matplotlib / matplotlib/pytest-mpl

Support check_figures_equal style comparison without any baseline_image

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Python
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Description

Hi there,

First off, thanks for the great plugin! Just a long time user over at [PyGMT](https://github.com/GenericMappingTools/pygmt) and we've being using `pytest-mpl` quite extensively to catch lots of bugs :smile:

Anyhow, we're just wondering if there's scope here for something like `@pytest.mark.mpl_check_equal` based on [matplotlib's check_figures_equal](https://matplotlib.org/3.3.1/api/testing_api.html#matplotlib.testing.decorators.check_figures_equal) function for "generating and comparing two figures" (fig_ref and fig_test) on the fly (without having a baseline image).

The main use case for this is to keep our repository size small, since the baseline images can take up a lot of space. Currently, `pytest-mpl` does something similar to matplotlib's [`image_comparison`](https://matplotlib.org/3.3.1/api/testing_api.html#matplotlib.testing.decorators.image_comparison) decorator function. We've been putting some thought into this at https://github.com/GenericMappingTools/pygmt/pull/555, and rather than duplicating work, we're wondering if the logic could sit here in `pytest-mpl` or somewhere in the `matplotlib` organization.

Happy to submit a PR if someone can point me in the right direction.

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Research direction

Start by locating pytest-mpl’s existing image-comparison implementation and compare its entry points with Matplotlib’s check_figures_equal and image_comparison decorators. Define how a marker would generate fig_ref and fig_test without baseline images, then verify that the two figures are compared and that repository image fixtures are unnecessary.

Written by the indexing model from the issue text.

Assessment

Tech stack
python
Domain
testing
Issue type
Feature
Difficulty
5/5
Estimated time
Over a week
Activity status
Stale
Clarity
Mostly clear
Newbie friendliness
25/100

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