stdout):
1525    ...     assert sys.non_existing_attribute == 42
1526    ...
1527    >>> test()
1528
1529.. versionchanged:: 3.8
1530
1531    :func:`patch` now returns an :class:`AsyncMock` if the target is an async function.
1532
1533
1534patch.object
1535~~~~~~~~~~~~
1536
1537.. function:: patch.object(target, attribute, new=DEFAULT, spec=None, create=False, spec_set=None, autospec=None, new_callable=None, **kwargs)
1538
1539    patch the named member (*attribute*) on an object (*target*) with a mock
1540    object.
1541
1542    :func:`patch.object` can be used as a decorator, class decorator or a context
1543    manager. Arguments *new*, *spec*, *create*, *spec_set*, *autospec* and
1544    *new_callable* have the same meaning as for :func:`patch`. Like :func:`patch`,
1545    :func:`patch.object` takes arbitrary keyword arguments for configuring the mock
1546    object it creates.
1547
1548    When used as a class decorator :func:`patch.object` honours ``patch.TEST_PREFIX``
1549    for choosing which methods to wrap.
1550
1551You can either call :func:`patch.object` with three arguments or two arguments. The
1552three argument form takes the object to be patched, the attribute name and the
1553object to replace the attribute with.
1554
1555When calling with the two argument form you omit the replacement object, and a
1556mock is created for you and passed in as an extra argument to the decorated
1557function:
1558
1559    >>> @patch.object(SomeClass, 'class_method')
1560    ... def test(mock_method):
1561    ...     SomeClass.class_method(3)
1562    ...     mock_method.assert_called_with(3)
1563    ...
1564    >>> test()
1565
1566*spec*, *create* and the other arguments to :func:`patch.object` have the same
1567meaning as they do for :func:`patch`.
1568
1569
1570patch.dict
1571~~~~~~~~~~
1572
1573.. function:: patch.dict(in_dict, values=(), clear=False, **kwargs)
1574
1575    Patch a dictionary, or dictionary like object, and restore the dictionary
1576    to its original state after the test.
1577
1578    *in_dict* can be a dictionary or a mapping like container. If it is a
1579    mapping then it must at least support getting, setting and deleting items
1580    plus iterating over keys.
1581
1582    *in_dict* can also be a string specifying the name of the dictionary, which
1583    will then be fetched by importing it.
1584
1585    *values* can be a dictionary of values to set in the dictionary. *values*
1586    can also be an iterable of ``(key, value)`` pairs.
1587
1588    If *clear* is true then the dictionary will be cleared before the new
1589    values are set.
1590
1591    :func:`patch.dict` can also be called with arbitrary keyword arguments to set
1592    values in the dictionary.
1593
1594    .. versionchanged:: 3.8
1595
1596        :func:`patch.dict` now returns the patched dictionary when used as a context
1597        manager.
1598
1599:func:`patch.dict` can be used as a context manager, decorator or class
1600decorator:
1601
1602    >>> foo = {}
1603    >>> @patch.dict(foo, {'newkey': 'newvalue'})
1604    ... def test():
1605    ...     assert foo == {'newkey': 'newvalue'}
1606    >>> test()
1607    >>> assert foo == {}
1608
1609When used as a class decorator :func:`patch.dict` honours
1610``patch.TEST_PREFIX`` (default to ``'test'``) for choosing which methods to wrap:
1611
1612    >>> import os
1613    >>> import unittest
1614    >>> from unittest.mock import patch
1615    >>> @patch.dict('os.environ', {'newkey': 'newvalue'})
1616    ... class TestSample(unittest.TestCase):
1617    ...     def test_sample(self):
1618    ...         self.assertEqual(os.environ['newkey'], 'newvalue')
1619
1620If you want to use a different prefix for your test, you can inform the
1621patchers of the different prefix by setting ``patch.TEST_PREFIX``. For
1622more details about how to change the value of see :ref:`test-prefix`.
1623
1624:func:`patch.dict` can be used to add members to a dictionary, or simply let a test
1625change a dictionary, and ensure the dictionary is restored when the test
1626ends.
1627
1628    >>> foo = {}
1629    >>> with patch.dict(foo, {'newkey': 'newvalue'}) as patched_foo:
1630    ...     assert foo == {'newkey': 'newvalue'}
1631    ...     assert patched_foo == {'newkey': 'newvalue'}
1632    ...     # You can add, update or delete keys of foo (or patched_foo, it's the same dict)
1633    ...     patched_foo['spam'] = 'eggs'
1634    ...
1635    >>> assert foo == {}
1636    >>> assert patched_foo == {}
1637
1638    >>> import os
1639    >>> with patch.dict('os.environ', {'newkey': 'newvalue'}):
1640    ...     print(os.environ['newkey'])
1641    ...
1642    newvalue
1643    >>> assert 'newkey' not in os.environ
1644
1645Keywords can be used in the :func:`patch.dict` call to set values in the dictionary:
1646
1647    >>> mymodule = MagicMock()
1648    >>> mymodule.function.return_value = 'fish'
1649    >>> with patch.dict('sys.modules', mymodule=mymodule):
1650    ...     import mymodule
1651    ...     mymodule.function('some', 'args')
1652    ...
1653    'fish'
1654
1655:func:`patch.dict` can be used with dictionary like objects that aren't actually
1656dictionaries. At the very minimum they must support item getting, setting,
1657deleting and either iteration or membership test. This corresponds to the
1658magic methods :meth:`__getitem__`, :meth:`__setitem__`, :meth:`__delitem__` and either
1659:meth:`__iter__` or :meth:`__contains__`.
1660
1661    >>> class Container:
1662    ...     def __init__(self):
1663    ...         self.values = {}
1664    ...     def __getitem__(self, name):
1665    ...         return self.values[name]
1666    ...     def __setitem__(self, name, value):
1667    ...         self.values[name] = value
1668    ...     def __delitem__(self, name):
1669    ...         del self.values[name]
1670    ...     def __iter__(self):
1671    ...         return iter(self.values)
1672    ...
1673    >>> thing = Container()
1674    >>> thing['one'] = 1
1675    >>> with patch.dict(thing, one=2, two=3):
1676    ...     assert thing['one'] == 2
1677    ...     assert thing['two'] == 3
1678    ...
