backlog 0.0.3 → 0.0.4

data/vendor/rails/activerecord/lib/active_record/schema.rb

@@ -0,0 +1,58 @@
+module ActiveRecord
+  # Allows programmers to programmatically define a schema in a portable
+  # DSL. This means you can define tables, indexes, etc. without using SQL
+  # directly, so your applications can more easily support multiple
+  # databases.
+  #
+  # Usage:
+  #
+  #   ActiveRecord::Schema.define do
+  #     create_table :authors do |t|
+  #       t.column :name, :string, :null => false
+  #     end
+  #
+  #     add_index :authors, :name, :unique
+  #
+  #     create_table :posts do |t|
+  #       t.column :author_id, :integer, :null => false
+  #       t.column :subject, :string
+  #       t.column :body, :text
+  #       t.column :private, :boolean, :default => false
+  #     end
+  #
+  #     add_index :posts, :author_id
+  #   end
+  #
+  # ActiveRecord::Schema is only supported by database adapters that also
+  # support migrations, the two features being very similar.
+  class Schema < Migration
+    private_class_method :new
+
+    # Eval the given block. All methods available to the current connection
+    # adapter are available within the block, so you can easily use the
+    # database definition DSL to build up your schema (#create_table,
+    # #add_index, etc.).
+    #
+    # The +info+ hash is optional, and if given is used to define metadata
+    # about the current schema (like the schema's version):
+    #
+    #   ActiveRecord::Schema.define(:version => 15) do
+    #     ...
+    #   end
+    def self.define(info={}, &block)
+      instance_eval(&block)
+
+      unless info.empty?
+        initialize_schema_information
+        cols = columns('schema_info')
+
+        info = info.map do |k,v|
+          v = Base.connection.quote(v, cols.detect { |c| c.name == k.to_s })
+          "#{k} = #{v}"
+        end
+
+        Base.connection.update "UPDATE #{Migrator.schema_info_table_name} SET #{info.join(", ")}"
+      end
+    end
+  end
+end

