shift documentation, remove duplicate code

README.txt

@@ -1,29 +1,170 @@
-py.test xdist plugin: distributed testing and loop failure
+xdist: pytest distributed testing plugin
 ===============================================================
 
-.. _`pytest-xdist respository`: http://bitbucket.org/hpk42/pytest-xdist
-.. _`pytest`: http://pytest.org
+The `pytest-xdist`_ plugin extends py.test with some unique
+test execution modes:
 
-The pytest-xdist plugin extends `py.test`_ to ad-hoc distribute test
-runs to multiple CPUs or remote machines.   It requires setuptools
-or distribute which help to pull in the neccessary execnet and
-pytest-core dependencies.
+* Looponfail: run your tests repeatedly in a subprocess.  After each run py.test
+  waits until a file in your project changes and then re-runs the previously
+  failing tests.  This is repeated until all tests pass after which again
+  a full run is performed.
 
-Install the plugin locally with::
+* multiprocess Load-balancing: if you have multiple CPUs or hosts you can use
+  those for a combined test run.  This allows to speed up
+  development or to use special resources of remote machines.
 
-    python setup.py install
+* Multi-Platform coverage: you can specify different Python interpreters
+  or different platforms and run tests in parallel on all of them.
 
-or use the package in develope/in-place mode, particularly
-useful with a checkout of the `pytest-xdist repository`_::
+Before running tests remotely, ``py.test`` efficiently "rsyncs" your
+program source code to the remote place.  All test results
+are reported back and displayed to your local terminal.
+You may specify different Python versions and interpreters.
 
-    python setup.py develop
 
-or use one of::
+Installation
+-----------------------
+
+Install the plugin with::
 
     easy_install pytest-xdist
 
+    # or
+    
     pip install pytest-xdist
 
-for downloading and installing it in one go.
+or use the package in develope/in-place mode with
+a checkout of the `pytest-xdist repository`_ ::
+
+    python setup.py develop
+
+Usage examples
+---------------------
+
+Speed up test runs by sending tests to multiple CPUs
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
+
+To send tests to multiple CPUs, type::
+
+    py.test -n NUM
+
+Especially for longer running tests or tests requiring
+a lot of IO this can lead to considerable speed ups.
+
+
+Running tests in a Python subprocess
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
+
+To instantiate a python2.4 sub process and send tests to it, you may type::
+
+    py.test -d --tx popen//python=python2.4
+
+This will start a subprocess which is run with the "python2.4"
+Python interpreter, found in your system binary lookup path.
+
+If you prefix the --tx option value like this::
+
+    --tx 3*popen//python=python2.4
+
+then three subprocesses would be created and tests
+will be load-balanced across these three processes.
+
+
+Sending tests to remote SSH accounts
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
+
+Suppose you have a package ``mypkg`` which contains some
+tests that you can successfully run locally. And you
+have a ssh-reachable machine ``myhost``.  Then
+you can ad-hoc distribute your tests by typing::
+
+    py.test -d --tx ssh=myhostpopen --rsyncdir mypkg mypkg
+
+This will synchronize your ``mypkg`` package directory
+to an remote ssh account and then locally collect tests
+and send them to remote places for execution.
+
+You can specify multiple ``--rsyncdir`` directories
+to be sent to the remote side.
+
+**NOTE:** For py.test to collect and send tests correctly
+you not only need to make sure all code and tests
+directories are rsynced, but that any test (sub) directory
+also has an ``__init__.py`` file because internally
+py.test references tests as a fully qualified python
+module path.  **You will otherwise get strange errors**
+during setup of the remote side.
+
+Sending tests to remote Socket Servers
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
+
+Download the single-module `socketserver.py`_ Python program
+and run it like this::
+
+    python socketserver.py
+
+It will tell you that it starts listening on the default
+port.  You can now on your home machine specify this
+new socket host with something like this::
+
+    py.test -d --tx socket=192.168.1.102:8888 --rsyncdir mypkg mypkg
+
+
+.. _`atonce`:
+
+Running tests on many platforms at once
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
+
+The basic command to run tests on multiple platforms is::
+
+    py.test --dist=each --tx=spec1 --tx=spec2
+
+If you specify a windows host, an OSX host and a Linux
+environment this command will send each tests to all
+platforms - and report back failures from all platforms
+at once.   The specifications strings use the `xspec syntax`_.
+
+.. _`xspec syntax`: http://codespeak.net/execnet/trunk/basics.html#xspec
+
+.. _`socketserver.py`: http://bitbucket.org/hpk42/execnet/raw/2af991418160/execnet/script/socketserver.py
+
+.. _`execnet`: http://codespeak.net/execnet
+
+Specifying test exec environments in an ini file
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
+
+pytest (since version 2.0) supports ini-style cofiguration.
+You can for example make running with three subprocesses
+your default like this::
+
+    [pytest]
+    addopts = -n3
+
+You can also add default environments like this::
+
+    [pytest]
+    addopts = --tx ssh=myhost//python=python2.5 --tx ssh=myhost//python=python2.6
+
+and then just type::
+
+    py.test --dist=each
+
+to run tests in each of the environments.
+
+Specifying "rsync" dirs in an ini-file
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
+
+In a ``tox.ini`` or ``setup.cfg`` file in your root project directory
+you may specify directories to include or to exclude in synchronisation::
+
+    [pytest]
+    rsyncdirs = . mypkg helperpkg
+    rsyncignore = .hg
+
+These directory specifications are relative to the directory
+where the configuration file was found.
+
+.. _`pytest-xdist`: http://pypi.python.org/pypi/pytest-xdist
+.. _`pytest-xdist repository`: http://bitbucket.org/hpk42/pytest-xdist
+.. _`pytest`: http://pytest.org
 
-holger krekel <holger at merlinux eu>