docs: Add prelude section on testenvs to config guide

.pre-commit-config.yaml

@@ -1,3 +1,7 @@
+---
+default_language_version:
+  # force all unspecified python hooks to run python3
+  python: python3
 repos:
 -   repo: https://github.com/psf/black
     rev: 19.10b0
@@ -6,13 +10,13 @@ repos:
         args: [--safe]
         language_version: python3.8
 -   repo: https://github.com/asottile/blacken-docs
-    rev: v1.3.0
+    rev: v1.6.0
     hooks:
     -   id: blacken-docs
-        additional_dependencies: [black==19.3b0]
+        additional_dependencies: [black==19.10b0]
         language_version: python3.8
 -   repo: https://github.com/asottile/seed-isort-config
-    rev: v1.9.3
+    rev: v2.1.1
     hooks:
     -   id: seed-isort-config
         args: [--application-directories, "src:."]
@@ -21,21 +25,21 @@ repos:
     hooks:
     -   id: isort
 -   repo: https://github.com/pre-commit/pre-commit-hooks
-    rev: v2.4.0
+    rev: v2.5.0
     hooks:
     -   id: trailing-whitespace
     -   id: end-of-file-fixer
     -   id: check-yaml
     -   id: debug-statements
     -   id: flake8
-        additional_dependencies: ["flake8-bugbear == 19.8.0"]
+        additional_dependencies: ["flake8-bugbear == 20.1.4"]
         language_version: python3.8
 -   repo: https://github.com/asottile/pyupgrade
-    rev: v1.25.1
+    rev: v2.3.0
     hooks:
     -   id: pyupgrade
 -   repo: https://github.com/pre-commit/pygrep-hooks
-    rev: v1.4.2
+    rev: v1.5.1
     hooks:
     -   id: rst-backticks
 -   repo: local

docs/changelog/1423.bugfix.rst

@@ -1 +1 @@
-Respect attempts to change `PATH` via `setenv`. - by :user:`aklajnert`
+Respect attempts to change ``PATH`` via ``setenv`` - by :user:`aklajnert`.

docs/changelog/1573.doc.rst

@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+Improve documentation about config by adding tox environment description at start - by :user:`stephenfin`.

docs/config.rst

@@ -189,23 +189,50 @@ by using the ``tox:jenkins`` section:
     commands = ...  # override settings for the jenkins context
 
 
-tox environment settings
-------------------------
+tox environments
+----------------
 
-Test environments are defined by a:
+Test environments are defined under the ``testenv`` section and individual
+``testenv:NAME`` sections, where ``NAME`` is the name of a specific
+environment.
 
 .. code-block:: ini
 
+    [testenv]
+    commands = ...
+
     [testenv:NAME]
     commands = ...
 
-section.  The ``NAME`` will be the name of the virtual environment.
-Defaults for each setting in this section are looked up in the::
+Settings defined in the top-level ``testenv`` section are automatically
+inherited by individual environments unless overridden. Test environment names
+can consist of alphanumeric characters and dashes; for example:
+``py38-django30``. The name will be split on dashes into multiple factors,
+meaning ``py38-django30`` will be split into two factors: ``py38`` and
+``django30``. *tox* defines a number of default factors, which correspond to
+various versions and implementations of Python and provide default values for
+:conf:`basepython`:
+
+- ``pyNM``: configures ``basepython = pythonN.M``
+- ``pyN``: configures ``basepython = pythonN``
+- ``py``: configures ``basepython = python``
+- ``pypyN``: configures ``basepython = pypyN``
+- ``pypy``: configures ``basepython = pypy``
+- ``jythonN``: configures ``basepython = jythonN``
+- ``jython``: configures ``basepython = jython``
+
+It is also possible to define what's know as *generative names*, where an
+individual section maps to multiple environments; for example:
+``py{37,38}-django{30,31}``, which would generate four environments, each
+consisting of two factors a piece: ``py37-django30`` (``py37``, ``django30``),
+``py37-django31`` (``py37``, ``django31``), ``py38-django30`` (``py38``,
+``django30``), and ``py38-django31`` (``py38``, ``django31``).  Combined, these
+features provide the ability to write very concise ``tox.ini`` files and is
+discussed further `below <generating-environments>`__.
 
-    [testenv]
-    commands = ...
 
-``testenv`` default section.
+tox environment settings
+------------------------
 
 Complete list of settings that you can put into ``testenv*`` sections:
 
@@ -755,6 +782,8 @@ You can put default values in one section and reference them in others to avoid
         {[base]deps}
 
 
+.. _generating-environments:
+
 Generating environments, conditional settings
 ---------------------------------------------
 
@@ -793,7 +822,7 @@ Let's go through this step by step.
 .. _generative-envlist:
 
 Generative envlist
-+++++++++++++++++++++++
+++++++++++++++++++
 
 ::
 
@@ -856,9 +885,10 @@ but still want to take advantage of factor-conditional settings.
 Factors and factor-conditional settings
 ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
 
-Parts of an environment name delimited by hyphens are called factors and can
-be used to set values conditionally. In list settings such as ``deps`` or
-``commands`` you can freely intermix optional lines with unconditional ones:
+As discussed previously, parts of an environment name delimited by hyphens are
+called factors and can be used to set values conditionally. In list settings
+such as ``deps`` or ``commands`` you can freely intermix optional lines with
+unconditional ones:
 
 .. code-block:: ini
 
@@ -908,6 +938,7 @@ special case for a combination of factors. Here is how you do it:
         py{27,36}-sqlite: mock  # mocking sqlite in python 2.x & 3.6
         !py34-sqlite: mock      # mocking sqlite, except in python 3.4
         sqlite-!py34: mock      # (same as the line above)
+        !py34,!py36: enum34     # use if neither py34 nor py36 are in the env name
 
 Take a look at the first ``deps`` line. It shows how you can special case
 something for a combination of factors, by just hyphenating the combining

tox.ini

@@ -72,7 +72,7 @@ passenv =
     PROGRAMDATA
     PRE_COMMIT_HOME
 extras = lint
-deps = pre-commit >= 1.14.4, < 2
+deps = pre-commit>=2, <3
 skip_install = True
 commands = pre-commit run --all-files --show-diff-on-failure {posargs}
            python -c 'import pathlib; print("hint: run \{\} install to add checks as pre-commit hook".format(pathlib.Path(r"{envdir}") / "bin" / "pre-commit"))'