data/vendor/rails/activerecord/lib/active_record/schema_dumper.rb

@@ -0,0 +1,164 @@
+require 'stringio'
+require 'bigdecimal'
+
+module ActiveRecord
+  # This class is used to dump the database schema for some connection to some
+  # output format (i.e., ActiveRecord::Schema).
+  class SchemaDumper #:nodoc:
+    private_class_method :new
+    
+    # A list of tables which should not be dumped to the schema. 
+    # Acceptable values are strings as well as regexp.
+    # This setting is only used if ActiveRecord::Base.schema_format == :ruby
+    cattr_accessor :ignore_tables 
+    @@ignore_tables = []
+
+    def self.dump(connection=ActiveRecord::Base.connection, stream=STDOUT)
+      new(connection).dump(stream)
+      stream
+    end
+
+    def dump(stream)
+      header(stream)
+      tables(stream)
+      trailer(stream)
+      stream
+    end
+
+    private
+
+      def initialize(connection)
+        @connection = connection
+        @types = @connection.native_database_types
+        @info = @connection.select_one("SELECT * FROM schema_info") rescue nil
+      end
+
+      def header(stream)
+        define_params = @info ? ":version => #{@info['version']}" : ""
+
+        stream.puts <<HEADER
+# This file is autogenerated. Instead of editing this file, please use the
+# migrations feature of ActiveRecord to incrementally modify your database, and
+# then regenerate this schema definition.
+
+ActiveRecord::Schema.define(#{define_params}) do
+
+HEADER
+      end
+
+      def trailer(stream)
+        stream.puts "end"
+      end
+
+      def tables(stream)
+        @connection.tables.sort.each do |tbl|
+          next if ["schema_info", ignore_tables].flatten.any? do |ignored|
+            case ignored
+            when String: tbl == ignored
+            when Regexp: tbl =~ ignored
+            else
+              raise StandardError, 'ActiveRecord::SchemaDumper.ignore_tables accepts an array of String and / or Regexp values.'
+            end
+          end 
+          table(tbl, stream)
+        end
+      end
+
+      def table(table, stream)
+        columns = @connection.columns(table)
+        begin
+          tbl = StringIO.new
+
+          if @connection.respond_to?(:pk_and_sequence_for)
+            pk, pk_seq = @connection.pk_and_sequence_for(table)
+          end
+          pk ||= 'id'
+
+          tbl.print "  create_table #{table.inspect}"
+          if columns.detect { |c| c.name == pk }
+            if pk != 'id'
+              tbl.print %Q(, :primary_key => "#{pk}")
+            end
+          else
+            tbl.print ", :id => false"
+          end
+          tbl.print ", :force => true"
+          tbl.puts " do |t|"
+
+          column_specs = columns.map do |column|
+            raise StandardError, "Unknown type '#{column.sql_type}' for column '#{column.name}'" if @types[column.type].nil?
+            next if column.name == pk
+            spec = {}
+            spec[:name]      = column.name.inspect
+            spec[:type]      = column.type.to_s
+            spec[:limit]     = column.limit.inspect if column.limit != @types[column.type][:limit] && column.type != :decimal
+            spec[:precision] = column.precision.inspect if !column.precision.nil?
+            spec[:scale]     = column.scale.inspect if !column.scale.nil?
+            spec[:null]      = 'false' if !column.null
+            spec[:default]   = default_string(column.default) if !column.default.nil?
+            (spec.keys - [:name, :type]).each{ |k| spec[k].insert(0, "#{k.inspect} => ")}
+            spec
+          end.compact
+
+          # find all migration keys used in this table
+          keys = [:name, :limit, :precision, :scale, :default, :null] & column_specs.map(&:keys).flatten
+
+          # figure out the lengths for each column based on above keys
+          lengths = keys.map{ |key| column_specs.map{ |spec| spec[key] ? spec[key].length + 2 : 0 }.max }
+
+          # the string we're going to sprintf our values against, with standardized column widths
+          format_string = lengths.map{ |len| "%-#{len}s" }
+
+          # find the max length for the 'type' column, which is special
+          type_length = column_specs.map{ |column| column[:type].length }.max
+
+          # add column type definition to our format string
+          format_string.unshift "    t.%-#{type_length}s "
+
+          format_string *= ''
+
+          column_specs.each do |colspec|
+            values = keys.zip(lengths).map{ |key, len| colspec.key?(key) ? colspec[key] + ", " : " " * len }
+            values.unshift colspec[:type]
+            tbl.print((format_string % values).gsub(/,\s*$/, ''))
+            tbl.puts
+          end
+
+          tbl.puts "  end"
+          tbl.puts
+          
+          indexes(table, tbl)
+
+          tbl.rewind
+          stream.print tbl.read
+        rescue => e
+          stream.puts "# Could not dump table #{table.inspect} because of following #{e.class}"
+          stream.puts "#   #{e.message}"
+          stream.puts
+        end
+        
+        stream
+      end
+
+      def default_string(value)
+        case value
+        when BigDecimal
+          value.to_s
+        when Date, DateTime, Time
+          "'" + value.to_s(:db) + "'"
+        else
+          value.inspect
+        end
+      end
+      
+      def indexes(table, stream)
+        indexes = @connection.indexes(table)
+        indexes.each do |index|
+          stream.print "  add_index #{index.table.inspect}, #{index.columns.inspect}, :name => #{index.name.inspect}"
+          stream.print ", :unique => true" if index.unique
+          stream.puts
+        end
+        stream.puts unless indexes.empty?
+      end
+  end
+end

