Run setUp only once for a set of automated tests

Question

My Python version is 2.6.

I would like to execute the test setUp method only once since I do things there which are needed for all tests.

My idea was to crea

Answer 1

Place all code you want set up once outside the mySelTest.

setup_done = False

class mySelTest(unittest.TestCase):

    def setUp(self):
        print str(setup_done)

        if setup_done:
            return

        setup_done = True
        print str(setup_done)

Another possibility is having a Singleton class that you instantiate in setUp(), which will only run the __new__ code once and return the object instance for the rest of the calls. See: Is there a simple, elegant way to define singletons?

class Singleton(object):
    _instance = None
    def __new__(cls, *args, **kwargs):
        if not cls._instance:
            cls._instance = super(Singleton, cls).__new__(
                            cls, *args, **kwargs)
            # PUT YOUR SETUP ONCE CODE HERE!
            cls.setUpBool = True

        return cls._instance

class mySelTest(unittest.TestCase):

    def setUp(self):
        # The first call initializes singleton, ever additional call returns the instantiated reference.
        print(Singleton().setUpBool)

Your way works too though.