Emit deprecation warning + deprecation doc + changelog

changelog/9277.breaking.rst

@@ -0,0 +1,3 @@
+The ``pytest.Instance`` collector type has been removed.
+Importing ``pytest.Instance`` or ``_pytest.python.Instance`` returns a dummy type and emits a deprecation warning.
+See :ref:`instance-collector-deprecation` for details.

doc/en/deprecations.rst

@@ -18,6 +18,25 @@ Deprecated Features
 Below is a complete list of all pytest features which are considered deprecated. Using those features will issue
 :class:`PytestWarning` or subclasses, which can be filtered using :ref:`standard warning filters <warnings>`.
 
+.. _instance-collector-deprecation:
+
+The ``pytest.Instance`` collector
+~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
+
+.. versionremoved:: 7.0
+
+The ``pytest.Instance`` collector type has been removed.
+
+Previously, Python test methods were collected as :class:`~pytest.Class` -> ``Instance`` -> :class:`~pytest.Function`.
+Now :class:`~pytest.Class` collects the test methods directly.
+
+Most plugins which reference ``Instance`` do so in order to ignore or skip it,
+using a check such as ``if isinstance(node, Instance): return``.
+Such plugins should simply remove consideration of ``Instance`` on pytest>=7.
+However, to keep such uses working, a dummy type has been instanted in ``pytest.Instance`` and ``_pytest.python.Instance``,
+and importing it emits a deprecation warning. This will be removed in pytest 8.
+
+
 .. _node-ctor-fspath-deprecation:
 
 ``fspath`` argument for Node constructors replaced with ``pathlib.Path``

src/_pytest/deprecated.py

@@ -119,6 +119,11 @@
     "pytest.{func}(msg=...) is now deprecated, use pytest.{func}(reason=...) instead",
 )
 
+INSTANCE_COLLECTOR = PytestDeprecationWarning(
+    "The pytest.Instance collector type is deprecated and is no longer used. "
+    "See https://docs.pytest.org/en/latest/deprecations.html#the-pytest-instance-collector",
+)
+
 # You want to make some `__init__` or function "private".
 #
 #   def my_private_function(some, args):

src/_pytest/python.py

@@ -58,6 +58,7 @@
 from _pytest.config.argparsing import Parser
 from _pytest.deprecated import check_ispytest
 from _pytest.deprecated import FSCOLLECTOR_GETHOOKPROXY_ISINITPATH
+from _pytest.deprecated import INSTANCE_COLLECTOR
 from _pytest.fixtures import FuncFixtureInfo
 from _pytest.main import Session
 from _pytest.mark import MARK_GEN
@@ -868,14 +869,24 @@ def xunit_setup_method_fixture(self, request) -> Generator[None, None, None]:
         self.obj.__pytest_setup_method = xunit_setup_method_fixture
 
 
-# Instance used to be a node type between Class and Function.  It has been
-# removed in pytest 7.0. Some plugins exist which reference `pytest.Instance`
-# only to ignore it; this dummy class keeps them working. This could probably
-# be removed at some point.
-class Instance:
+class InstanceDummy:
+    """Instance used to be a node type between Class and Function. It has been
+    removed in pytest 7.0. Some plugins exist which reference `pytest.Instance`
+    only to ignore it; this dummy class keeps them working. This will be removed
+    in pytest 8."""
+
     pass
 
 
+# Note: module __getattr__ only works on Python>=3.7. Unfortunately
+# we can't provide this deprecation warning on Python 3.6.
+def __getattr__(name: str) -> object:
+    if name == "Instance":
+        warnings.warn(INSTANCE_COLLECTOR, 2)
+        return InstanceDummy
+    raise AttributeError(f"module {__name__} has no attribute {name}")
+
+
 def hasinit(obj: object) -> bool:
     init: object = getattr(obj, "__init__", None)
     if init:

src/pytest/__init__.py

@@ -48,7 +48,6 @@
 from _pytest.pytester import RunResult
 from _pytest.python import Class
 from _pytest.python import Function
-from _pytest.python import Instance
 from _pytest.python import Metafunc
 from _pytest.python import Module
 from _pytest.python import Package
@@ -77,6 +76,7 @@
 
 set_trace = __pytestPDB.set_trace
 
+
 __all__ = [
     "__version__",
     "_fillfuncargs",
@@ -106,7 +106,6 @@
     "HookRecorder",
     "hookspec",
     "importorskip",
-    "Instance",
     "Item",
     "LineMatcher",
     "LogCaptureFixture",
@@ -153,3 +152,12 @@
     "xfail",
     "yield_fixture",
 ]
+
+
+def __getattr__(name: str) -> object:
+    if name == "Instance":
+        # The import emits a deprecation warning.
+        from _pytest.python import Instance
+
+        return Instance
+    raise AttributeError(f"module {__name__} has no attribute {name}")

testing/deprecated_test.py

@@ -286,3 +286,21 @@ def test_node_ctor_fspath_argument_is_deprecated(pytester: Pytester) -> None:
             parent=mod.parent,
             fspath=legacy_path("bla"),
         )
+
+
+@pytest.mark.skipif(
+    sys.version_info < (3, 7),
+    reason="This deprecation can only be emitted on python>=3.7",
+)
+def test_importing_instance_is_deprecated(pytester: Pytester) -> None:
+    with pytest.warns(
+        pytest.PytestDeprecationWarning,
+        match=re.escape("The pytest.Instance collector type is deprecated"),
+    ):
+        pytest.Instance
+
+    with pytest.warns(
+        pytest.PytestDeprecationWarning,
+        match=re.escape("The pytest.Instance collector type is deprecated"),
+    ):
+        from _pytest.python import Instance  # noqa: F401