data/vendor/rails/activerecord/lib/active_record/timestamp.rb

@@ -0,0 +1,50 @@
+module ActiveRecord
+  # Active Record automatically timestamps create and update if the table has fields
+  # created_at/created_on or updated_at/updated_on.
+  #
+  # Timestamping can be turned off by setting
+  #   <tt>ActiveRecord::Base.record_timestamps = false</tt>
+  #
+  # Keep in mind that, via inheritance, you can turn off timestamps on a per
+  # model basis by setting <tt>record_timestamps</tt> to false in the desired
+  # models.
+  #
+  #   class Feed < ActiveRecord::Base
+  #     self.record_timestamps = false
+  #     # ...
+  #   end
+  #
+  # Timestamps are in the local timezone by default but can use UTC by setting
+  #   <tt>ActiveRecord::Base.default_timezone = :utc</tt>
+  module Timestamp
+    def self.included(base) #:nodoc:
+      base.alias_method_chain :create, :timestamps
+      base.alias_method_chain :update, :timestamps
+
+      base.cattr_accessor :record_timestamps, :instance_writer => false
+      base.record_timestamps = true
+    end
+
+    private
+      def create_with_timestamps #:nodoc:
+        if record_timestamps
+          t = self.class.default_timezone == :utc ? Time.now.utc : Time.now
+          write_attribute('created_at', t) if respond_to?(:created_at) && created_at.nil?
+          write_attribute('created_on', t) if respond_to?(:created_on) && created_on.nil?
+
+          write_attribute('updated_at', t) if respond_to?(:updated_at)
+          write_attribute('updated_on', t) if respond_to?(:updated_on)
+        end
+        create_without_timestamps
+      end
+
+      def update_with_timestamps #:nodoc:
+        if record_timestamps
+          t = self.class.default_timezone == :utc ? Time.now.utc : Time.now
+          write_attribute('updated_at', t) if respond_to?(:updated_at)
+          write_attribute('updated_on', t) if respond_to?(:updated_on)
+        end
+        update_without_timestamps
+      end
+  end
+end

data/vendor/rails/activerecord/lib/active_record/transactions.rb

@@ -0,0 +1,128 @@
+require 'thread'
+
+module ActiveRecord
+  module Transactions # :nodoc:
+    class TransactionError < ActiveRecordError # :nodoc:
+    end
+
+    def self.included(base)
+      base.extend(ClassMethods)
+
+      base.class_eval do
+        [:destroy, :save, :save!].each do |method|
+          alias_method_chain method, :transactions
+        end
+      end
+    end
+
+    # Transactions are protective blocks where SQL statements are only permanent if they can all succeed as one atomic action. 
+    # The classic example is a transfer between two accounts where you can only have a deposit if the withdrawal succeeded and
+    # vice versa. Transactions enforce the integrity of the database and guard the data against program errors or database break-downs.
+    # So basically you should use transaction blocks whenever you have a number of statements that must be executed together or
+    # not at all. Example:
+    #
+    #   transaction do
+    #     david.withdrawal(100)
+    #     mary.deposit(100)
+    #   end
+    #
+    # This example will only take money from David and give to Mary if neither +withdrawal+ nor +deposit+ raises an exception.
+    # Exceptions will force a ROLLBACK that returns the database to the state before the transaction was begun. Be aware, though,
+    # that the objects by default will _not_ have their instance data returned to their pre-transactional state.
+    #
+    # == Rolling back a transaction manually
