nose collects tests automatically from python source files,
directories and packages found in its working directory (which
defaults to the current working directory). Any python source file,
directory or package that matches the testMatch regular expression
(by default: `(?:^|[\b_\.-])[Tt]est)` will be collected as a test (or
source for collection of tests). In addition, all other packages
found in the working directory will be examined for python source files
or directories that match testMatch. Package discovery descends all
the way down the tree, so package.tests and package.sub.tests and
package.sub.sub2.tests will all be collected.

Within a test directory or package, any python source file matching
testMatch will be examined for test cases. Within a test module,
functions and classes whose names match testMatch and TestCase
subclasses with any name will be loaded and executed as tests. Tests
may use the assert keyword or raise AssertionErrors to indicate test
failure. TestCase subclasses may do the same or use the various
TestCase methods available.

Selecting Tests
---------------

To specify which tests to run, pass test names on the command line:

  %prog only_test_this.py
  
Test names specified may be file or module names, and may optionally
indicate the test case to run by separating the module or file name
from the test case name with a colon. Filenames may be relative or
absolute. Examples:

  %prog test.module
  %prog another.test:TestCase.test_method
  %prog a.test:TestCase
  %prog /path/to/test/file.py:test_function
  
You may also change the working directory where nose looks for tests
by using the -w switch:

  %prog -w /path/to/tests

Note, however, that support for multiple -w arguments is now deprecated
and will be removed in a future release. As of nose 0.10, you can get
the same behavior by specifying the target directories *without*
the -w switch:

  %prog /path/to/tests /another/path/to/tests

Further customization of test selection and loading is possible
through the use of plugins.

Test result output is identical to that of unittest, except for
the additional features (error classes, and plugin-supplied
features such as output capture and assert introspection) detailed
in the options below.

Configuration
-------------

In addition to passing command-line options, you may also put
configuration options in your project's *setup.cfg* file, or a .noserc
or nose.cfg file in your home directory. In any of these standard
.ini-style config files, you put your nosetests configuration in a
``[nosetests]`` section. Options are the same as on the command line,
with the -- prefix removed. For options that are simple switches, you
must supply a value:

  [nosetests]
  verbosity=3
  with-doctest=1

All configuration files that are found will be loaded and their
options combined. You can override the standard config file loading
with the ``-c`` option.

Using Plugins
-------------

There are numerous nose plugins available via easy_install and
elsewhere. To use a plugin, just install it. The plugin will add
command line options to nosetests. To verify that the plugin is installed,
run:

  nosetests --plugins

You can add -v or -vv to that command to show more information
about each plugin.

If you are running nose.main() or nose.run() from a script, you
can specify a list of plugins to use by passing a list of plugins
with the plugins keyword argument.

0.9 plugins
-----------

nose 0.11 can use SOME plugins that were written for nose 0.9. The
default plugin manager inserts a compatibility wrapper around 0.9
plugins that adapts the changed plugin api calls. However, plugins
that access nose internals are likely to fail, especially if they
attempt to access test case or test suite classes. For example,
plugins that try to determine if a test passed to startTest is an
individual test or a suite will fail, partly because suites are no
longer passed to startTest and partly because it's likely that the
plugin is trying to find out if the test is an instance of a class
that no longer exists.

0.10 plugins
------------

All plugins written for nose 0.10 should work with nose 0.11.
