How to mock global variable in a imported module in python unit test?

Question

i've a peculiar scenario like the below post!

Post

But the difference is my database module also has a global variable that needs to be mocked out!

    """Initialzation"""
from database.db_init import DB
from common.common_util import CommonUtil as util

db_username = util.get_value_from_ssm_parameter_store(
    '/_username')
db_password = util.get_value_from_ssm_parameter_store(
    '/rds/_password')
db_host = DB.get_rds_host()


def create_session():
    """this will create a db session"""
    db = DB(user=db_username, password=db_password,
            host=db_host, database='test')
    Session = db.getSession()
    session = Session()
    return session

I've mocked the get_value_from_ssm_parameter_store() function and even mocked the variables as @patch('database.db_username', 'test'), also tried database.db_username = MagicMock(return_value='test') inside my unittest class!

but still the call is happening to aws. Can anybody help me on mocking the global variables in a imported module?

Answer 1

Since the util.get_value_from_ssm_parameter_store() and DB.get_rds_host() methods executed in module scope of session.py .

You should patch these methods before import the create_session function from session module.

Eg

common/common_util.py :

class CommonUtil:
    @staticmethod
    def get_value_from_ssm_parameter_store(key):
        print('call real aws')

database/db_init.py :

class Session:
    pass


class DB:
    @staticmethod
    def get_rds_host():
        return '127.0.0.1'

    def __init__(self, user, password, host, database) -> None:
        pass

    def getSession(self):
        return Session

session.py :

from database.db_init import DB
from common.common_util import CommonUtil as util


db_username = util.get_value_from_ssm_parameter_store(
    '/_username')
db_password = util.get_value_from_ssm_parameter_store(
    '/rds/_password')
db_host = DB.get_rds_host()


def create_session():
    """this will create a db session"""
    db = DB(user=db_username, password=db_password,
            host=db_host, database='test')
    Session = db.getSession()
    session = Session()
    return session

test_session.py :

import unittest
from unittest.mock import patch, Mock, call
from common.common_util import CommonUtil as util
from database.db_init import DB


def get_value_from_ssm_parameter_store_side_effect(key):
    if key == '/_username':
        return 'teresa teng'
    if key == '/rds/_password':
        return '123456'


original_get_value_from_ssm_parameter_store = util.get_value_from_ssm_parameter_store
original_get_rds_host = DB.get_rds_host


util.get_value_from_ssm_parameter_store = Mock(side_effect=get_value_from_ssm_parameter_store_side_effect)
DB.get_rds_host = Mock(return_value='192.168.1.1')


class TestSession(unittest.TestCase):
    @patch('session.DB', autospec=True)
    def test_create_session(self, mock_DB):
        from session import create_session
        db_instance = mock_DB.return_value
        mock_session = Mock()
        db_instance.getSession.return_value = mock_session
        create_session()
        mock_DB.assert_called_once_with('teresa teng', '123456', '192.168.1.1', 'test')
        util.get_value_from_ssm_parameter_store.assert_has_calls([call('/_username'), call('/rds/_password')])
        db_instance.getSession.assert_called_once()

        # restore mock
        util.get_value_from_ssm_parameter_store = original_get_value_from_ssm_parameter_store
        DB.get_rds_host = original_get_rds_host


if __name__ == '__main__':
    unittest.main()

unit test result:

 ⚡  coverage run /Users/dulin/workspace/github.com/mrdulin/python-codelab/src/stackoverflow/64329623/test_session.py && coverage report -m --include='./src/**'
.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Ran 1 test in 0.011s

OK
Name                                               Stmts   Miss  Cover   Missing
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
src/stackoverflow/64329623/common/common_util.py       4      1    75%   4
src/stackoverflow/64329623/database/db_init.py        10      3    70%   8, 11, 14
src/stackoverflow/64329623/session.py                 10      0   100%
src/stackoverflow/64329623/test_session.py            28      0   100%
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
TOTAL                                                 52      4    92%