+    #
+    # Instead of relying on exceptions to rollback your transactions, you can also do so manually from within the scope
+    # of the transaction by accepting a yield parameter and calling rollback! on it. Example:
+    #
+    #   transaction do |transaction|
+    #     david.withdrawal(100)
+    #     mary.deposit(100)
+    #     transaction.rollback! # rolls back the transaction that was otherwise going to be successful
+    #   end
+    #
+    # == Transactions are not distributed across database connections
+    #
+    # A transaction acts on a single database connection.  If you have
+    # multiple class-specific databases, the transaction will not protect
+    # interaction among them.  One workaround is to begin a transaction
+    # on each class whose models you alter:
+    #
+    #   Student.transaction do
+    #     Course.transaction do
+    #       course.enroll(student)
+    #       student.units += course.units
+    #     end
+    #   end
+    #
+    # This is a poor solution, but full distributed transactions are beyond
+    # the scope of Active Record.
+    #
+    # == Save and destroy are automatically wrapped in a transaction
+    #
+    # Both Base#save and Base#destroy come wrapped in a transaction that ensures that whatever you do in validations or callbacks
+    # will happen under the protected cover of a transaction. So you can use validations to check for values that the transaction
+    # depend on or you can raise exceptions in the callbacks to rollback.
+    #
+    # == Exception handling
+    #
+    # Also have in mind that exceptions thrown within a transaction block will be propagated (after triggering the ROLLBACK), so you
+    # should be ready to catch those in your application code.
+    module ClassMethods
+      def transaction(&block)
+        previous_handler = trap('TERM') { raise TransactionError, "Transaction aborted" }
+        increment_open_transactions
+
+        begin
+          connection.transaction(Thread.current['start_db_transaction'], &block)
+        ensure
+          decrement_open_transactions
+          trap('TERM', previous_handler)
+        end
+      end
+
+      private
+        def increment_open_transactions #:nodoc:
+          open = Thread.current['open_transactions'] ||= 0
+          Thread.current['start_db_transaction'] = open.zero?
+          Thread.current['open_transactions'] = open + 1
+        end
+
+        def decrement_open_transactions #:nodoc:
+          Thread.current['open_transactions'] -= 1
+        end
+    end
+
+    def transaction(&block)
+      self.class.transaction(&block)
+    end
+
+    def destroy_with_transactions #:nodoc:
+      transaction { destroy_without_transactions }
+    end
+
+    def save_with_transactions(perform_validation = true) #:nodoc:
+      rollback_active_record_state! { transaction { save_without_transactions(perform_validation) } }
+    end
+
+    def save_with_transactions! #:nodoc:
+      rollback_active_record_state! { transaction { save_without_transactions! } }
+    end
+
+    # Reset id and @new_record if the transaction rolls back.
+    def rollback_active_record_state!
+      id_present = has_attribute?(self.class.primary_key)
+      previous_id = id
+      previous_new_record = @new_record
+      yield
+    rescue Exception
+      @new_record = previous_new_record
+      if id_present
+        self.id = previous_id
+      else
+        @attributes.delete(self.class.primary_key)
+      end
+      raise
+    end
+  end
+end