1679    >>> assert thing['one'] == 1
1680    >>> assert list(thing) == ['one']
1681
1682
1683patch.multiple
1684~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
1685
1686.. function:: patch.multiple(target, spec=None, create=False, spec_set=None, autospec=None, new_callable=None, **kwargs)
1687
1688    Perform multiple patches in a single call. It takes the object to be
1689    patched (either as an object or a string to fetch the object by importing)
1690    and keyword arguments for the patches::
1691
1692        with patch.multiple(settings, FIRST_PATCH='one', SECOND_PATCH='two'):
1693            ...
1694
1695    Use :data:`DEFAULT` as the value if you want :func:`patch.multiple` to create
1696    mocks for you. In this case the created mocks are passed into a decorated
1697    function by keyword, and a dictionary is returned when :func:`patch.multiple` is
1698    used as a context manager.
1699
1700    :func:`patch.multiple` can be used as a decorator, class decorator or a context
1701    manager. The arguments *spec*, *spec_set*, *create*, *autospec* and
1702    *new_callable* have the same meaning as for :func:`patch`. These arguments will
1703    be applied to *all* patches done by :func:`patch.multiple`.
1704
1705    When used as a class decorator :func:`patch.multiple` honours ``patch.TEST_PREFIX``
1706    for choosing which methods to wrap.
1707
1708If you want :func:`patch.multiple` to create mocks for you, then you can use
1709:data:`DEFAULT` as the value. If you use :func:`patch.multiple` as a decorator
1710then the created mocks are passed into the decorated function by keyword. ::
1711
1712    >>> thing = object()
1713    >>> other = object()
1714
1715    >>> @patch.multiple('__main__', thing=DEFAULT, other=DEFAULT)
1716    ... def test_function(thing, other):
1717    ...     assert isinstance(thing, MagicMock)
1718    ...     assert isinstance(other, MagicMock)
1719    ...
1720    >>> test_function()
1721
1722:func:`patch.multiple` can be nested with other ``patch`` decorators, but put arguments
1723passed by keyword *after* any of the standard arguments created by :func:`patch`::
1724
1725    >>> @patch('sys.exit')
1726    ... @patch.multiple('__main__', thing=DEFAULT, other=DEFAULT)
1727    ... def test_function(mock_exit, other, thing):
1728    ...     assert 'other' in repr(other)
1729    ...     assert 'thing' in repr(thing)
1730    ...     assert 'exit' in repr(mock_exit)
1731    ...
1732    >>> test_function()
1733
1734If :func:`patch.multiple` is used as a context manager, the value returned by the
1735context manager is a dictionary where created mocks are keyed by name::
1736
1737    >>> with patch.multiple('__main__', thing=DEFAULT, other=DEFAULT) as values:
1738    ...     assert 'other' in repr(values['other'])
1739    ...     assert 'thing' in repr(values['thing'])
1740    ...     assert values['thing'] is thing
1741    ...     assert values['other'] is other
1742    ...
1743
1744
1745.. _start-and-stop:
1746
1747patch methods: start and stop
1748~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
1749
1750All the patchers have :meth:`start` and :meth:`stop` methods. These make it simpler to do
1751patching in ``setUp`` methods or where you want to do multiple patches without
1752nesting decorators or with statements.
1753
1754To use them call :func:`patch`, :func:`patch.object` or :func:`patch.dict` as
1755normal and keep a reference to the returned ``patcher`` object. You can then
1756call :meth:`start` to put the patch in place and :meth:`stop` to undo it.
1757
1758If you are using :func:`patch` to create a mock for you then it will be returned by
1759the call to ``patcher.start``. ::
1760
1761    >>> patcher = patch('package.module.ClassName')
1762    >>> from package import module
1763    >>> original = module.ClassName
1764    >>> new_mock = patcher.start()
1765    >>> assert module.ClassName is not original
1766    >>> assert module.ClassName is new_mock
1767    >>> patcher.stop()
1768    >>> assert module.ClassName is original
1769    >>> assert module.ClassName is not new_mock
1770
1771
1772A typical use case for this might be for doing multiple patches in the ``setUp``
1773method of a :class:`TestCase`::
1774
1775    >>> class MyTest(unittest.TestCase):
1776    ...     def setUp(self):
1777    ...         self.patcher1 = patch('package.module.Class1')
1778    ...         self.patcher2 = patch('package.module.Class2')
1779    ...         self.MockClass1 = self.patcher1.start()
1780    ...         self.MockClass2 = self.patcher2.start()
1781    ...
1782    ...     def tearDown(self):
1783    ...         self.patcher1.stop()
1784    ...         self.patcher2.stop()
1785    ...
1786    ...     def test_something(self):
1787    ...         assert package.module.Class1 is self.MockClass1
1788    ...         assert package.module.Class2 is self.MockClass2
1789    ...
1790    >>> MyTest('test_something').run()
1791
1792.. caution::
1793
1794    If you use this technique you must ensure that the patching is "undone" by
1795    calling ``stop``. This can be fiddlier than you might think, because if an
1796    exception is raised in the ``setUp`` then ``tearDown`` is not called.
1797    :meth:`unittest.TestCase.addCleanup` makes this easier::
1798
1799        >>> class MyTest(unittest.TestCase):
1800        ...     def setUp(self):
1801        ...         patcher = patch('package.module.Class')
1802        ...         self.MockClass = patcher.start()
1803        ...         self.addCleanup(patcher.stop)
1804        ...
1805        ...     def test_something(self):
1806        ...         assert package.module.Class is self.MockClass
1807        ...
1808
1809    As an added bonus you no longer need to keep a reference to the ``patcher``
1810    object.
1811
1812It is also possible to stop all patches which have been started by using
1813:func:`patch.stopall`.
1814
1815.. function:: patch.stopall
1816
1817    Stop all active patches. Only stops patches started with ``start``.
1818
1819
1820.. _patch-builtins:
1821
1822patch builtins
1823~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
1824You can patch any builtins within a module. The following example patches
1825builtin :func:`ord`::
1826
1827    >>> @patch('__main__.ord')
1828    ... def test(mock_ord):
1829    ...     mock_ord.return_value = 101
1830    ...     print(ord('c'))
1831    ...
