avocado-framework/avocado

===================
54.0 House of Cards
===================

The Avocado team is proud to present another release: Avocado version
54.0, aka, "House of Cards" is now available!

Release documentation: `Avocado 54.0
<http://avocado-framework.readthedocs.io/en/54.0/>`_

The major changes introduced on this version are listed below,
roughly categorized into major topics and intended audience:

Users/Test Writers
==================

* Avocado can now run list and run standard Python unittests, that is,
  tests written in Python that use the :mod:`unittest` library alone.
  This should help streamline the execution of tests on projects that
  use different test types.  Or, it may just be what plain
  :mod:`unittest` users were waiting for to start running them with
  Avocado.

* The Test ID format Avocado has been using for a while received a
  minor tweak, to allow for better serialization into some filesystem
  types, such as Microsoft Windows' ones.  Basically, the character
  that precedes the variant name, a separator, used to be ``;``, which
  is not allowed on some filesystems.  Now, a ``+`` character is used.
  A Test ID ``sleeptest.py:SleepTest.test;short-beaf`` on a previous
  Avocado version is now ``sleeptest.py:SleepTest.test+short-beaf``.

* The full path of the filename that holds the currently running test
  is now output is the test log, under the heading ``Test metadata:``.

* The ``yaml_to_mux`` varianter plugin, while parsing the YAML files,
  would convert objects into :class:`avocado.core.tree.TreeNode`.
  This caused when the variants were serialized (such as part of the
  job replay support).  Objects are now converted into ordered
  dictionaries, which, besides supporting a proper serialization are
  also more easily accessible as test parameters.

* The test profilers, which are defined by default in
  ``/etc/avocado/sysinfo/profilers``, are now executed without a backing
  shell.  While Avocado doesn't ship with examples of shell commands
  as profilers, or suggests users to do so, it may be that some users
  could be using that functionality.  If that's the case, it will now
  be necessary to write a script that wraps you previous shell command.
  The reason for doing so, was to fix a bug that could leave profiler
  processes after the test had already finished.

* The newly introduced :mod:`avocado.utils.vmimage` library can
  immensely help test writers that need access to virtual machine
  images in their tests.  The simplest use of the API,
  ``vmimage.get()`` returns a ready to use disposable image (snapshot
  based, backed by a complete base image).  Users can ask for more
  specific images, such as ``vmimage.get(arch='aarch64')`` for a image
  with a ARM OS ready to run.

* When installing and using Avocado in a Python virtual environment,
  the ubiquitous "venvs", the base data directory was one defined
  outside the virtual environment.  Now, Avocado respects the virtual
  environment also in this aspect.

* A new network related utility function,
  :class:`avocado.utils.network.PortTracker` was ported from
  Avocado-Virt, given the perceived general value in a variety of
  tests.

* A new memory utility utility, :class:`avocado.utils.memory.MemInfo`,
  and its ready to use instance :data:`avocado.utils.memory.meminfo`,
  allows easy access to most memory related information on Linux
  systems.

* The complete output of tests, that is the combination of ``STDOUT``
  and ``STDERR`` is now also recorded in the test result directory as
  a file named ``output``.

Bug Fixes
=========

* As mentioned before, test profiler processes could be left running
  in the system, even after the test had already finished.

* The change towards serializing YAML objects as ordered dicts,
  instead of as `:class:`avocado.core.tree.TreeNode`, also fixed a
  bug, that manifested itself in the command line application UI.

* When the various ``skip*`` decorators were applied to ``setUp``
  test methods, they would not be effective, and ``tearDown`` would
  also be called.

* When a job was replayed, tests without variants in the original (AKA
  "source" job, would appear to have a variant named ``None`` in the
  replayed job.

Internal Changes
================

* Avocado is now using the newest inspektor version 0.4.5.  Developers
  should also update their installed versions to have comparable results
  to the CI checks.

* The old ``avocado.test.TestName`` class was renamed to
  :class:`avocado.core.test.TestID`, and its member attributes updated
  to reflect the fact that it covers the complete Test ID, and not
  just a Test Name.

For more information, please check out the complete
`Avocado changelog
<https://github.com/avocado-framework/avocado/compare/53.0...54.0>`_.

Release Meeting
===============

The Avocado release meetings are now open to the community via
Hangouts on Air.  The meetings are recorded and made available on the
`Avocado Test Framework YouTube channel
<https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC-RVZ_HFTbEztDM7wNY4NfA>`_.

For this release, you can watch the meeting on `this link
<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ssAYB0Kb-rw>`_.

----

| Sprint theme: https://trello.com/c/fA4RL1eo/1100-sprint-theme-house-of-cards