Feel like I'm getting into hacking territory

It turns out that there are some baked in assumptions of where the App is located
relative to the testroot. There are some nasty hacks to locate it in a normal
installation location, but this doesn't work if you install elsewhere (like we have
to for the test). In order to get the TestHarness to behave, it's easiest to just
link the executable to the fake test hierarchy. This part isn't a hack ;)

Next Problem, the TestHarness currently checks for the working directory to exist
in the Runnable phase, which occurs asyncronously to the scheduled launch of the
test. This is a no go, since we are trying to copy the directory structure in the test
so it won't exist for latter tests. So... I moved the working directory check to
the place where we actually launch the test. This would be OK, but apparently there
are other assumptions baked into the Job class. I had to start/stop the timer to
avoid an index out of range.

Now the tests are running properly.

refs idaholab#19022

python/TestHarness/testers/Tester.py

@@ -315,6 +315,14 @@ def runCommand(self, cmd, cwd, timer, options):
         cmd = self.getCommand(options)
         cwd = self.getTestDir()
 
+        # Verify that the working directory is available right before we execute.
+        if not os.path.exists(cwd):
+            # Timers must be used since they are directly indexed in the Job class
+            timer.start()
+            self.setStatus(self.fail, 'WORKING DIRECTORY NOT FOUND')
+            timer.stop()
+            return
+
         self.process = None
         try:
             f = SpooledTemporaryFile(max_size=1000000) # 1M character buffer
@@ -637,12 +645,10 @@ def checkRunnableBase(self, options):
             if missing:
                 reasons['requires'] = ', '.join(['no {}'.format(p) for p in missing])
 
-        # Verify working_directory is relative and available
+        # Verify working_directory is relative. We'll check to make sure it's available just in time.
         if self.specs['working_directory']:
             if self.specs['working_directory'][:1] == os.path.sep:
                 self.setStatus(self.fail, 'ABSOLUTE PATH DETECTED')
-            elif not os.path.exists(self.getTestDir()):
-                self.setStatus(self.fail, 'WORKING DIRECTORY NOT FOUND')
 
         ##### The below must be performed last to register all above caveats #####
         # Remove any matching user supplied caveats from accumulated checkRunnable caveats that

test/tests/make_install/tests

@@ -14,16 +14,16 @@
     requirement = 'The system shall support the ability to "install" inputs:'
     [setup_fake_test_structure]
       type = 'RunCommand'
-      command = 'rm -rf moose_test_tests; rm -rf ../../../share/moose_test; mkdir -p ../../../share/moose_test/tests; cp -R ../kernels/2d_diffusion ../../../share/moose_test/tests/; cp ../../testroot ../../../share/moose_test/tests/'
+      command = 'rm -rf moose_test_tests; rm -rf ../../../share/moose_test; mkdir -p ../../../share/moose_test/tests/version; cp ../misc/version/tests ../../../share/moose_test/tests/version; cp ../../testroot ../../../share/moose_test/tests/'
       installed = False
 
       detail = 'from a pre-determined user-readable location;'
     []
 
     [copy_tests]
       type = 'RunApp'
-      input = 'DUMMY'
       cli_args = "--copy-inputs tests"
+      no_additional_cli_args = True
       expect_out = 'Directory successfully copied'
       installed = False
       prereq = 'test_copy_install/setup_fake_test_structure'
@@ -35,7 +35,7 @@
       type = 'CheckFiles'
       input = 'DUMMY'
       should_execute = False
-      check_files = 'moose_test_tests/testroot moose_test_tests/2d_diffusion/tests'
+      check_files = 'moose_test_tests/testroot moose_test_tests/version/tests'
       installed = False
       prereq = 'test_copy_install/copy_tests'
 
@@ -44,21 +44,34 @@
 
     [copy_warn_overwrite]
       type = 'RunException'
-      input = 'DUMMY'
       cli_args = "--copy-inputs tests"
+      no_additional_cli_args = True
       expect_err = 'The directory \S+ already exists.'
       installed = False
       prereq = 'test_copy_install/check_files'
 
       detail = 'able to report an error if overwriting may occur using a MOOSE-based binary;'
     []
 
+    [link_exec_installed]
+      type = 'RunCommand'
+      command = 'ln -s ../../../moose_test-opt .'
+      working_directory = "./moose_test_tests"
+      installed = False
+      method = opt
+      prereq = 'test_copy_install/copy_warn_overwrite'
+
+      detail = 'able to link a binary to an installed location;'
+    []
+
     [run]
       type = 'RunApp'
       cli_args = "--run tests"
+      working_directory = "./moose_test_tests"
       no_additional_cli_args = True
       installed = False
-      prereq = 'test_copy_install/copy_warn_overwrite'
+      method = opt
+      prereq = 'test_copy_install/link_exec_installed'
 
       detail = 'able to successfully launch the TestHarness using a MOOSE-based binary;'
     []