Unable to run Django tests via Sidebar

[msmitherdc]

Type: Bug

Behaviour

After upgrading to any version past 2025.4.0 (which works), this is includes prereleases, tests fail to run with result: Error during Django test execution: name 'file' is not defined

Steps to reproduce:

1. Upgrade to any release or prerelease after 2025.4.0
2. Try to run one or many tests using the testing sidebar after successful test discovery and they immediately fails with:

Received test ids from temp file.
MANAGE_PY_PATH env var set, running Django test suite.
Django project directory: /home/gridusr/GRiD
Django manage.py arguments: ['/home/gridusr/GRiD/manage.py', 'test', '--testrunner=django_test_runner.CustomExecutionTestRunner', '-t', '/home/gridusr/GRiD', '-v', '2', 'apps.api.tests.test_stac.TestV3StacEndpoint.test_stac_landing_page']
Error during Django test execution: name '__file__' is not defined
Finished running tests!

Diagnostic data

Output for Python in the Output panel (View→Output, change the drop-down the upper-right of the Output panel to Python)

2025-05-12 14:45:23.690 [info] Found 2029 test(s).
2025-05-12 14:45:28.677 [info] Running UNITTEST execution for the following test ids: apps.api.tests.test_stac.TestV3StacEndpoint.test_stac_landing_page
2025-05-12 14:45:28.677 [info] Attempting to use temp directory for test ids file, file name: test-ids-0ba4e71f4d8d86642912.txt
2025-05-12 14:45:28.678 [info] All environment variables set for unittest execution, PYTHONPATH: "/home/gridusr/GRiD:/home/gridusr/GRiD/virtualenv/production/lib/python3.13/site-packages/:/home/gridusr/.pixi/envs/default/lib/python3.13/site-packages/"
2025-05-12 14:45:28.681 [info] Running unittests for workspace /home/gridusr/GRiD with arguments: /home/gridusr/.vscode-server/extensions/ms-python.python-2025.6.0-linux-x64/python_files/unittestadapter/execution.py,--udiscovery,-t,/home/gridusr/GRiD,-v,2

2025-05-12 14:45:28.681 [info] > ./virtualenv/production/bin/python ~/.vscode-server/extensions/ms-python.python-2025.6.0-linux-x64/python_files/unittestadapter/execution.py --udiscovery -t . -v 2
2025-05-12 14:45:28.681 [info] cwd: .
2025-05-12 14:45:28.754 [info] Test Result named pipe /tmp/python-test-results-6872e59677162a9580b6  cancelled

Extension version: 2024.16.1
VS Code version: Code 1.100.0 (Universal) (19e0f9e681ecb8e5c09d8784acaa601316ca4571, 2025-05-07T12:48:53.763Z)
OS version: Darwin arm64 24.4.0
Modes:
Remote OS version: Linux x64 5.14.0-503.38.1.el9_5.x86_64

• Python version (& distribution if applicable, e.g. Anaconda): 3.13.3
• Type of virtual environment used (e.g. conda, venv, virtualenv, etc.): Venv
• Value of the python.languageServer setting: Default

User Settings

languageServer: "Pylance"

testing
• unittestArgs: "<placeholder>"
• unittestEnabled: true

experiments
• optInto: ["pythonTestAdapter"]

Installed Extensions

Extension Name	Extension Id	Version
autodocstring	njp	0.6.1
better-git-line-blame	mk1	0.2.14
debugpy	ms-	2025.8.0
docker	doc	0.6.0
explorer	vit	1.18.1
intellicode-api-usage-examples	Vis	0.2.9
js-debug	ms-	1.100.0
live-server	ms-	0.4.15
openapi-lint	mer	1.2.0
pylint	ms-	2025.2.0
python	ms-	2025.6.0
python-environment-manager	don	1.2.7
python-extension-pack	don	1.7.0
ruff	cha	2025.22.0
sql-developer	Ora	25.1.1
tasks-shell-input	aug	1.18.0
vscode-containers	ms-	2.0.1
vscode-django	bat	1.15.0
vscode-js-profile-table	ms-	1.0.10
vscode-openapi	42C	4.33.2
vscode-pull-request-github	Git	0.110.0
vscode-pylance	ms-	2025.4.1
vscode-python-typehint	njq	1.5.1
vscode-xml	red	0.29.0
vscode-yaml	red	1.18.0
vscodeintellicode	Vis	1.3.2

