Reload and diff

Edit your tests, then press ↻ Collect in the header. pytest-deck re-collects the suite and compares the new collection against the previous one, so you can see what changed without losing your place.

The status line summarizes the diff, for example:

reload: +3 ~1 −2 · 142 tests

That reads as three tests added, one changed, two removed, out of 142 collected.

What the diff flags

Re-collecting compares the two collections by test ID, the full path::Class::test[param] name pytest uses. Each parametrized variant is its own test ID, so adding or removing a parameter counts as an added or removed test.

Added tests get a green + in the tree. These are test IDs present now that weren’t there before.

Changed tests get an amber ~. A test is flagged changed when its set of markers differs from the last collection. Markers are the one edit collection can report for certain; pytest-deck doesn’t try to detect changes to your test code. So a ~ means the markers on this test moved, not that the test body changed.

Removed tests are test IDs that were there before and are gone now. They can’t sit in the tree anymore. Any removed test that still had a selection or a prior result moves to a foldable Removed since last collect list above the tree. Each row shows the test’s last-known result badge and its test ID, struck through. A removed test with no selection and no result simply disappears; there’s nothing left to show for it.

What is preserved

For every test that still exists, a re-collect keeps:

  • your selection (its checkbox stays ticked), and

  • its prior result badge, until you run again.

So the edit, run, re-collect loop stays fast. Fix a test, press ↻ Collect, and your selection and the surrounding results are still there. Only tests that genuinely went away lose their place, and even those linger in the removed list if they mattered.

Note

Coverage numbers are cleared on a re-collect. They describe the code as it was before your edit, so keeping them would be misleading. Run again to get fresh coverage. See Coverage.

Next steps

  • Coverage: turn on coverage and read it in the Run info pane and source gutter.

  • Using the dashboard: the full tour of selecting, running, and reading results.