1832    >>> test()
1833    101
1834
1835
1836.. _test-prefix:
1837
1838TEST_PREFIX
1839~~~~~~~~~~~
1840
1841All of the patchers can be used as class decorators. When used in this way
1842they wrap every test method on the class. The patchers recognise methods that
1843start with ``'test'`` as being test methods. This is the same way that the
1844:class:`unittest.TestLoader` finds test methods by default.
1845
1846It is possible that you want to use a different prefix for your tests. You can
1847inform the patchers of the different prefix by setting ``patch.TEST_PREFIX``::
1848
1849    >>> patch.TEST_PREFIX = 'foo'
1850    >>> value = 3
1851    >>>
1852    >>> @patch('__main__.value', 'not three')
1853    ... class Thing:
1854    ...     def foo_one(self):
1855    ...         print(value)
1856    ...     def foo_two(self):
1857    ...         print(value)
1858    ...
1859    >>>
1860    >>> Thing().foo_one()
1861    not three
1862    >>> Thing().foo_two()
1863    not three
1864    >>> value
1865    3
1866
1867
1868Nesting Patch Decorators
1869~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
1870
1871If you want to perform multiple patches then you can simply stack up the
1872decorators.
1873
1874You can stack up multiple patch decorators using this pattern:
1875
1876    >>> @patch.object(SomeClass, 'class_method')
1877    ... @patch.object(SomeClass, 'static_method')
1878    ... def test(mock1, mock2):
1879    ...     assert SomeClass.static_method is mock1
1880    ...     assert SomeClass.class_method is mock2
1881    ...     SomeClass.static_method('foo')
1882    ...     SomeClass.class_method('bar')
1883    ...     return mock1, mock2
1884    ...
1885    >>> mock1, mock2 = test()
1886    >>> mock1.assert_called_once_with('foo')
1887    >>> mock2.assert_called_once_with('bar')
1888
1889
1890Note that the decorators are applied from the bottom upwards. This is the
1891standard way that Python applies decorators. The order of the created mocks
1892passed into your test function matches this order.
1893
1894
1895.. _where-to-patch:
1896
1897Where to patch
1898~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
1899
1900:func:`patch` works by (temporarily) changing the object that a *name* points to with
1901another one. There can be many names pointing to any individual object, so
1902for patching to work you must ensure that you patch the name used by the system
1903under test.
1904
1905The basic principle is that you patch where an object is *looked up*, which
1906is not necessarily the same place as where it is defined. A couple of
1907examples will help to clarify this.
1908
1909Imagine we have a project that we want to test with the following structure::
1910
1911    a.py
1912        -> Defines SomeClass
1913
1914    b.py
1915        -> from a import SomeClass
1916        -> some_function instantiates SomeClass
1917
1918Now we want to test ``some_function`` but we want to mock out ``SomeClass`` using
1919:func:`patch`. The problem is that when we import module b, which we will have to
1920do then it imports ``SomeClass`` from module a. If we use :func:`patch` to mock out
1921``a.SomeClass`` then it will have no effect on our test; module b already has a
1922reference to the *real* ``SomeClass`` and it looks like our patching had no
1923effect.
1924
1925The key is to patch out ``SomeClass`` where it is used (or where it is looked up).
1926In this case ``some_function`` will actually look up ``SomeClass`` in module b,
1927where we have imported it. The patching should look like::
1928
1929    @patch('b.SomeClass')
1930
1931However, consider the alternative scenario where instead of ``from a import
1932SomeClass`` module b does ``import a`` and ``some_function`` uses ``a.SomeClass``. Both
1933of these import forms are common. In this case the class we want to patch is
1934being looked up in the module and so we have to patch ``a.SomeClass`` instead::
1935
1936    @patch('a.SomeClass')
1937
1938
1939Patching Descriptors and Proxy Objects
1940~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
1941
1942Both patch_ and patch.object_ correctly patch and restore descriptors: class
1943methods, static methods and properties. You should patch these on the *class*
1944rather than an instance. They also work with *some* objects
1945that proxy attribute access, like the `django settings object
1946<http://www.voidspace.org.uk/python/weblog/arch_d7_2010_12_04.shtml#e1198>`_.
1947
1948
1949MagicMock and magic method support
1950----------------------------------
1951
1952.. _magic-methods:
1953
1954Mocking Magic Methods
1955~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
1956
1957:class:`Mock` supports mocking the Python protocol methods, also known as
1958"magic methods". This allows mock objects to replace containers or other
1959objects that implement Python protocols.
1960
1961Because magic methods are looked up differently from normal methods [#]_, this
1962support has been specially implemented. This means that only specific magic
1963methods are supported. The supported list includes *almost* all of them. If
1964there are any missing that you need please let us know.
1965
1966You mock magic methods by setting the method you are interested in to a function
1967or a mock instance. If you are using a function then it *must* take ``self`` as
1968the first argument [#]_.
1969
1970   >>> def __str__(self):
1971   ...     return 'fooble'
1972   ...
1973   >>> mock = Mock()
1974   >>> mock.__str__ = __str__
1975   >>> str(mock)
1976   'fooble'
1977
1978   >>> mock = Mock()
1979   >>> mock.__str__ = Mock()
1980   >>> mock.__str__.return_value = 'fooble'
1981   >>> str(mock)
1982   'fooble'
1983
1984   >>> mock = Mock()
1985   >>> mock.__iter__ = Mock(return_value=iter([]))
1986   >>> list(mock)
1987   []
1988
1989One use case for this is for mocking objects used as context managers in a
1990:keyword:`with` statement:
1991
1992   >>> mock = Mock()
1993   >>> mock.__enter__ = Mock(return_value='foo')
1994   >>> mock.__exit__ = Mock(return_value=False)
1995   >>> with mock as m:
1996   ...     assert m == 'foo'
1997   ...
1998   >>> mock.__enter__.assert_called_with()
1999   >>> mock.__exit__.assert_called_with(None, None, None)
2000
2001Calls to magic methods do not appear in :attr:`~Mock.method_calls`, but they
2002are recorded in :attr:`~Mock.mock_calls`.
2003
2004.. note::
2005
2006   If you use the *spec* keyword argument to create a mock then attempting to
2007   set a magic method that isn't in the spec will raise an :exc:`AttributeError`.
