Explain how to properly mock user-defined `__call__`
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Description
Bug report
Bug description:
Reproduce
from unittest.mock import MagicMock
class A:
def __init__(self, a):
...
def __call__(self, b, c):
...
mocker = MagicMock(spec=A)
mocker(21, 42)
mocker.assert_called_once_with(21, 42)
Current Behavior
TypeError Traceback (most recent call last)
TypeError: too many positional arguments
The above exception was the direct cause of the following exception:
AssertionError Traceback (most recent call last)
Cell In[6], line 10
8 mocker = MagicMock(spec=A)
9 mocker(21, 42)
---> 10 mocker.assert_called_once_with(21, 42)
File ~/.pyenv/versions/3.12.2/lib/python3.12/unittest/mock.py:956, in NonCallableMock.assert_called_once_with(self, *args, **kwargs)
951 msg = ("Expected '%s' to be called once. Called %s times.%s"
952 % (self._mock_name or 'mock',
953 self.call_count,
954 self._calls_repr()))
955 raise AssertionError(msg)
--> 956 return self.assert_called_with(*args, **kwargs)
File ~/.pyenv/versions/3.12.2/lib/python3.12/unittest/mock.py:944, in NonCallableMock.assert_called_with(self, *args, **kwargs)
942 if actual != expected:
943 cause = expected if isinstance(expected, Exception) else None
--> 944 raise AssertionError(_error_message()) from cause
AssertionError: expected call not found.
Expected: mock(21, 42)
Actual: mock(21, 42)
Expected behaviour
It succeeds
Investigation
When passing a class that implements the __call__ method as spec to a mock instance it takes the it takes the signature of the __init__ which if it is the intended behavior is quite confusing.
CPython versions tested on:
3.12, 3.13
Operating systems tested on:
macOS, Linux
Contributor guide
First steps
- Read the whole issue, then the project's contributing guide.
- Comment on the issue to say you are picking it up — it saves two people doing the same work.
- Fork the repository and make your change on a branch.
- Open a pull request that references the issue number.
Research direction
Start with the provided MagicMock reproducer on Python 3.12 or 3.13, then inspect unittest/mock.py around NonCallableMock.assert_called_with and the signature handling involved in spec=A. Compare the behavior for a class defining call with the current traceback. Done means the documented or implemented behavior makes the shown assertion succeed.
Written by the indexing model from the issue text.
Assessment
- Tech stack
- python
- Domain
- testing-qa
- Issue type
- Bug
- Difficulty
- 4/5
- Estimated time
- 3-5 days
- Activity status
- Stale
- Clarity
- Mostly clear
- Newbie friendliness
- 42/100