Setting QUILTING: false causes the run_fcst task to fail

[gsketefian]

Expected behavior

When QUILTING is set to false in config.yaml, the forecast should complete successfully and generate the history files fv3_history2d.nc and fv3_history.nc instead of dynf###.nc and phyf###.nc.

Current behavior

Setting QUILTING: false causes the run_fcst task to fail in create_model_configure_file.py (even before the forecast is launched) because several variables in the jinja template file model_configure remain undefined for this case (so that the model_configure file is not generated from the template.

Machines affected

Defiinitely Hera (probably all).

Steps To Reproduce

One way to reproduce this error is to run the WE2E test grid_RRFS_CONUScompact_25km_ics_HRRR_lbcs_HRRR_suite_HRRR with QUILTING set to false. To do this, first modify the configuration file for this test, which is at

ufs-srweather-app/tests/WE2E/test_configs/grids_extrn_mdls_suites_community/config.grid_RRFS_CONUScompact_25km_ics_HRRR_lbcs_HRRR_suite_HRRR.yaml

by addding the following bolded lines:

...
workflow:
...
rocoto:
  tasks:
    taskgroups: '{{ ["parm/wflow/prep.yaml", "parm/wflow/coldstart.yaml"]|include }}'
...
task_run_fcst:
...
  QUILTING: false

Then run the run_WE2E_tests.py script for this test. When the experiment gets to the run_fcst task, it should fail with a message in the log file similar to the one shown in the Output section below.

Detailed Description of Fix (optional)

Include a section of code right before if QUILTING: statement in create_model_configure_file.py that sets the undefined parameters to default values (e.g. None).

Output (optional)

Here is the relevant portion of the error message in run_fcst_mem000_2019061518.log:

ERROR: Template requires variables that are not provided
  lat2
  dx
  dlon
  lon1
  cen_lat
  lon2
  stdlat2
  ny
  cen_lon
  write_tasks_per_group
  stdlat1
  nx
  dlat
  write_groups
  dy
  lat1
Missing values needed by template
Traceback (most recent call last):
  File "/scratch2/BMC/det/Gerard.Ketefian/UFS_CAM/TEST_SRW_phys_tendencies/ufs-srweather-app/ush/create_model_configure_file.py", line 302, in <module>
    create_model_configure_file(
  File "/scratch2/BMC/det/Gerard.Ketefian/UFS_CAM/TEST_SRW_phys_tendencies/ufs-srweather-app/ush/create_model_configure_file.py", line 215, in create_mod    
el_configure_file
    set_template(
  File "/scratch2/BMC/det/Gerard.Ketefian/UFS_CAM/TEST_SRW_phys_tendencies/ufs-srweather-app/ush/python_utils/workflow-tools/scripts/templater.py", line     
146, in set_template
    raise ValueError(msg)
ValueError: Missing values needed by template
End exregional_run_fcst.sh at Wed Jul 19 23:40:45 UTC 2023 with error code 1 (time elapsed: 00:00:12)
FATAL ERROR:
ERROR:
  From script:  "JREGIONAL_RUN_FCST"
  Full path to script:  "/scratch2/BMC/det/Gerard.Ketefian/UFS_CAM/TEST_SRW_phys_tendencies/ufs-srweather-app/jobs/JREGIONAL_RUN_FCST"
Call to ex-script corresponding to J-job "JREGIONAL_RUN_FCST" failed.
Exiting with nonzero status.
End JREGIONAL_RUN_FCST at Wed Jul 19 23:40:45 UTC 2023 with error code 1 (time elapsed: 00:00:13)