pytest-dev / pytest-dev/pytest

Refactor underlying data structure of assertions AST from string to something more flexible

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topic: reporting topic: rewrite type: enhancement
Dominant language
Python
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Description

What's the problem this feature will solve?

The current data structure for assertion AST, which contains assertion explanations, is a large chunk of string generated in rewrite.py. This string is then passed to format_explanation for further formatting.

Describe the solution you'd like

Implement a more flexible data structure (such as a tree) to construct the assertion explanations. This structure can then provide the string representation when needed, allowing for greater flexibility and potential improvements in how explanations are handled and formatted.

Alternative Solutions
Additional context

Contributor guide

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First steps

  1. Read the whole issue, then the project's contributing guide.
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  3. Fork the repository and make your change on a branch.
  4. Open a pull request that references the issue number.

Research direction

Start by reading src/_pytest/assertion/rewrite.py to understand how assertion explanations are constructed, then inspect format_explanation in src/_pytest/assertion/util.py. Define and implement a more flexible structure for the explanations, and ensure it can still provide the required string representation and formatting.

Written by the indexing model from the issue text.

Assessment

Tech stack
python
Domain
testing-qa
Issue type
Refactor
Difficulty
5/5
Estimated time
Over a week
Activity status
Stale
Clarity
Mostly clear
Newbie friendliness
35/100

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