`py.path` vs `pathlib.Path`

[neighthan]

It seems that the datafiles fixture is a py.path (well, a LocalPath) - does this have any functionality that pathlib.Path does not? If not, I think using pathlib's Path would be nice. The only function I've missed so far is is_file, but I haven't tested this much. Additionally, the py website says

Note: The ‘py’ library is in “maintenance mode” and so is not recommended for new projects. Please check out pathlib or pathlib2 for path operations.

[omarkohl]

The reason is that the tmpdir fixture which is provided out of the box is a py.path.local object... But I see that since pytest version 3.9 there is a new tmp_path fixture which is a pathlib/pathlib2.Path object and as far as I can tell it does exactly the same as tmpdir so I see no problem with updating this plugin. Would you like to submit a pull request?

https://docs.pytest.org/en/latest/tmpdir.html
pytest-dev/pytest#3985

[neighthan]

While working on a PR for this, I found several differences between the methods of pathlib.Path and py.path (e.g. py.path has isdir instead of is_dir, mksymlinkto instead of symlinkto, isdir instead of is_dir; py.path also has copy which pathlib.Path doesn't have at all (I usually do target.write_bytes(src.read_byes())). So, for the sake of backwards compatibility, I don't think anymore that it would be good to return a pathlib.Path instead; there are too many ways that somebody's code could break. If anybody does want a pathlib.Path, it's easy to get one: pathlib.Path(str(datafiles)).

[dazza-codes]

https://py.readthedocs.io/en/latest/path.html is in maintenance mode and recommends moving to pathlib.Path - at some point this could break somewhere in upstream dependencies. I might be useful to leave this issue open.

[jlumbroso]

@omarkohl Do you want (and would you accept a PR) that moves from py to pathlib, as per pytest? I note that you've already done BREAKING CHANGES in the past, and have adjusted the major version, as in the changes suggested by @tomjnixon.

I have been looking for an elegant way to use data files in my tests, and your library looks like it would do the trick perfectly, but I don't want to start using a dependency that has explicitly said it is in maintenance mode.

Let me know!

[radusuciu]

I would also like to see this but honestly it's mostly for aesthetic reasons (so long as the py module doesn't get deprecated in either python or pytest), so I can understand why it may not be desired and sympathize with the message from the README: "There is little activity because it simply works and no changes are required."

There is a fork, and this commit in particular: 9c42adf that implements this, but I haven't tested it.

[omarkohl]

If someone wants to submit a pull request it could be released as a major version breaking change.