5ZoneTDV example file fatal due to incorrect path to schedule file in Ep-Launch V9.6

[Nigusse]

Issue overview

5ZoneTDV example file fatal out when run using EP-Launch Version 9.6 when trying to access Schedule:File object. EP-Launch is looking at incorrect path to the file. This file and others run fine in EnergyPlus V9.5. But it runs fine in V9.6 if you provide full path to the file in Schedule:File object.

Details

Some additional details for this issue (if relevant):

• EnergyPlus V9.6 (EP-Launch)

Error Message:

Severe  ** Schedule:File="ELECTDVFROMCZ06COM", File Name: "..\datasets\TDV\TDV_2008_kBtu_CTZ06.csv" not found.
   **   ~~~   **   Paths searched:
   **   ~~~   **     Current Working Directory: "C:\Data\EPlusPrograms\EnergyPlusV9-6-0\ExampleFiles\datasets\TDV"
   **   ~~~   **     EnergyPlus Executable Directory: "C:\Data\EPlusPrograms\datasets\TDV"
...
Fatal  ** ProcessScheduleInput: Preceding Errors cause termination.

EP-Launch should be looking at C:\Data\EPlusPrograms\EnergyPlusV9-6-0\datasets\TDV\ instead of C:\Data\EPlusPrograms\EnergyPlusV9-6-0\ExampleFiles\datasets\TDV.

Checklist

Add to this list or remove from it as applicable. This is a simple templated set of guidelines.

• Defect file added (list location of defect file here)
• Ticket added to Pivotal for defect (development team task)
• Pull request created (the pull request will have additional tasks related to reviewing changes that fix this defect)

[mjwitte]

@Nigusse Nothing changed with EP-Launch. EnergyPlus does the searching for this. Something must have changed in the search path list in EnergyPlus between 9.5 and 9.6.

[mjwitte]

Tested with v9.5 on Windows10 with a bad file name to see what search paths were checked:

   ** Severe  ** Schedule:File="ELECTDVFROMCZ06COM", File Name: "..\datasets\TDV\TDV_XYZ2008_kBtu_CTZ06.csv" not found.
   **   ~~~   **   Paths searched:
   **   ~~~   **     Current Working Directory: "C:\EnergyPlus\EnergyPlusV9-5-0\ExampleFiles\datasets\TDV\"
   **   ~~~   **     EnergyPlus Executable Directory: "C:\EnergyPlus\datasets\TDV\"
   **   ~~~   **     "epin" Environment Variable: "C:\EnergyPlus\EnergyPlusV9-5-0\datasets\TDV\"

Now with v22.1-IOFreeze'ish

   ** Severe  ** Schedule:File="ELECTDVFROMCZ06COM", File Name: "..\datasets\TDV\TDV_2008_kBtu_CTZ06.csv" not found.
   **   ~~~   **   Paths searched:
   **   ~~~   **     Current Working Directory: "C:\EnergyPlus\EnergyPlusV22-1-0-IOFreeze\ExampleFiles\datasets\TDV"
   **   ~~~   **     EnergyPlus Executable Directory: "C:\datasets\TDV"

I see 2 differences here:

1. The EnergyPlus Executable Directory path is wrong. The exe is in C:\EnergyPlus\EnergyPlusV22-1-0-IOFreeze, so, when combined with the file path of ..\datasets\TDV, the search path should be "C:\EnergyPlus\datasets\TDV", same as v9.5. (I realize that this is still not going to find the file but if someone is relying on putting things relative to the exe path, that appears to be broken, on Windows anyway.
2. The "epin" Environment Variable path is no longer being searched.

[jcyuan2020]

The problem might be here:

EnergyPlus/src/EnergyPlus/ScheduleManager.cc

Lines 456 to 459 in 4fa778e

	std::string ShadingSunlitFracFileName = Alphas(1);
	std::string contextString = CurrentModuleObject + ", " + cAlphaFields(1) + ": ";
	state.files.TempFullFilePath.filePath = CheckForActualFilePath(state, ShadingSunlitFracFileName, contextString);

The function CheckForActualFilePath() need to take std:filesystem::path type as the second parameter; however a std:string was supplied. The code lines might need to be changed to:

            // std::string ShadingSunlitFracFileName = Alphas(1);
            std::filesystem::path ShadingSunlitFracFileName = Alphas(1);

            std::string contextString = CurrentModuleObject + ", " + cAlphaFields(1) + ": ";
            state.files.TempFullFilePath.filePath = CheckForActualFilePath(state, ShadingSunlitFracFileName, contextString);

Another place that need to change is here:

EnergyPlus/src/EnergyPlus/ScheduleManager.cc

Line 1676 in 4fa778e

state.files.TempFullFilePath.filePath = CheckForActualFilePath(state, Alphas(3), contextString);

This line should be changed to the following:

            std::filesystem::path alphas3_path = Alphas(3);
            // state.files.TempFullFilePath.filePath = CheckForActualFilePath(state, Alphas(3), contextString);
            state.files.TempFullFilePath.filePath = CheckForActualFilePath(state, alphas3_path, contextString);

There seems to be a difference about std::filesystem::path and std::string, according to the findings in #9313 which seems to have a similar problem.

There are about 5-6 calls for CheckForAcutalFilePath() in the entire code. All the others calls seem to correct--having the second parameter as std:filesystem::path type. The two occurrences above in the ScheduleManager.cc should be changed accordingly.

[mbadams5]

It should already implicitly construct a std::filesystem::path for the second parameter when given a std::string as an input parameter since std::filesystem::path accepts std::string as a constructor option (https://en.cppreference.com/w/cpp/filesystem/path/path). So I am doubtful that will solve this problem, but I could be wrong.

