Fix validation in NWB testing util classes

CHANGELOG.md

@@ -6,6 +6,7 @@
 - For `NWBHDF5IO()`, change the default of arg `load_namespaces` from `False` to `True`. @bendichter [#1748](https://github.com/NeurodataWithoutBorders/pynwb/pull/1748)
 - Add `NWBHDF5IO.can_read()`. @bendichter [#1703](https://github.com/NeurodataWithoutBorders/pynwb/pull/1703)
 - Add `pynwb.get_nwbfile_version()`. @bendichter [#1703](https://github.com/NeurodataWithoutBorders/pynwb/pull/1703)
+- Fix usage of the `validate` function in the `pynwb.testing.testh5io` classes and cache the spec by default in those classes. @rly [#1782](https://github.com/NeurodataWithoutBorders/pynwb/pull/1782)
 - Updated timeseries data checks to warn instead of error when reading invalid files. @stephprince [#1793](https://github.com/NeurodataWithoutBorders/pynwb/pull/1793) and [#1809](https://github.com/NeurodataWithoutBorders/pynwb/pull/1809)
 - Expose the offset, conversion and channel conversion parameters in `mock_ElectricalSeries`. @h-mayorquin [#1796](https://github.com/NeurodataWithoutBorders/pynwb/pull/1796)
 - Expose `starting_time` in `mock_ElectricalSeries`. @h-mayorquin [#1805](https://github.com/NeurodataWithoutBorders/pynwb/pull/1805)

src/pynwb/testing/testh5io.py

@@ -79,7 +79,7 @@ def test_roundtrip_export(self):
         self.assertIs(self.read_exported_nwbfile.objects[self.container.object_id], self.read_container)
         self.assertContainerEqual(self.read_container, self.container, ignore_hdmf_attrs=True)
 
-    def roundtripContainer(self, cache_spec=False):
+    def roundtripContainer(self, cache_spec=True):
         """Add the Container to an NWBFile, write it to file, read the file, and return the Container from the file.
         """
         session_description = 'a file to test writing and reading a %s' % self.container_type
@@ -116,7 +116,7 @@ def roundtripContainer(self, cache_spec=False):
             self.reader = None
             raise e
 
-    def roundtripExportContainer(self, cache_spec=False):
+    def roundtripExportContainer(self, cache_spec=True):
         """
         Add the test Container to an NWBFile, write it to file, read the file, export the read NWBFile to another
         file, and return the test Container from the file
@@ -163,18 +163,14 @@ def getContainer(self, nwbfile):
     def validate(self):
         """ Validate the created files """
         if os.path.exists(self.filename):
-            with NWBHDF5IO(self.filename, mode='r') as io:
-                errors = pynwb_validate(io)
-                if errors:
-                    for err in errors:
-                        raise Exception(err)
+            errors, _ = pynwb_validate(paths=[self.filename])
+            if errors:
+                raise Exception("\n".join(errors))
 
         if os.path.exists(self.export_filename):
-            with NWBHDF5IO(self.filename, mode='r') as io:
-                errors = pynwb_validate(io)
-                if errors:
-                    for err in errors:
-                        raise Exception(err)
+            errors, _ = pynwb_validate(paths=[self.export_filename])
+            if errors:
+                raise Exception("\n".join(errors))
 
 
 class AcquisitionH5IOMixin(NWBH5IOMixin):
@@ -294,7 +290,7 @@ def test_roundtrip_export(self):
         self.assertIs(self.read_exported_nwbfile.objects[self.container.object_id], self.read_container)
         self.assertContainerEqual(self.read_container, self.container, ignore_hdmf_attrs=True)
 
-    def roundtripContainer(self, cache_spec=False):
+    def roundtripContainer(self, cache_spec=True):
         """Write the file, validate the file, read the file, and return the Container from the file.
         """
 
@@ -325,7 +321,7 @@ def roundtripContainer(self, cache_spec=False):
             self.reader = None
             raise e
 
-    def roundtripExportContainer(self, cache_spec=False):
+    def roundtripExportContainer(self, cache_spec=True):
         """
         Roundtrip the container, then export the read NWBFile to a new file, validate the files, and return the test
         Container from the file.
@@ -366,13 +362,11 @@ def roundtripExportContainer(self, cache_spec=False):
     def validate(self):
         """Validate the created files."""
         if os.path.exists(self.filename):
-            with NWBHDF5IO(self.filename, mode='r') as io:
-                errors = pynwb_validate(io)
-                if errors:
-                    raise Exception("\n".join(errors))
+            errors, _ = pynwb_validate(paths=[self.filename])
+            if errors:
+                raise Exception("\n".join(errors))
 
         if os.path.exists(self.export_filename):
-            with NWBHDF5IO(self.filename, mode='r') as io:
-                errors = pynwb_validate(io)
-                if errors:
-                    raise Exception("\n".join(errors))
+            errors, _ = pynwb_validate(paths=[self.export_filename])
+            if errors:
+                raise Exception("\n".join(errors))