2008
2009The full list of supported magic methods is:
2010
2011* ``__hash__``, ``__sizeof__``, ``__repr__`` and ``__str__``
2012* ``__dir__``, ``__format__`` and ``__subclasses__``
2013* ``__round__``, ``__floor__``, ``__trunc__`` and ``__ceil__``
2014* Comparisons: ``__lt__``, ``__gt__``, ``__le__``, ``__ge__``,
2015  ``__eq__`` and ``__ne__``
2016* Container methods: ``__getitem__``, ``__setitem__``, ``__delitem__``,
2017  ``__contains__``, ``__len__``, ``__iter__``, ``__reversed__``
2018  and ``__missing__``
2019* Context manager: ``__enter__``, ``__exit__``, ``__aenter__`` and ``__aexit__``
2020* Unary numeric methods: ``__neg__``, ``__pos__`` and ``__invert__``
2021* The numeric methods (including right hand and in-place variants):
2022  ``__add__``, ``__sub__``, ``__mul__``, ``__matmul__``, ``__div__``, ``__truediv__``,
2023  ``__floordiv__``, ``__mod__``, ``__divmod__``, ``__lshift__``,
2024  ``__rshift__``, ``__and__``, ``__xor__``, ``__or__``, and ``__pow__``
2025* Numeric conversion methods: ``__complex__``, ``__int__``, ``__float__``
2026  and ``__index__``
2027* Descriptor methods: ``__get__``, ``__set__`` and ``__delete__``
2028* Pickling: ``__reduce__``, ``__reduce_ex__``, ``__getinitargs__``,
2029  ``__getnewargs__``, ``__getstate__`` and ``__setstate__``
2030* File system path representation: ``__fspath__``
2031* Asynchronous iteration methods: ``__aiter__`` and ``__anext__``
2032
2033.. versionchanged:: 3.8
2034   Added support for :func:`os.PathLike.__fspath__`.
2035
2036.. versionchanged:: 3.8
2037   Added support for ``__aenter__``, ``__aexit__``, ``__aiter__`` and ``__anext__``.
2038
2039
2040The following methods exist but are *not* supported as they are either in use
2041by mock, can't be set dynamically, or can cause problems:
2042
2043* ``__getattr__``, ``__setattr__``, ``__init__`` and ``__new__``
2044* ``__prepare__``, ``__instancecheck__``, ``__subclasscheck__``, ``__del__``
2045
2046
2047
2048Magic Mock
2049~~~~~~~~~~
2050
2051There are two ``MagicMock`` variants: :class:`MagicMock` and :class:`NonCallableMagicMock`.
2052
2053
2054.. class:: MagicMock(*args, **kw)
2055
2056   ``MagicMock`` is a subclass of :class:`Mock` with default implementations
2057   of most of the magic methods. You can use ``MagicMock`` without having to
2058   configure the magic methods yourself.
2059
2060   The constructor parameters have the same meaning as for :class:`Mock`.
2061
2062   If you use the *spec* or *spec_set* arguments then *only* magic methods
2063   that exist in the spec will be created.
2064
2065
2066.. class:: NonCallableMagicMock(*args, **kw)
2067
2068    A non-callable version of :class:`MagicMock`.
2069
2070    The constructor parameters have the same meaning as for
2071    :class:`MagicMock`, with the exception of *return_value* and
2072    *side_effect* which have no meaning on a non-callable mock.
2073
2074The magic methods are setup with :class:`MagicMock` objects, so you can configure them
2075and use them in the usual way:
2076
2077   >>> mock = MagicMock()
2078   >>> mock[3] = 'fish'
2079   >>> mock.__setitem__.assert_called_with(3, 'fish')
2080   >>> mock.__getitem__.return_value = 'result'
2081   >>> mock[2]
2082   'result'
2083
2084By default many of the protocol methods are required to return objects of a
2085specific type. These methods are preconfigured with a default return value, so
2086that they can be used without you having to do anything if you aren't interested
2087in the return value. You can still *set* the return value manually if you want
2088to change the default.
2089
2090Methods and their defaults:
2091
2092* ``__lt__``: ``NotImplemented``
2093* ``__gt__``: ``NotImplemented``
2094* ``__le__``: ``NotImplemented``
2095* ``__ge__``: ``NotImplemented``
2096* ``__int__``: ``1``
2097* ``__contains__``: ``False``
2098* ``__len__``: ``0``
2099* ``__iter__``: ``iter([])``
2100* ``__exit__``: ``False``
2101* ``__aexit__``: ``False``
2102* ``__complex__``: ``1j``
2103* ``__float__``: ``1.0``
2104* ``__bool__``: ``True``
2105* ``__index__``: ``1``
2106* ``__hash__``: default hash for the mock
2107* ``__str__``: default str for the mock
2108* ``__sizeof__``: default sizeof for the mock
2109
2110For example:
2111
2112   >>> mock = MagicMock()
2113   >>> int(mock)
2114   1
2115   >>> len(mock)
2116   0
2117   >>> list(mock)
2118   []
2119   >>> object() in mock
2120   False
2121
2122The two equality methods, :meth:`__eq__` and :meth:`__ne__`, are special.
2123They do the default equality comparison on identity, using the
2124:attr:`~Mock.side_effect` attribute, unless you change their return value to
2125return something else::
2126
2127   >>> MagicMock() == 3
2128   False
2129   >>> MagicMock() != 3
2130   True
2131   >>> mock = MagicMock()
2132   >>> mock.__eq__.return_value = True
2133   >>> mock == 3
2134   True
2135
2136The return value of :meth:`MagicMock.__iter__` can be any iterable object and isn't
2137required to be an iterator:
2138
2139   >>> mock = MagicMock()
2140   >>> mock.__iter__.return_value = ['a', 'b', 'c']
2141   >>> list(mock)
2142   ['a', 'b', 'c']
2143   >>> list(mock)
2144   ['a', 'b', 'c']
2145
2146If the return value *is* an iterator, then iterating over it once will consume
2147it and subsequent iterations will result in an empty list:
2148
2149   >>> mock.__iter__.return_value = iter(['a', 'b', 'c'])
2150   >>> list(mock)
2151   ['a', 'b', 'c']
2152   >>> list(mock)
2153   []
2154
2155``MagicMock`` has all of the supported magic methods configured except for some
2156of the obscure and obsolete ones. You can still set these up if you want.
