TestProgram is mentioned in the unittest docs but is not documented

[bitdancer]

BPO	20109
Nosy	@brettcannon, @ezio-melotti, @bitdancer, @voidspace

^{Note: these values reflect the state of the issue at the time it was migrated and might not reflect the current state.}

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GitHub fields:

assignee = None
closed_at = None
created_at = <Date 2014-01-02.18:01:47.665>
labels = ['easy', '3.9', '3.10', '3.11', 'type-feature', 'docs']
title = 'TestProgram is mentioned in the unittest docs but is not documented'
updated_at = <Date 2021-06-22.22:48:08.205>
user = 'https://github.com/bitdancer'

bugs.python.org fields:

activity = <Date 2021-06-22.22:48:08.205>
actor = 'brett.cannon'
assignee = 'docs@python'
closed = False
closed_date = None
closer = None
components = ['Documentation']
creation = <Date 2014-01-02.18:01:47.665>
creator = 'r.david.murray'
dependencies = []
files = []
hgrepos = []
issue_num = 20109
keywords = ['easy']
message_count = 3.0
messages = ['207178', '259728', '259831']
nosy_count = 6.0
nosy_names = ['brett.cannon', 'ezio.melotti', 'r.david.murray', 'michael.foord', 'docs@python', 'beng94']
pr_nums = []
priority = 'normal'
resolution = None
stage = None
status = 'open'
superseder = None
type = 'enhancement'
url = 'https://bugs.python.org/issue20109'
versions = ['Python 3.9', 'Python 3.10', 'Python 3.11']

Linked PRs

• gh-64308: Remove TestProgram from the unittest docs #121675
• [3.13] gh-64308: Remove TestProgram from the unittest docs (GH-121675) #121742
• [3.12] gh-64308: Remove TestProgram from the unittest docs (GH-121675) #121743

[bitdancer]

IMO, TestProgram should either be made anonymous in the docs ('main returns an object that has a results attribute...') or its external API should be formally documented. If results is the only external API other than its init (which is documented as unittest.main), then I would suggest the former. In either case exactly what 'results' contains should be clarified.

[beng94]

I think TestProgram should be anonymous, all the work is done in its constructor. I don't see why would anyone would call its functions. I can update the docs if it's needed.

[voidspace]

TestProgram is an abomination, but it has been publicly exposed in unittest since forever.

[stinovlas]

I'm working on this during EuroPython 2024 sprint. I'll anonymize TestProgram in the docs.