SimpleTest: $this->originalFileDirectory should be set before installation to ensure non-standard directories are picked up

One reason could be that you don't try to understand that there are bugs. It doesn't matter much what have been approved for D7 as this code doesn't care about an upgrade path very much or not at all until we reach a BETA1 level and extensive upgrade tests. Keep this every time in mind, please. A D5 and D6 simpletest version *must* care about an upgrade path as this is not DEV. Approved - also don't meen bugfree. Aside simpletest is only installed on ~150 sites and may not be used very often on this very few sites - therefore don't expect many reports and much less from upgraded Drupal versions!

I think I know - how this bug occurs:

Pre-requirements:
0. You need to install simpletest on a D6 version that was upgraded from D5.
1. This D5 version have had 'file_directory_path', 's:5:"files";' configured and don't have a directory "sites/default/files" on disk.

Run a test:
1. The module creates the "simpletest" prefixed tables and the variables tables don't have a entry of 'file_directory_path'.
2. Then file_directory_path() http://api.drupal.org/api/function/file_directory_path/6 is called and variable_get('file_directory_path', conf_path() .'/files') defaults to "sites/default/files". because the path is not yet configured in "admin/settings/file-system".
3. Therefore "sites/default/files" doesn't exists if you access it and throws an exception.

How to fix in simpletests setUp():
1. Simpletest must call $this->original_file_directory_path = variable_get('file_directory_path', conf_path() .'/files') on the main installation (not simpletest prefixed tables) and buffer the value.
2. Then switch to the simpletest prefixed tables
3. Install the tables
4. Save the buffered 'file_directory_path' value with variable_set('file_directory_path', $this->original_file_directory_path) into the simpletest prefixed variable table.
5. Run the tests.

The mysql dump proves this bug:

/*!40000 ALTER TABLE `simpletest155897variable` DISABLE KEYS */;
INSERT INTO `simpletest155897variable` (`name`,`value`) VALUES 
 ('clean_url','s:1:\"0\";'),
 ('comment_page','i:0;'),
 ('css_js_query_string','s:20:\"ZwK6OEgskPXJL5oBytS9\";'),
 ('drupal_private_key','s:64:\"bf0d466f5843ece1940e36814a8c94005a8977e53b5938b3b9fea85bf988fe11\";'),
 ('file_directory_path','s:36:\"sites/default/files/simpletest155897\";'),
 ('filter_html_1','i:1;'),
 ('install_profile','s:7:\"default\";'),
 ('install_task','s:16:\"profile-finished\";'),
 ('menu_masks','a:17:{i:0;i:62;i:1;i:61;i:2;i:59;i:3;i:31;i:4;i:30;i:5;i:29;i:6;i:24;i:7;i:21;i:8;i:15;i:9;i:14;i:10;i:11;i:11;i:7;i:12;i:6;i:13;i:5;i:14;i:3;i:15;i:2;i:16;i:1;}'),
 ('node_options_forum','a:1:{i:0;s:6:\"status\";}'),
 ('node_options_page','a:1:{i:0;s:6:\"status\";}'),
 ('theme_default','s:7:\"garland\";'),
 ('theme_settings','a:18:{s:11:\"toggle_logo\";i:1;s:11:\"toggle_name\";i:0;s:13:\"toggle_slogan\";i:0;s:14:\"toggle_mission\";i:0;s:24:\"toggle_node_user_picture\";i:0;s:27:\"toggle_comment_user_picture\";i:0;s:13:\"toggle_search\";i:1;s:14:\"toggle_favicon\";i:1;s:20:\"toggle_primary_links\";i:1;s:22:\"toggle_secondary_links\";i:1;s:21:\"toggle_node_info_page\";b:0;s:22:\"toggle_node_info_story\";i:0;s:12:\"default_logo\";i:1;s:9:\"logo_path\";s:35:\"sites/all/themes/yaml/img/title.gif\";s:11:\"logo_upload\";s:0:\"\";s:15:\"default_favicon\";i:1;s:12:\"favicon_path\";s:0:\"\";s:14:\"favicon_upload\";s:0:\"\";}');

Patch attached.

EDIT: Updated patch that uses $this->original_file_directory.

The stage where file_directory_path() get called today is too late, that's all. It doesn't care about path's that have been changed by hand (or upgraded installations).

Why should simpletest only run on test systems?

If we add tests to modules and release them together, people are free to use them. If users have issues - I will for sure ask them at very first to run the tests on their site to make sure their server config may not the issue and see if the tests are working or failing.

Doesn't matter to me if this is production or not. In D7 simpletest is a core module and people simply can check it - they also don't know that this module is only for development purposes and can break their site. Aside if this may really the case - I hope simpletest will be removed form core and stay in contrib to make sure people are not destroying their site or don't run it on normal production sites. It would be the very first time that a module have been added to core, but is not for production use. But I haven't followed the discussion...

I think you have not understood the bug. Uninstall of the simpletest module cannot fix this issue. Core has been installed long time ago with a D5 standard files directory and was then upgraded to D6. You MUST care about variable table SETTINGS. In such a case the files directory is typically in files (but could also be in a different place!!!) and NOT in sites/default/files what the buggy simpletest module as it's ignoring the sites settings.

Yeah, this is not an upgrade issue of the module themself. Simpletest ignores a customized "files" directory setting of core. Thank you for the hint, this seems to require a re-role.

Patches attached for simpletest D6 and D7. Re-Test

Yeah, this looks like this bug.

THX, now needs to be committed to D6.

This BUG is still there in 6.x-2.8 and therefore UNFIXED.

2.8

Ok, verified - issue is fixed. Closing case.

I used 2.8 for testing first and now upgraded to DEV to verify the fix. I wasn't aware that this fix gone in after the 2.8 date as simpletest releases are normally rolled after a backport and the source of the backport have had the fix.