2157
2158Magic methods that are supported but not setup by default in ``MagicMock`` are:
2159
2160* ``__subclasses__``
2161* ``__dir__``
2162* ``__format__``
2163* ``__get__``, ``__set__`` and ``__delete__``
2164* ``__reversed__`` and ``__missing__``
2165* ``__reduce__``, ``__reduce_ex__``, ``__getinitargs__``, ``__getnewargs__``,
2166  ``__getstate__`` and ``__setstate__``
2167* ``__getformat__`` and ``__setformat__``
2168
2169
2170
2171.. [#] Magic methods *should* be looked up on the class rather than the
2172   instance. Different versions of Python are inconsistent about applying this
2173   rule. The supported protocol methods should work with all supported versions
2174   of Python.
2175.. [#] The function is basically hooked up to the class, but each ``Mock``
2176   instance is kept isolated from the others.
2177
2178
2179Helpers
2180-------
2181
2182sentinel
2183~~~~~~~~
2184
2185.. data:: sentinel
2186
2187   The ``sentinel`` object provides a convenient way of providing unique
2188   objects for your tests.
2189
2190   Attributes are created on demand when you access them by name. Accessing
2191   the same attribute will always return the same object. The objects
2192   returned have a sensible repr so that test failure messages are readable.
2193
2194   .. versionchanged:: 3.7
2195      The ``sentinel`` attributes now preserve their identity when they are
2196      :mod:`copied <copy>` or :mod:`pickled <pickle>`.
2197
2198Sometimes when testing you need to test that a specific object is passed as an
2199argument to another method, or returned. It can be common to create named
2200sentinel objects to test this. :data:`sentinel` provides a convenient way of
2201creating and testing the identity of objects like this.
2202
2203In this example we monkey patch ``method`` to return ``sentinel.some_object``:
2204
2205    >>> real = ProductionClass()
2206    >>> real.method = Mock(name="method")
2207    >>> real.method.return_value = sentinel.some_object
2208    >>> result = real.method()
2209    >>> assert result is sentinel.some_object
2210    >>> sentinel.some_object
2211    sentinel.some_object
2212
2213
2214DEFAULT
2215~~~~~~~
2216
2217
2218.. data:: DEFAULT
2219
2220    The :data:`DEFAULT` object is a pre-created sentinel (actually
2221    ``sentinel.DEFAULT``). It can be used by :attr:`~Mock.side_effect`
2222    functions to indicate that the normal return value should be used.
2223
2224
2225call
2226~~~~
2227
2228.. function:: call(*args, **kwargs)
2229
2230    :func:`call` is a helper object for making simpler assertions, for comparing with
2231    :attr:`~Mock.call_args`, :attr:`~Mock.call_args_list`,
2232    :attr:`~Mock.mock_calls` and :attr:`~Mock.method_calls`. :func:`call` can also be
2233    used with :meth:`~Mock.assert_has_calls`.
2234
2235        >>> m = MagicMock(return_value=None)
2236        >>> m(1, 2, a='foo', b='bar')
2237        >>> m()
2238        >>> m.call_args_list == [call(1, 2, a='foo', b='bar'), call()]
2239        True
2240
2241.. method:: call.call_list()
2242
2243    For a call object that represents multiple calls, :meth:`call_list`
2244    returns a list of all the intermediate calls as well as the
2245    final call.
2246
2247``call_list`` is particularly useful for making assertions on "chained calls". A
2248chained call is multiple calls on a single line of code. This results in
2249multiple entries in :attr:`~Mock.mock_calls` on a mock. Manually constructing
2250the sequence of calls can be tedious.
2251
2252:meth:`~call.call_list` can construct the sequence of calls from the same
2253chained call:
2254
2255    >>> m = MagicMock()
2256    >>> m(1).method(arg='foo').other('bar')(2.0)
2257    <MagicMock name='mock().method().other()()' id='...'>
2258    >>> kall = call(1).method(arg='foo').other('bar')(2.0)
2259    >>> kall.call_list()
2260    [call(1),
2261     call().method(arg='foo'),
2262     call().method().other('bar'),
2263     call().method().other()(2.0)]
2264    >>> m.mock_calls == kall.call_list()
2265    True
2266
2267.. _calls-as-tuples:
2268
2269A ``call`` object is either a tuple of (positional args, keyword args) or
2270(name, positional args, keyword args) depending on how it was constructed. When
2271you construct them yourself this isn't particularly interesting, but the ``call``
2272objects that are in the :attr:`Mock.call_args`, :attr:`Mock.call_args_list` and
2273:attr:`Mock.mock_calls` attributes can be introspected to get at the individual
2274arguments they contain.
2275
2276The ``call`` objects in :attr:`Mock.call_args` and :attr:`Mock.call_args_list`
2277are two-tuples of (positional args, keyword args) whereas the ``call`` objects
2278in :attr:`Mock.mock_calls`, along with ones you construct yourself, are
2279three-tuples of (name, positional args, keyword args).
2280
2281You can use their "tupleness" to pull out the individual arguments for more
2282complex introspection and assertions. The positional arguments are a tuple
2283(an empty tuple if there are no positional arguments) and the keyword
2284arguments are a dictionary:
2285
2286    >>> m = MagicMock(return_value=None)
2287    >>> m(1, 2, 3, arg='one', arg2='two')
2288    >>> kall = m.call_args
2289    >>> kall.args
2290    (1, 2, 3)
2291    >>> kall.kwargs
2292    {'arg': 'one', 'arg2': 'two'}
2293    >>> kall.args is kall[0]
2294    True
2295    >>> kall.kwargs is kall[1]
2296    True
2297
2298    >>> m = MagicMock()
2299    >>> m.foo(4, 5, 6, arg='two', arg2='three')
2300    <MagicMock name='mock.foo()' id='...'>
2301    >>> kall = m.mock_calls[0]
2302    >>> name, args, kwargs = kall
2303    >>> name
2304    'foo'
2305    >>> args
2306    (4, 5, 6)
2307    >>> kwargs
2308    {'arg': 'two', 'arg2': 'three'}
2309    >>> name is m.mock_calls[0][0]
2310    True
2311
2312
2313create_autospec
2314~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
2315
2316.. function:: create_autospec(spec, spec_set=False, instance=False, **kwargs)
2317
2318    Create a mock object using another object as a spec. Attributes on the
2319    mock will use the corresponding attribute on the *spec* object as their
2320    spec.
