Is there any simple way to benchmark python script?

Question

Usually I use shell command time. My purpose is to test if data is small, medium, large or very large set, how much time and memory usage will be.

Any t

Answer 1

Have a look at nose and at one of its plugins, this one in particular.

Once installed, nose is a script in your path, and that you can call in a directory which contains some python scripts:

$: nosetests

This will look in all the python files in the current directory and will execute any function that it recognizes as a test: for example, it recognizes any function with the word test_ in its name as a test.

So you can just create a python script called test_yourfunction.py and write something like this in it:

$: cat > test_yourfunction.py

def test_smallinput():
    yourfunction(smallinput)

def test_mediuminput():
    yourfunction(mediuminput)

def test_largeinput():
    yourfunction(largeinput)

Then you have to run

$: nosetest --with-profile --profile-stats-file yourstatsprofile.prof testyourfunction.py

and to read the profile file, use this python line:

python -c "import hotshot.stats ; stats = hotshot.stats.load('yourstatsprofile.prof') ; stats.sort_stats('time', 'calls') ; stats.print_stats(200)"