I think this is due to the original change to using std::filesystem and something being subtly wrong during the conversion.

[jmarrec]

@jcyuan2020 are you already actively looking into this? Otherwise I would take it, bundle it with #9313 (since I did the filesystem conversion, both are my fault...)

FYI, the relevant code block is around here:

EnergyPlus/src/EnergyPlus/DataSystemVariables.cc

Lines 172 to 214 in ef1342a

	std::vector<std::pair<fs::path, std::string>> pathsChecked;
	const std::array<std::pair<fs::path, std::string>, 7> pathsToCheck = {
	{{InputFilePath, "Current Working Directory"},
	{state.dataStrGlobals->inputDirPath / InputFilePath, "IDF Directory"},
	{state.dataStrGlobals->exeDirectoryPath / InputFilePath, "EnergyPlus Executable Directory"},
	{state.dataSysVars->envinputpath1 / InputFilePath, "\"epin\" Environment Variable"},
	{state.dataSysVars->envinputpath2 / InputFilePath, "\"input_path\" Environment Variable"},
	{state.dataStrGlobals->CurrentWorkingFolder / InputFilePath, "INI File Directory"},
	{state.dataStrGlobals->ProgramPath / InputFilePath, "\"program\", \"dir\" from INI File"}}};
	std::size_t numPathsToNotTest = (state.dataSysVars->TestAllPaths) ? pathsToCheck.size() - 2 : pathsToCheck.size();
	for (std::size_t i = 0; i < numPathsToNotTest; i++) {
	if (FileSystem::fileExists(pathsToCheck[i].first)) {
	foundFilePath = pathsToCheck[i].first;
	print(state.files.audit, "{}={}\n", "found (" + pathsToCheck[i].second + ")", FileSystem::getAbsolutePath(foundFilePath).string());
	return foundFilePath;
	} else {
	std::pair<fs::path, std::string> currentPath(FileSystem::getParentDirectoryPath(FileSystem::getAbsolutePath(pathsToCheck[i].first)),
	pathsToCheck[i].second);
	bool found = false;
	for (auto path : pathsChecked) {
	if (path.first == currentPath.first) {
	found = true;
	}
	}
	if (!found) {
	pathsChecked.push_back(currentPath);
	}
	print(state.files.audit,
	"{}={}\n",
	"not found (" + pathsToCheck[i].second + ")\"",
	FileSystem::getAbsolutePath(pathsToCheck[i].first).string());
	}
	}
	// If we get here, we didn't find the file
	ShowSevereError(state, contextString + "\"" + originalInputFilePath.string() + "\" not found.");
	ShowContinueError(state, " Paths searched:");
	for (auto path : pathsChecked) {
	ShowContinueError(state, " " + path.second + ": \"" + path.first.string() + "\"");
	}

It doesn't report a path as checked if that path doesn't exist.

I'm pretty sure this is an issue with a missing trailing directory separator...

[jcyuan2020]

@jmarrec I just removed myself from this one. You may have better idea to fix this one. Thanks!
@mbadams5 I did finished testing the changes I proposed and you are right. These are not the solutions to this issue.

[jmarrec]

@jcyuan2020 Thanks.

Another potential issue with this... the folder datasets (in source) is installed as DataSets... Given than mac and linux are case sensitive file systems, not sure if that's a great idea.

[jmarrec]

yeah well, I can reproduce a similar error message on Ubuntu when installed, Ubuntu is case sensitive (mac isn't by default, including on my machine, so it works there).

$ EnergyPlus-22.1.0-b7de83fa2d-Linux-Ubuntu18.04-x86_64/energyplus -d out-5ZoneTDV/ -w EnergyPlus-22.1.0-b7de83fa2d-Linux-Ubuntu18.04-x86_64/WeatherData/USA_IL_Chicago-OHare.Intl.AP.725300_TMY3.epw EnergyPlus-22.1.0-b7de83fa2d-Linux-Ubuntu18.04-x86_64/ExampleFiles/5ZoneTDV.idf

EnergyPlus, Version 22.1.0-b7de83fa2d, YMD=2022.03.04 14:28
**FATAL:ProcessScheduleInput: Preceding Errors cause termination.
EnergyPlus Run Time=00hr 00min  0.82sec

If I replace in 5ZoneTDV.idf:

-    ..\datasets\TDV\TDV_2008_kBtu_CTZ06.csv,  !- File Name
+    ..\DataSets\TDV\TDV_2008_kBtu_CTZ06.csv,  !- File Name

then it works.

[jmarrec]

I finally found the needle.

epin is passed as a a path to the IDF file minus its extension. eg : C:\EnergyPlus-V22-1-0\ExampleFiles\5ZoneTDV, so need to take the parent directory path like it was done before

EnergyPlus/src/EnergyPlus/DataSystemVariables.cc

Lines 160 to 164 in de239b2

	get_environment_variable(cInputPath1, state.dataSysVars->envinputpath1);
	if (!state.dataSysVars->envinputpath1.empty()) {
	pos = index(state.dataSysVars->envinputpath1, pathChar, true); // look backwards for pathChar
	if (pos != std::string::npos) state.dataSysVars->envinputpath1.erase(pos + 1);
	}

.

I missed it when I did the conversion to filesystem...

EnergyPlus/src/EnergyPlus/DataSystemVariables.cc

Lines 159 to 160 in 1ca392b

	get_environment_variable(cInputPath1, tmp);
	state.dataSysVars->envinputpath1 = fs::path(tmp);

As a result, since EP-Launch creates an extra Temp subfolder to run it C:\EnergyPlus-V22-1-0\ExampleFiles\EPTEMP-00000001, and the epin wasn't set correctly, it couldn't find the ..\datasets\TDV\TDV_2008_kBtu_CTZ06.csv file.