2321
2322    Functions or methods being mocked will have their arguments checked to
2323    ensure that they are called with the correct signature.
2324
2325    If *spec_set* is ``True`` then attempting to set attributes that don't exist
2326    on the spec object will raise an :exc:`AttributeError`.
2327
2328    If a class is used as a spec then the return value of the mock (the
2329    instance of the class) will have the same spec. You can use a class as the
2330    spec for an instance object by passing ``instance=True``. The returned mock
2331    will only be callable if instances of the mock are callable.
2332
2333    :func:`create_autospec` also takes arbitrary keyword arguments that are passed to
2334    the constructor of the created mock.
2335
2336See :ref:`auto-speccing` for examples of how to use auto-speccing with
2337:func:`create_autospec` and the *autospec* argument to :func:`patch`.
2338
2339
2340.. versionchanged:: 3.8
2341
2342    :func:`create_autospec` now returns an :class:`AsyncMock` if the target is
2343    an async function.
2344
2345
2346ANY
2347~~~
2348
2349.. data:: ANY
2350
2351Sometimes you may need to make assertions about *some* of the arguments in a
2352call to mock, but either not care about some of the arguments or want to pull
2353them individually out of :attr:`~Mock.call_args` and make more complex
2354assertions on them.
2355
2356To ignore certain arguments you can pass in objects that compare equal to
2357*everything*. Calls to :meth:`~Mock.assert_called_with` and
2358:meth:`~Mock.assert_called_once_with` will then succeed no matter what was
2359passed in.
2360
2361    >>> mock = Mock(return_value=None)
2362    >>> mock('foo', bar=object())
2363    >>> mock.assert_called_once_with('foo', bar=ANY)
2364
2365:data:`ANY` can also be used in comparisons with call lists like
2366:attr:`~Mock.mock_calls`:
2367
2368    >>> m = MagicMock(return_value=None)
2369    >>> m(1)
2370    >>> m(1, 2)
2371    >>> m(object())
2372    >>> m.mock_calls == [call(1), call(1, 2), ANY]
2373    True
2374
2375
2376
2377FILTER_DIR
2378~~~~~~~~~~
2379
2380.. data:: FILTER_DIR
2381
2382:data:`FILTER_DIR` is a module level variable that controls the way mock objects
2383respond to :func:`dir` (only for Python 2.6 or more recent). The default is ``True``,
2384which uses the filtering described below, to only show useful members. If you
2385dislike this filtering, or need to switch it off for diagnostic purposes, then
2386set ``mock.FILTER_DIR = False``.
2387
2388With filtering on, ``dir(some_mock)`` shows only useful attributes and will
2389include any dynamically created attributes that wouldn't normally be shown.
2390If the mock was created with a *spec* (or *autospec* of course) then all the
2391attributes from the original are shown, even if they haven't been accessed
2392yet:
2393
2394.. doctest::
2395    :options: +ELLIPSIS,+NORMALIZE_WHITESPACE
2396
2397    >>> dir(Mock())
2398    ['assert_any_call',
2399     'assert_called',
2400     'assert_called_once',
2401     'assert_called_once_with',
2402     'assert_called_with',
2403     'assert_has_calls',
2404     'assert_not_called',
2405     'attach_mock',
2406     ...
2407    >>> from urllib import request
2408    >>> dir(Mock(spec=request))
2409    ['AbstractBasicAuthHandler',
2410     'AbstractDigestAuthHandler',
2411     'AbstractHTTPHandler',
2412     'BaseHandler',
2413     ...
2414
2415Many of the not-very-useful (private to :class:`Mock` rather than the thing being
2416mocked) underscore and double underscore prefixed attributes have been
2417filtered from the result of calling :func:`dir` on a :class:`Mock`. If you dislike this
2418behaviour you can switch it off by setting the module level switch
2419:data:`FILTER_DIR`:
2420
2421.. doctest::
2422    :options: +ELLIPSIS,+NORMALIZE_WHITESPACE
2423
2424    >>> from unittest import mock
2425    >>> mock.FILTER_DIR = False
2426    >>> dir(mock.Mock())
2427    ['_NonCallableMock__get_return_value',
2428     '_NonCallableMock__get_side_effect',
2429     '_NonCallableMock__return_value_doc',
2430     '_NonCallableMock__set_return_value',
2431     '_NonCallableMock__set_side_effect',
2432     '__call__',
2433     '__class__',
2434     ...
2435
2436Alternatively you can just use ``vars(my_mock)`` (instance members) and
2437``dir(type(my_mock))`` (type members) to bypass the filtering irrespective of
2438:data:`mock.FILTER_DIR`.
2439
2440
2441mock_open
2442~~~~~~~~~
2443
2444.. function:: mock_open(mock=None, read_data=None)
2445
2446   A helper function to create a mock to replace the use of :func:`open`. It works
2447   for :func:`open` called directly or used as a context manager.
2448
2449   The *mock* argument is the mock object to configure. If ``None`` (the
2450   default) then a :class:`MagicMock` will be created for you, with the API limited
2451   to methods or attributes available on standard file handles.
2452
2453   *read_data* is a string for the :meth:`~io.IOBase.read`,
2454   :meth:`~io.IOBase.readline`, and :meth:`~io.IOBase.readlines` methods
2455   of the file handle to return.  Calls to those methods will take data from
2456   *read_data* until it is depleted.  The mock of these methods is pretty
2457   simplistic: every time the *mock* is called, the *read_data* is rewound to
2458   the start.  If you need more control over the data that you are feeding to
2459   the tested code you will need to customize this mock for yourself.  When that
2460   is insufficient, one of the in-memory filesystem packages on `PyPI
2461   <https://pypi.org>`_ can offer a realistic filesystem for testing.
2462
2463   .. versionchanged:: 3.4
2464      Added :meth:`~io.IOBase.readline` and :meth:`~io.IOBase.readlines` support.
2465      The mock of :meth:`~io.IOBase.read` changed to consume *read_data* rather
2466      than returning it on each call.
