Instruction file imported from CoffeePoweredComputers/purplex (.github/instructions/tests.instructions.md). Copyright stays with the author.

Test Review Rules

1. Every test file must declare pytestmark

Unit tests and integration tests must be explicitly marked. Without django_db, pytest-django blocks database access and raises a clear error.

# Unit test file
pytestmark = [pytest.mark.unit, pytest.mark.django_db]

# Integration test file
pytestmark = [pytest.mark.integration, pytest.mark.django_db]

Flag any test file missing pytestmark.

2. Use factories, never Model.objects.create()

All test data must come from Factory Boy factories in tests/factories/__init__.py. If no factory exists for a model, add one.

# WRONG
user = User.objects.create_user(username="test", password="pass")
course = Course.objects.create(name="Test", slug="test")
# RIGHT
from tests.factories import UserFactory, CourseFactory
user = UserFactory()
course = CourseFactory()

3. Use conftest fixtures for common objects

Shared fixtures are defined in tests/conftest.py. Use them for standard objects like user, admin_user, course, problem_set, problem.

# WRONG — recreating what conftest already provides
@pytest.fixture
def my_user():
    return UserFactory()

# RIGHT — use the shared fixture
def test_something(user, course):
    ...

4. CourseFactory does not accept instructor=

The Course.instructor FK was removed. Instructor assignment uses CourseInstructorFactory.

# WRONG — will raise TypeError
course = CourseFactory(instructor=user)
# RIGHT
course = CourseFactory()
CourseInstructorFactory(course=course, user=user, role="primary")

5. Mock Firebase via get_firebase_service()

Never call Firebase directly in tests. Mock the service factory.

# WRONG
from firebase_admin import auth
auth.delete_user(uid)
# RIGHT
@patch("purplex.users_app.utils.firebase.get_firebase_service")
def test_delete(mock_firebase):
    mock_firebase.return_value = MagicMock()
    ...

6. Use force_authenticate for auth

# WRONG
client.credentials(HTTP_AUTHORIZATION="Bearer fake-token")
# RIGHT
api_client.force_authenticate(user=user)

7. Test file naming

Test files must follow test_<feature>.py convention. Flag files like tests_feature.py or feature_test.py.

8. Assert specific exceptions

# WRONG — too broad, hides bugs
with pytest.raises(Exception):
    service.do_thing()
# RIGHT
with pytest.raises(NotFound, match="Course not found"):
    service.do_thing()

9. No shared state between tests

Each test must create its own data via factories or fixtures. Never rely on data created by another test. No module-level model instances.

# WRONG — module-level state shared across tests
user = UserFactory()

class TestCourse:
    def test_a(self):
        course = CourseFactory()  # uses module-level user implicitly
# RIGHT
class TestCourse:
    def test_a(self):
        user = UserFactory()
        course = CourseFactory()

10. Privacy and FERPA test patterns

• Use UserConsentFactory and AgeVerificationFactory for consent tests
• For FERPA tests, set directory_info_visible on the user's profile:

# Set up FERPA visibility
user = UserFactory()
user.profile.directory_info_visible = True
user.profile.save()

• Use fixtures from conftest: user_consent, age_verification, minor_user, child_user, nominee

11. del on MagicMock is intentional

del mock.attribute is a valid pattern for simulating an object that lacks a specific attribute. MagicMock.__delattr__ removes the name from the mock's internal state — after deletion, hasattr(mock, 'attribute') returns False and mock.attribute raises AttributeError. Do not flag this as unreliable.

# This is correct — exercises the "no segmentation" branch
submission = MagicMock()
del submission.segmentation
assert not hasattr(submission, 'segmentation')  # True