# Generated test files and bad require 'test\_helper' **URL:** \ **Category:** Rails\ **Created:** [May 14, 2009, 10:23pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/generated-test-files-and-bad-require-test-helper/168005 "2009-05-14T22:23:27Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![fipa](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/f/9e8a1a/32.png) [@fipa](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/fipa)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2009, 10:23pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/generated-test-files-and-bad-require-test-helper/168005/1 "2009-05-14T22:23:27Z")
Why do the generated test files have: require ‘test\_helper’ It cannot obviously find the file because it’s located in a subdirectory. That’s annoying. ---
**Author:** ![fipa](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/f/9e8a1a/32.png) [@fipa](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/fipa)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2009, 10:36pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/generated-test-files-and-bad-require-test-helper/168005/2 "2009-05-14T22:36:21Z")
It finds it ok for me when run from rake test but not from ruby test/unit/test.rb I change all the require lines to require File.dirname( **FILE** ) + ‘/…/test\_helper’ I suspect there is a better way of achieving this effect Colin 2009/5/14 Fernando P. [removed\_email\_address@domain.invalid](mailto:removed_email_address@domain.invalid) ---
**Author:** ![fipa](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/f/9e8a1a/32.png) [@fipa](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/fipa)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2009, 10:50pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/generated-test-files-and-bad-require-test-helper/168005/3 "2009-05-14T22:50:34Z")
Colin L. wrote: > It finds it ok for me when run from rake test but not from ruby > test/unit/test.rb > I change all the require lines to > > require File.dirname( **FILE** ) + ‘/…/test\_helper’ > > I suspect there is a better way of achieving this effect > Thanks Colin for your input. Actually it works the same for me (I never > noticed), but I often find myself only running a little set of tests and > not always the full rake test. ---
**Author:** ![fipa](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/f/9e8a1a/32.png) [@fipa](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/fipa)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2009, 11:21pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/generated-test-files-and-bad-require-test-helper/168005/4 "2009-05-14T23:21:33Z")
Fernando P. wrote: > Colin L. wrote: > > require File.dirname( **FILE** ) + ‘/…/test\_helper’ > > > > I suspect there is a better way of achieving this effect > Thanks Colin for your input. Actually it works the same for me (I never > noticed), but I often find myself only running a little set of tests and > not always the full rake test. Some editors run tests in the “wrong” folder - if they can run unit tests at all - so that File.dirname mishmash is crucial for Rails’s tests. No idea why the newer version took it out! – Phlip [http://flea.sourceforge.net/resume.html](http://flea.sourceforge.net/resume.html) ---
**Author:** ![fipa](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/f/9e8a1a/32.png) [@fipa](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/fipa)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2009, 11:53pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/generated-test-files-and-bad-require-test-helper/168005/5 "2009-05-14T23:53:10Z")
Frederick C. wrote: > > Some editors run tests in the “wrong” folder - if they can run unit tests at all > > > > - so that File.dirname mishmash is crucial for Rails’s tests. No idea why the > > newer version took it out! > > Take a look at the comments for [Generated tests rely on test dir in load path rather than File.dirnam… · rails/rails@e817080 · GitHub](http://github.com/rails/rails/commit/e8170805df1a32119db9d328daee1239b338ac71) “different relative requires of the same file cause Ruby to load it multiple times. This causes bugs. Fixing it is the point of this change.” Then use File.expand\_path(File.dirname( **FILE** ) + ‘/…/test\_helper.rb’). expand\_path - if I spelled it right - goes to the OS filesystem for the uniquely correct path, right? – Phlip [http://flea.sourceforge.net/resume.html](http://flea.sourceforge.net/resume.html) ---
**Author:** ![fipa](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/f/9e8a1a/32.png) [@fipa](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/fipa)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2009, 11:43pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/generated-test-files-and-bad-require-test-helper/168005/6 "2009-05-14T23:43:13Z")
On May 14, 10:20 pm, Phlip [removed\_email\_address@domain.invalid](mailto:removed_email_address@domain.invalid) wrote: > - so that File.dirname mishmash is crucial for Rails’s tests. No idea why the > newer version took it out! Take a look at the comments for > > > git-svn-id: http://svn-commit.rubyonrails.org/rails/trunk@9133 5ecf4fe2-1ee6-031…0-87b1-e25e094e27de Fred ---
**Author:** ![fipa](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/f/9e8a1a/32.png) [@fipa](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/fipa)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2009, 11:56pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/generated-test-files-and-bad-require-test-helper/168005/7 "2009-05-14T23:56:06Z")
> “different relative requires of the same file cause Ruby to load it multiple > times. This causes bugs. Fixing it is the point of this change.” > > Then use File.expand\_path(File.dirname( **FILE** ) + ‘/…/test\_helper.rb’). > > expand\_path - if I spelled it right - goes to the OS filesystem for the uniquely > correct path, right? “File.expand\_path doesn’t behave on Windows”. It always comes back to that, huh? (-: – Phlip [http://flea.sourceforge.net/resume.html](http://flea.sourceforge.net/resume.html)