2467
2468   .. versionchanged:: 3.5
2469      *read_data* is now reset on each call to the *mock*.
2470
2471   .. versionchanged:: 3.8
2472      Added :meth:`__iter__` to implementation so that iteration (such as in for
2473      loops) correctly consumes *read_data*.
2474
2475Using :func:`open` as a context manager is a great way to ensure your file handles
2476are closed properly and is becoming common::
2477
2478    with open('/some/path', 'w') as f:
2479        f.write('something')
2480
2481The issue is that even if you mock out the call to :func:`open` it is the
2482*returned object* that is used as a context manager (and has :meth:`__enter__` and
2483:meth:`__exit__` called).
2484
2485Mocking context managers with a :class:`MagicMock` is common enough and fiddly
2486enough that a helper function is useful. ::
2487
2488    >>> m = mock_open()
2489    >>> with patch('__main__.open', m):
2490    ...     with open('foo', 'w') as h:
2491    ...         h.write('some stuff')
2492    ...
2493    >>> m.mock_calls
2494    [call('foo', 'w'),
2495     call().__enter__(),
2496     call().write('some stuff'),
2497     call().__exit__(None, None, None)]
2498    >>> m.assert_called_once_with('foo', 'w')
2499    >>> handle = m()
2500    >>> handle.write.assert_called_once_with('some stuff')
2501
2502And for reading files::
2503
2504    >>> with patch('__main__.open', mock_open(read_data='bibble')) as m:
2505    ...     with open('foo') as h:
2506    ...         result = h.read()
2507    ...
2508    >>> m.assert_called_once_with('foo')
2509    >>> assert result == 'bibble'
2510
2511
2512.. _auto-speccing:
2513
2514Autospeccing
2515~~~~~~~~~~~~
2516
2517Autospeccing is based on the existing :attr:`spec` feature of mock. It limits the
2518api of mocks to the api of an original object (the spec), but it is recursive
2519(implemented lazily) so that attributes of mocks only have the same api as
2520the attributes of the spec. In addition mocked functions / methods have the
2521same call signature as the original so they raise a :exc:`TypeError` if they are
2522called incorrectly.
2523
2524Before I explain how auto-speccing works, here's why it is needed.
2525
2526:class:`Mock` is a very powerful and flexible object, but it suffers from two flaws
2527when used to mock out objects from a system under test. One of these flaws is
2528specific to the :class:`Mock` api and the other is a more general problem with using
2529mock objects.
2530
2531First the problem specific to :class:`Mock`. :class:`Mock` has two assert methods that are
2532extremely handy: :meth:`~Mock.assert_called_with` and
2533:meth:`~Mock.assert_called_once_with`.
2534
2535    >>> mock = Mock(name='Thing', return_value=None)
2536    >>> mock(1, 2, 3)
2537    >>> mock.assert_called_once_with(1, 2, 3)
2538    >>> mock(1, 2, 3)
2539    >>> mock.assert_called_once_with(1, 2, 3)
2540    Traceback (most recent call last):
2541     ...
2542    AssertionError: Expected 'mock' to be called once. Called 2 times.
2543
2544Because mocks auto-create attributes on demand, and allow you to call them
2545with arbitrary arguments, if you misspell one of these assert methods then
2546your assertion is gone:
2547
2548.. code-block:: pycon
2549
2550    >>> mock = Mock(name='Thing', return_value=None)
2551    >>> mock(1, 2, 3)
2552    >>> mock.assret_called_once_with(4, 5, 6)
2553
2554Your tests can pass silently and incorrectly because of the typo.
2555
2556The second issue is more general to mocking. If you refactor some of your
2557code, rename members and so on, any tests for code that is still using the
2558*old api* but uses mocks instead of the real objects will still pass. This
2559means your tests can all pass even though your code is broken.
2560
2561Note that this is another reason why you need integration tests as well as
2562unit tests. Testing everything in isolation is all fine and dandy, but if you
2563don't test how your units are "wired together" there is still lots of room
2564for bugs that tests might have caught.
2565
2566:mod:`mock` already provides a feature to help with this, called speccing. If you
2567use a class or instance as the :attr:`spec` for a mock then you can only access
2568attributes on the mock that exist on the real class:
2569
2570    >>> from urllib import request
2571    >>> mock = Mock(spec=request.Request)
2572    >>> mock.assret_called_with
2573    Traceback (most recent call last):
2574     ...
2575    AttributeError: Mock object has no attribute 'assret_called_with'
2576
2577The spec only applies to the mock itself, so we still have the same issue
2578with any methods on the mock:
2579
2580.. code-block:: pycon
2581
2582    >>> mock.has_data()
2583    <mock.Mock object at 0x...>
2584    >>> mock.has_data.assret_called_with()
2585
2586Auto-speccing solves this problem. You can either pass ``autospec=True`` to
2587:func:`patch` / :func:`patch.object` or use the :func:`create_autospec` function to create a
2588mock with a spec. If you use the ``autospec=True`` argument to :func:`patch` then the
2589object that is being replaced will be used as the spec object. Because the
2590speccing is done "lazily" (the spec is created as attributes on the mock are
2591accessed) you can use it with very complex or deeply nested objects (like
2592modules that import modules that import modules) without a big performance
2593hit.
2594
2595Here's an example of it in use::
2596
2597    >>> from urllib import request
2598    >>> patcher = patch('__main__.request', autospec=True)
2599    >>> mock_request = patcher.start()
2600    >>> request is mock_request
2601    True
2602    >>> mock_request.Request
2603    <MagicMock name='request.Request' spec='Request' id='...'>
2604
2605You can see that :class:`request.Request` has a spec. :class:`request.Request` takes two
2606arguments in the constructor (one of which is *self*). Here's what happens if
2607we try to call it incorrectly::
2608
2609    >>> req = request.Request()
2610    Traceback (most recent call last):
2611     ...
