Mini-Quickcheck for Python

I wanted an implementation of a mini-Quickcheck in Python. This is the API I came up with. It is also a good way to see what’s at the heart of Quicheck: generators.

I cut every corner I could. Some methods are not random, but this can be easily fixed.

There is a runner decorator (dependent on the decorator library) than run’s test methods repeatedly.

import random

def oneof(*values):
    return random.choice(values)

def optional(param):
    return oneof(None, param)

def boolean():
    return oneof(True, False)

def integer(min=0,max=1<<30):
    return random.randint(min,max)

def char():
    return chr(integer(min=2,max=ord('z')))

def string(min=0):
    return "".join([char() for _ in xrange(integer(min=min, max=10))])

def nonempty_string():
    return string(min=1)

def substring(string):
    if not string:
           return string
    start = integer(0, len(string) - 1)
    end = start + integer(len(string) - start)
    return string[start:end]

def date():
    return datetime.date.today()

def subset(*vs):
    return [e for e in vs if boolean()]

def list(gen):
    return [gen() for _ in xrange(integer(max=5))]
    
@decorator
def runner(func, *args, **kwargs):
    for r in xrange(4):
        test_instance = args[0]

About

My blog did not have an about page for years. Now that blogs get out of fashion I can get one as well, as the chances that someone actually reads it diminishes.

Having an about page is nice for everybody involved. There is a nice personal touch to the site full of otherwise dry articles. This is also the space where a blogger can do some navel-gazing and bragging: a nice photo from a place I was you were not, I can tell you what a great company I work for and what an amazingly smart guy I am.

The problem is: I like to stay at home most of the time, I work for a normal company and I'm definitely not smart. (My best trait is productive laziness.)

If you read this far the one thing you should consider is becoming an organ donor. You won't mind. You may help somebody in a lot of trouble. At least I tried! Maybe you like to read a bit about organ donation...


(The fact that I wrote this after reading an about page is a mere coincidence. You should not ask somebody who they are. It's probably the worst question possible.)