Improving test utility checkCovCommand

[coderabbitai]

Description

The checkCovCommand utility function currently uses a mutable default argument args=[None]. This is considered a bad practice in Python because mutable default arguments can lead to unexpected behavior due to the way Python handles default parameter values.

Plan to Refactor

1. Modify the Function Signature: Change the default value of args to None in the function definition to avoid using a mutable default argument.

2. Initialize Within the Function: Inside the function, check if args is None and initialize it accordingly.

3. Update Dependent Code: Review and update any code that calls checkCovCommand to ensure compatibility with the new function signature.

4. Implement Test Cases: Write test cases for different scenarios to ensure proper behavior:

   • args=[]
   • args=None
   • args='not an array at all'

5. Verify Functionality: Run existing tests to confirm that the refactored function does not break any current functionality and handles all input types as expected.

References

• PR: Patch deepsource fixes again 😑  #127
• Comment: Patch deepsource fixes again 😑  #127 (comment)
• Requested by: @reactive-firewall

[reactive-firewall]

see solution in #129

def checkCovCommand(*args):# skipcq: PYL-W0102  - [] != [None]
	"""
	Modifies the input command arguments to include coverage-related options when applicable.

	This utility function checks if the first argument contains "coverage" and, if so,
	modifies the argument list to include additional coverage run options. It's primarily
	used internally by other functions in the testing framework.
	Not intended to be run directly.

	Args:
		args (list): A list of command arguments, defaulting to [None].

	Returns:
		list: The modified list of arguments with 'coverage run' options added as applicable.

	Meta Testing:

		First set up test fixtures by importing test context.

			>>> import tests.context as _context
			>>>

		Testcase 1: Function should return unmodified arguments if 'coverage' is missing.

			>>> _context.checkCovCommand(["python", "script.py"])
			['python', 'script.py']

		Testcase 2: Function should modify arguments when 'coverage' is the first argument.
			A.) Missing 'run'

			>>> _context.checkCovCommand(["coverage", "script.py"])  #doctest: +ELLIPSIS
			['...', 'run', '-p', '--context=Integration', '--source=multicast', 'script.py']

		Testcase 3: Function should modify arguments when 'coverage run' is in the first argument.
			A.) NOT missing 'run'

			>>> _context.checkCovCommand(["coverage run", "script.py"])  #doctest: +ELLIPSIS
			['...', 'run', '-p', '--context=Integration', '--source=multicast', 'script.py']

		Testcase 4: Function should handle coverage command with full path.

			>>> _context.checkCovCommand(["/usr/bin/coverage", "test.py"])  #doctest: +ELLIPSIS
			['...', 'run', '-p', '--context=Integration', '--source=multicast', 'test.py']

		Testcase 5: Function should handle coverage invoked via sys.executable.

			>>> import sys as _sys
			>>> test_fixture = [str("{} -m coverage run").format(_sys.executable), "test.py"]
			>>> _context.checkCovCommand(test_fixture)  #doctest: +ELLIPSIS
			[..., '-m', 'coverage', 'run', '-p', '...', '--source=multicast', 'test.py']


	"""
	 if not args or args[0] is None:
	 	 raise RuntimeError("args must be an array of positional arguments")
	 elif str("coverage") in args[0]:
	#  ... rest of function goes here