2612    TypeError: <lambda>() takes at least 2 arguments (1 given)
2613
2614The spec also applies to instantiated classes (i.e. the return value of
2615specced mocks)::
2616
2617    >>> req = request.Request('foo')
2618    >>> req
2619    <NonCallableMagicMock name='request.Request()' spec='Request' id='...'>
2620
2621:class:`Request` objects are not callable, so the return value of instantiating our
2622mocked out :class:`request.Request` is a non-callable mock. With the spec in place
2623any typos in our asserts will raise the correct error::
2624
2625    >>> req.add_header('spam', 'eggs')
2626    <MagicMock name='request.Request().add_header()' id='...'>
2627    >>> req.add_header.assret_called_with
2628    Traceback (most recent call last):
2629     ...
2630    AttributeError: Mock object has no attribute 'assret_called_with'
2631    >>> req.add_header.assert_called_with('spam', 'eggs')
2632
2633In many cases you will just be able to add ``autospec=True`` to your existing
2634:func:`patch` calls and then be protected against bugs due to typos and api
2635changes.
2636
2637As well as using *autospec* through :func:`patch` there is a
2638:func:`create_autospec` for creating autospecced mocks directly:
2639
2640    >>> from urllib import request
2641    >>> mock_request = create_autospec(request)
2642    >>> mock_request.Request('foo', 'bar')
2643    <NonCallableMagicMock name='mock.Request()' spec='Request' id='...'>
2644
2645This isn't without caveats and limitations however, which is why it is not
2646the default behaviour. In order to know what attributes are available on the
2647spec object, autospec has to introspect (access attributes) the spec. As you
2648traverse attributes on the mock a corresponding traversal of the original
2649object is happening under the hood. If any of your specced objects have
2650properties or descriptors that can trigger code execution then you may not be
2651able to use autospec. On the other hand it is much better to design your
2652objects so that introspection is safe [#]_.
2653
2654A more serious problem is that it is common for instance attributes to be
2655created in the :meth:`__init__` method and not to exist on the class at all.
2656*autospec* can't know about any dynamically created attributes and restricts
2657the api to visible attributes. ::
2658
2659    >>> class Something:
2660    ...   def __init__(self):
2661    ...     self.a = 33
2662    ...
2663    >>> with patch('__main__.Something', autospec=True):
2664    ...   thing = Something()
2665    ...   thing.a
2666    ...
2667    Traceback (most recent call last):
2668      ...
2669    AttributeError: Mock object has no attribute 'a'
2670
2671There are a few different ways of resolving this problem. The easiest, but
2672not necessarily the least annoying, way is to simply set the required
2673attributes on the mock after creation. Just because *autospec* doesn't allow
2674you to fetch attributes that don't exist on the spec it doesn't prevent you
2675setting them::
2676
2677    >>> with patch('__main__.Something', autospec=True):
2678    ...   thing = Something()
2679    ...   thing.a = 33
2680    ...
2681
2682There is a more aggressive version of both *spec* and *autospec* that *does*
2683prevent you setting non-existent attributes. This is useful if you want to
2684ensure your code only *sets* valid attributes too, but obviously it prevents
2685this particular scenario:
2686
2687    >>> with patch('__main__.Something', autospec=True, spec_set=True):
2688    ...   thing = Something()
2689    ...   thing.a = 33
2690    ...
2691    Traceback (most recent call last):
2692     ...
2693    AttributeError: Mock object has no attribute 'a'
2694
2695Probably the best way of solving the problem is to add class attributes as
2696default values for instance members initialised in :meth:`__init__`. Note that if
2697you are only setting default attributes in :meth:`__init__` then providing them via
2698class attributes (shared between instances of course) is faster too. e.g.
2699
2700.. code-block:: python
2701
2702    class Something:
2703        a = 33
2704
2705This brings up another issue. It is relatively common to provide a default
2706value of ``None`` for members that will later be an object of a different type.
2707``None`` would be useless as a spec because it wouldn't let you access *any*
2708attributes or methods on it. As ``None`` is *never* going to be useful as a
2709spec, and probably indicates a member that will normally of some other type,
2710autospec doesn't use a spec for members that are set to ``None``. These will
2711just be ordinary mocks (well - MagicMocks):
2712
2713    >>> class Something:
2714    ...     member = None
2715    ...
2716    >>> mock = create_autospec(Something)
2717    >>> mock.member.foo.bar.baz()
2718    <MagicMock name='mock.member.foo.bar.baz()' id='...'>
2719
2720If modifying your production classes to add defaults isn't to your liking
2721then there are more options. One of these is simply to use an instance as the
2722spec rather than the class. The other is to create a subclass of the
2723production class and add the defaults to the subclass without affecting the
2724production class. Both of these require you to use an alternative object as
2725the spec. Thankfully :func:`patch` supports this - you can simply pass the
2726alternative object as the *autospec* argument::
2727
2728    >>> class Something:
2729    ...   def __init__(self):
2730    ...     self.a = 33
2731    ...
2732    >>> class SomethingForTest(Something):
2733    ...   a = 33
2734    ...
2735    >>> p = patch('__main__.Something', autospec=SomethingForTest)
2736    >>> mock = p.start()
2737    >>> mock.a
2738    <NonCallableMagicMock name='Something.a' spec='int' id='...'>
2739
2740
2741.. [#] This only applies to classes or already instantiated objects. Calling
2742   a mocked class to create a mock instance *does not* create a real instance.
2743   It is only attribute lookups - along with calls to :func:`dir` - that are done.
2744
2745Sealing mocks
2746~~~~~~~~~~~~~
2747
2748
2749.. testsetup::
2750
2751    from unittest.mock import seal
2752
2753.. function:: seal(mock)
2754
2755    Seal will disable the automatic creation of mocks when accessing an attribute of
2756    the mock being sealed or any of its attributes that are already mocks recursively.
2757
2758    If a mock instance with a name or a spec is assigned to an attribute
2759    it won't be considered in the sealing chain. This allows one to prevent seal from
2760    fixing part of the mock object. ::
2761
2762        >>> mock = Mock()
2763        >>> mock.submock.attribute1 = 2
2764        >>> mock.not_submock = mock.Mock(name="sample_name")
2765        >>> seal(mock)
2766        >>> mock.new_attribute  # This will raise AttributeError.
2767        >>> mock.submock.attribute2  # This will raise AttributeError.
2768        >>> mock.not_submock.attribute2  # This won't raise.
2769
2770    .. versionadded:: 3.7
2771