diff --git a/relate/settings.py b/relate/settings.py
index 31e651c4520dd9792209fb4443844f210f40f4cb..a5062a5011d888cbe63bbd6f9c680d7b2786c41f 100644
--- a/relate/settings.py
+++ b/relate/settings.py
@@ -143,8 +143,6 @@ ROOT_URLCONF = 'relate.urls'
 
 WSGI_APPLICATION = 'relate.wsgi.application'
 
-# {{{ templates
-
 # {{{ context processors
 
 RELATE_EXTRA_CONTEXT_PROCESSORS = (
@@ -157,6 +155,8 @@ RELATE_EXTRA_CONTEXT_PROCESSORS = (
 
 # }}}
 
+# {{{ templates
+
 CRISPY_TEMPLATE_PACK = "bootstrap3"
 
 TEMPLATES = [
diff --git a/tests/base_test_mixins.py b/tests/base_test_mixins.py
index aafd08462355ad4b5a4e55fce710f972b9cb32fe..8ec1d2245af0c573ec41b96dbbf44749d5cda471 100644
--- a/tests/base_test_mixins.py
+++ b/tests/base_test_mixins.py
@@ -1086,6 +1086,11 @@ class CoursesTestMixinBase(SuperuserCreateMixin):
             course_identifier = self.get_default_course_identifier()
         return reverse("relate-update_course", args=[course_identifier])
 
+    def get_course_commit_sha(self, participation, course=None):
+        course = course or self.get_default_course()
+        from course.content import get_course_commit_sha
+        return get_course_commit_sha(course, participation)
+
     def post_update_course_content(self, commit_sha,
                                    fetch_update=False,
                                    prevent_discarding_revisions=True,
@@ -1441,11 +1446,15 @@ class FallBackStorageMessageTestMixin(object):
         for idx, m in enumerate(messages):
             six.assertRegex(self, m, expected_message_regexs[idx])
 
-    def assertResponseMessagesContains(self, response, expected_messages):  # noqa
+    def assertResponseMessagesContains(self, response, expected_messages,  # noqa
+                                       loose=False):
         storage = self.get_listed_storage_from_response(response)
         if isinstance(expected_messages, str):
             expected_messages = [expected_messages]
         messages = [m.message for m in storage]
+        if loose:
+            from django.utils.encoding import force_text
+            messages = " ".join([force_text(m) for m in messages])
         for em in expected_messages:
             self.assertIn(em, messages)
 
diff --git a/tests/test_validation/__init__.py b/tests/test_validation/__init__.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..e69de29bb2d1d6434b8b29ae775ad8c2e48c5391