Background

RubyMine version: 8.0.3

Created a controller in a Rail project and select Run / Run ‘All tests in projectname…’, got “cannot load such file — test_helper” exception when test/test_helper.rb does exist

Below is output from Run Tool window

/usr/bin/ruby -e $stdout.sync=true;$stderr.sync=true;load($0=ARGV.shift) /home/username/RubyMine-8.0.3/rb/testing/runner/tunit_or_minitest_in_folder_runner.rb
Testing started at 08:02 ...
Work directory: /home/username/development/rubymine/hello_mine
Loading files.... 
=========================================
Fail to load: /home/username/development/rubymine/hello_mine/test/controllers/say_hello_controller_test.rb:1
      Exception message: cannot load such file -- test_helper
["/home/username/development/rubymine/hello_mine/test/controllers/say_hello_controller_test.rb:1:in `require'",
"/home/username/development/rubymine/hello_mine/test/controllers/say_hello_controller_test.rb:1:in `'",

"/home/username/RubyMine-8.0.3/rb/testing/runner/tunit_or_minitest_in_folder_runner.rb:51:in `require'",
"/home/username/RubyMine-8.0.3/rb/testing/runner/tunit_or_minitest_in_folder_runner.rb:51:in `block in require_all_test_scripts'",
"/home/username/RubyMine-8.0.3/rb/testing/runner/tunit_or_minitest_in_folder_runner.rb:44:in `each'",
"/home/username/RubyMine-8.0.3/rb/testing/runner/tunit_or_minitest_in_folder_runner.rb:44:in `require_all_test_scripts'",
"/home/username/RubyMine-8.0.3/rb/testing/runner/tunit_or_minitest_in_folder_runner.rb:140:in `'", "-e:1:in `load'", "-e:1:in `'"]

Fail to load: /home/username/development/rubymine/hello_mine/test/controllers/worklog_controller_test.rb:1
      Exception message: cannot load such file -- test_helper
["/home/username/development/rubymine/hello_mine/test/controllers/worklog_controller_test.rb:1:in `require'",
"/home/username/development/rubymine/hello_mine/test/controllers/worklog_controller_test.rb:1:in `'",

"/home/username/RubyMine-8.0.3/rb/testing/runner/tunit_or_minitest_in_folder_runner.rb:51:in `require'",
"/home/username/RubyMine-8.0.3/rb/testing/runner/tunit_or_minitest_in_folder_runner.rb:51:in `block in require_all_test_scripts'",
"/home/username/RubyMine-8.0.3/rb/testing/runner/tunit_or_minitest_in_folder_runner.rb:44:in `each'",
"/home/username/RubyMine-8.0.3/rb/testing/runner/tunit_or_minitest_in_folder_runner.rb:44:in `require_all_test_scripts'",
"/home/username/RubyMine-8.0.3/rb/testing/runner/tunit_or_minitest_in_folder_runner.rb:140:in `'", "-e:1:in `load'", "-e:1:in `'"]
Running via Spring preloader in process 3374
/home/username/development/rubymine/hello_mine/db/schema.rb doesn't exist yet. Run `rake db:migrate` to create it, then try again. If you do not intend to use a database, you should instead alter /home/username/development/rubymine/hello_mine/config/application.rb to limit the frameworks that will be loaded.
1. /home/username/development/rubymine/hello_mine/test/test_helper.rb:1
 
1 files were loaded.
=========================================
Running tests...
Started

Finished in 0.00186s
0 tests, 0 assertions, 0 failures, 0 errors, 0 skips

Process finished with exit code 0

Resolutions

As usual, I checked the stack trace and could not understand why it cannot find test_helper.rb under test. The followings are cycling through the two controller tests

"/home/username/RubyMine-8.0.3/rb/testing/runner/tunit_or_minitest_in_folder_runner.rb:51:in `require'",
"/home/username/RubyMine-8.0.3/rb/testing/runner/tunit_or_minitest_in_folder_runner.rb:51:in `block in require_all_test_scripts'",
"/home/username/RubyMine-8.0.3/rb/testing/runner/tunit_or_minitest_in_folder_runner.rb:44:in `each'",
"/home/username/RubyMine-8.0.3/rb/testing/runner/tunit_or_minitest_in_folder_runner.rb:44:in `require_all_test_scripts'",
"/home/username/RubyMine-8.0.3/rb/testing/runner/tunit_or_minitest_in_folder_runner.rb:140

So they are not relevent, The following lines

["/home/username/development/rubymine/hello_mine/test/controllers/say_hello_controller_test.rb:1:in `require'",
"/home/username/development/rubymine/hello_mine/test/controllers/say_hello_controller_test.rb:1:in `'",

points to the controller test – line 1

require 'test_helper'

but the file test/test_help.rb does exist so tried rake test from command shell and pass all tests

> rake test
...
Finished in 0.300035s, 6.6659 runs/s, 6.6659 assertions/s.

2 runs, 2 assertions, 0 failures, 0 errors, 0 skips

It confirmed that there is no real issue. It appears that the test is started at wrong location/directory that resulted in not finding test/test_helper.rb but it did log the correct working directory

Work directory: /home/username/development/rubymine/hello_mine

Tried right click individual test / Run ‘Run test ‘controller_test…’ and it works. Right click the test foler / Run ‘Run All tests in test:…’ and it works too.

Go back to check the Run Tool window and found how the test is invoked

/usr/bin/ruby -e $stdout.sync=true;$stderr.sync=true;load($0=ARGV.shift) -Itest /home/username/RubyMine-8.0.3/rb/testing/runner/tunit_or_minitest_in_folder_runner.rb

Notice that there is an extra option -Itest when ruby is invoked for successful tests. Check manual,

> man ruby
...
-I directory   Used to tell Ruby where to load the library scripts.  Directory path will be added to the load-path variable ($:)

This explains why the test run from test folder and individual test works. Not sure why the option is not included when invoke test from Run menu option.