[issue27447] python -m doctest script_file_with_no_py_extension produces confusing NameErrors

[towb]

towb added the comment:

Improving the documentation would also be nice, and easier. -m is mentioned in 
two places, first only as a shortcut for testmod, later with an explanation on 
name extensions and testfile. At least I didn't get that far.

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[issue27447] python -m doctest script_file_with_no_py_extension produces confusing NameErrors

[R. David Murray]

R. David Murray added the comment:

This is not a bug, it is a feature.  python -m doctest can be used to run tests 
from files that are *not* python files.

I wouldn't call tracebacks with name errors as a silent failure :)

As you say, there is no easy way to use doctest to run doctests in a script 
file that is not a .py file, since it can't be imported, so I'm not sure there 
is anything that can be done here.  Even trying to guess that it is a python 
file and issuing an error message or even a warning is problematic from a 
backward compatibility standpoint, since there may be people with files that 
look like python files that are *meant* to be run as doctests.

I'm guessing script-with-testable-docstrings isn't *common*, though I can 
easily imagine myself writing one (using subprocess to re-exec the script).  
What I actually did, though, was have a command line switch that runs the 
doctests by calling testmod from within the script, which is how doctest is 
designed to work.  

So, we can see what other people think about the idea of looking for a shebang 
line and issuing an error message.  Or maybe a warning...or an error plus a 
command line switch to force it to process the script anyway?

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nosy: +r.david.murray
title: python -m doctest file_with_no_py_extension # silently fails -> python 
-m doctest script_file_with_no_py_extension produces confusing NameErrors
versions: +Python 3.6 -Python 3.5

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