System Info

Item	Value
CPUs	Apple M4 Max (16 x 2400)
GPU Status	2d_canvas: enabled canvas_oop_rasterization: enabled_on direct_rendering_display_compositor: disabled_off_ok gpu_compositing: enabled multiple_raster_threads: enabled_on opengl: enabled_on rasterization: enabled raw_draw: disabled_off_ok skia_graphite: disabled_off video_decode: enabled video_encode: enabled webgl: enabled webgl2: enabled webgpu: enabled webnn: disabled_off
Load (avg)	3, 2, 2
Memory (System)	48.00GB (1.64GB free)
Process Argv	--crash-reporter-id a72f6cab-2816-469f-ba05-148bb36e6ad6
Screen Reader	no
VM	0%

Item	Value
Remote	Container docker-registry.rsgiscx.net:443/rsgis/grid:v2.2 (griddock) @ mds-devbox
OS	Linux x64 5.14.0-503.38.1.el9_5.x86_64
CPUs	AMD EPYC 7R13 Processor (4 x 0)
Memory (System)	30.65GB (21.50GB free)
VM	0%

A/B Experiments

vsliv368cf:30146710
vspor879:30202332
vspor708:30202333
vspor363:30204092
pythonvspyt551:31249599
vscod805:30301674
binariesv615:30325510
c4g48928:30535728
azure-dev_surveyone:30548225
962ge761:30959799
2e7ec940:31000449
pythontbext0:30879054
cppperfnew:31000557
dwnewjupytercf:31046870
pythonrstrctxt:31112756
nativeloc2:31192216
5fd0e150:31155592
dwcopilot:31170013
bajee813:31263137
6074i472:31201624
dwoutputs:31242946
customenabled:31248079
hdaa2157:31222309
copilot_t_ci:31222730
e5gg6876:31282496
pythoneinst12:31285622
bgtreat:31268568
4gafe986:31271826
31787653:31262186
3e8i5726:31271747
996jf627:31283433
pythonrdcb7:31303018
usemplatestapi:31297334
7bj51361:31289155
747dc170:31275177
aj953862:31281341
generatesymbolt:31295002
convertfstringf:31295003
gendocf:31295004

[msmitherdc]

Unittest args

"python.testing.unittestArgs": [
		"-t",
		"/home/gridusr/GRiD",
		"-v",
		"2"
	],

		"MANAGE_PY_PATH": "/home/gridusr/GRiD/manage.py"

[msmitherdc]

The issue is that we have a __file__ reference in out manage.py and since this is called via exec(), the is no file reference in manage.py anymore. We will trap for this in our manage.py. If someone else has this issue, hopefully search engines will find this.

[bartvaneswhiffle]

This solution does not work for me. If you want to solve it, change line 107 of python_files/unittestadapter/django_handler.py to exec(manage_code, {"__name__": "__main__", "__file__": manage_path})

[igorgaming]

Why closed? Its still the case.

[hh4life]

[eleanorjboyd]

to clarify this is still happening for people right? The change we made to Django between 2025.4 and further is this: #24927. Danila Grobov (@danila-grobov) looping you in if you have any thoughts but Ill take a look at this again to see if solution posted by bartvaneswhiffle will work- bartvaneswhiffle are you able to clarify the repro steps given the initial report with steps was resolved by a solution on the user end.

[danila-grobov]

I think that the solution proposed by bartvaneswhiffle should work fine if it is indeed a problem related to __file__. It should be a trivial fix.

Although I've never had a need to modify manage.py, so my assumption was that everyone just uses what django provides. And if you do modify the file, it is completely reasonable for tools that integrate with django to not work in that case. But that's just my two cents.

[github-actions]

Hey Eleanor Boyd (@eleanorjboyd), this issue might need further attention.

Michael D. Smith (@msmitherdc), you can help us out by closing this issue if the problem no longer exists, or adding more information.

[msmitherdc]

Michael D. Smith (@msmitherdc) yes, no longer an issue for us, will close