diff -r e95cfd5eca61 -r 40a49f4350a5 devtools/testlib.py
--- a/devtools/testlib.py	Tue Sep 13 14:54:00 2011 +0200
+++ b/devtools/testlib.py	Tue Sep 13 15:40:06 2011 +0200
@@ -387,6 +387,31 @@
                 req.cnx.commit()
         return user
 
+    @iclassmethod # XXX turn into a class method
+    def grant_permission(self, session, entity, group, pname=None, plabel=None):
+        """insert a permission on an entity. Will have to commit the main
+        connection to be considered
+        """
+        if not isinstance(session, Session):
+            warn('[3.12] grant_permission arguments are now (session, entity, group, pname[, plabel])',
+                 DeprecationWarning, stacklevel=2)
+            plabel = pname
+            pname = group
+            group = entity
+            entity = session
+            assert not isinstance(self, type)
+            session = self.session
+        pname = unicode(pname)
+        plabel = plabel and unicode(plabel) or unicode(group)
+        e = getattr(entity, 'eid', entity)
+        with security_enabled(session, False, False):
+            peid = session.execute(
+            'INSERT CWPermission X: X name %(pname)s, X label %(plabel)s,'
+            'X require_group G, E require_permission X '
+            'WHERE G name %(group)s, E eid %(e)s',
+            locals())[0][0]
+        return peid
+
     def login(self, login, **kwargs):
         """return a connection for the given login/password"""
         if login == self.admlogin: