django - how to unit test a post request using request.FILES

The way django's testsuite does it is:

from django.core.files.uploadedfile import SimpleUploadedFile
f = SimpleUploadedFile("file.txt", b"file_content")

This way you don't need to create a temp file and write to it, and you don't need to mock a file (not as easy as it sounds).

In the docs, the file field is called attachment, but in yours, it's called file.

You don't need name in your post data either -- that refers to another field called name, not the name of the file that you are uploading.

Try the following:

def test_stuff(self): 
    myfile = open('....\file.csv','r') 
    response = self.client.post('/', {'file':myfile})

Maybe I'm missing something here, but sounds like a job for a good mock library. I personally really like Mock. But, I fall into the camp that believes that your unit tests should be free of all external dependencies (like having to have a file named "file.csv" in a certain location, etc.)