data/vendor/rails/activerecord/lib/active_record/validations.rb

@@ -0,0 +1,902 @@
+module ActiveRecord
+  # Raised by save! and create! when the record is invalid.  Use the
+  # record method to retrieve the record which did not validate.
+  #   begin
+  #     complex_operation_that_calls_save!_internally
+  #   rescue ActiveRecord::RecordInvalid => invalid
+  #     puts invalid.record.errors
+  #   end
+  class RecordInvalid < ActiveRecordError #:nodoc:
+    attr_reader :record
+    def initialize(record)
+      @record = record
+      super("Validation failed: #{@record.errors.full_messages.join(", ")}")
+    end
+  end
+
+  # Active Record validation is reported to and from this object, which is used by Base#save to
+  # determine whether the object in a valid state to be saved. See usage example in Validations.
+  class Errors
+    include Enumerable
+
+    def initialize(base) # :nodoc:
+      @base, @errors = base, {}
+    end
+
+    @@default_error_messages = {
+      :inclusion => "is not included in the list",
+      :exclusion => "is reserved",
+      :invalid => "is invalid",
+      :confirmation => "doesn't match confirmation",
+      :accepted  => "must be accepted",
+      :empty => "can't be empty",
+      :blank => "can't be blank",
+      :too_long => "is too long (maximum is %d characters)",
+      :too_short => "is too short (minimum is %d characters)",
+      :wrong_length => "is the wrong length (should be %d characters)",
+      :taken => "has already been taken",
+      :not_a_number => "is not a number"
+    }
+
+    # Holds a hash with all the default error messages, such that they can be replaced by your own copy or localizations.
+    cattr_accessor :default_error_messages
+
+
+    # Adds an error to the base object instead of any particular attribute. This is used
+    # to report errors that don't tie to any specific attribute, but rather to the object
+    # as a whole. These error messages don't get prepended with any field name when iterating
+    # with each_full, so they should be complete sentences.
+    def add_to_base(msg)
+      add(:base, msg)
+    end
+
+    # Adds an error message (+msg+) to the +attribute+, which will be returned on a call to <tt>on(attribute)</tt>
+    # for the same attribute and ensure that this error object returns false when asked if <tt>empty?</tt>. More than one
+    # error can be added to the same +attribute+ in which case an array will be returned on a call to <tt>on(attribute)</tt>.
+    # If no +msg+ is supplied, "invalid" is assumed.
+    def add(attribute, msg = @@default_error_messages[:invalid])
+      @errors[attribute.to_s] = [] if @errors[attribute.to_s].nil?
+      @errors[attribute.to_s] << msg
+    end
+
+    # Will add an error message to each of the attributes in +attributes+ that is empty.
+    def add_on_empty(attributes, msg = @@default_error_messages[:empty])
+      for attr in [attributes].flatten
+        value = @base.respond_to?(attr.to_s) ? @base.send(attr.to_s) : @base[attr.to_s]
+        is_empty = value.respond_to?("empty?") ? value.empty? : false
+        add(attr, msg) unless !value.nil? && !is_empty
+      end
+    end
+
+    # Will add an error message to each of the attributes in +attributes+ that is blank (using Object#blank?).
+    def add_on_blank(attributes, msg = @@default_error_messages[:blank])
+      for attr in [attributes].flatten
+        value = @base.respond_to?(attr.to_s) ? @base.send(attr.to_s) : @base[attr.to_s]
+        add(attr, msg) if value.blank?
+      end
+    end
+
+    # Will add an error message to each of the attributes in +attributes+ that has a length outside of the passed boundary +range+.
+    # If the length is above the boundary, the too_long_msg message will be used. If below, the too_short_msg.
+    def add_on_boundary_breaking(attributes, range, too_long_msg = @@default_error_messages[:too_long], too_short_msg = @@default_error_messages[:too_short])
+      for attr in [attributes].flatten
+        value = @base.respond_to?(attr.to_s) ? @base.send(attr.to_s) : @base[attr.to_s]
+        add(attr, too_short_msg % range.begin) if value && value.length < range.begin
+        add(attr, too_long_msg % range.end) if value && value.length > range.end
+      end
+    end
+
+    alias :add_on_boundry_breaking :add_on_boundary_breaking
+    deprecate :add_on_boundary_breaking => :validates_length_of, :add_on_boundry_breaking => :validates_length_of
+
+    # Returns true if the specified +attribute+ has errors associated with it.
+    #
+    #   class Company < ActiveRecord::Base
+    #     validates_presence_of :name, :address, :email
+    #     validates_length_of :name, :in => 5..30
+    #   end
+    #
+    #   company = Company.create(:address => '123 First St.')
+    #   company.errors.invalid?(:name)      # => true
+    #   company.errors.invalid?(:address)   # => false
+    def invalid?(attribute)
+      !@errors[attribute.to_s].nil?
+    end
+
+    # Returns nil, if no errors are associated with the specified +attribute+.
+    # Returns the error message, if one error is associated with the specified +attribute+.
+    # Returns an array of error messages, if more than one error is associated with the specified +attribute+.
+    #
+    #   class Company < ActiveRecord::Base
+    #     validates_presence_of :name, :address, :email
+    #     validates_length_of :name, :in => 5..30
+    #   end
+    #
+    #   company = Company.create(:address => '123 First St.')
+    #   company.errors.on(:name)      # => ["is too short (minimum is 5 characters)", "can't be blank"]
+    #   company.errors.on(:email)     # => "can't be blank"
+    #   company.errors.on(:address)   # => nil
+    def on(attribute)
+      errors = @errors[attribute.to_s]
+      return nil if errors.nil?
+      errors.size == 1 ? errors.first : errors
+    end
+
+    alias :[] :on
+
+    # Returns errors assigned to base object through add_to_base according to the normal rules of on(attribute).
+    def on_base
+      on(:base)
+    end
+
+    # Yields each attribute and associated message per error added.
+    #
+    #   class Company < ActiveRecord::Base
+    #     validates_presence_of :name, :address, :email
+    #     validates_length_of :name, :in => 5..30
+    #   end
+    #
+    #   company = Company.create(:address => '123 First St.')
+    #   company.errors.each{|attr,msg| puts "#{attr} - #{msg}" } # =>
+    #     name - is too short (minimum is 5 characters)
+    #     name - can't be blank
+    #     address - can't be blank
+    def each
+      @errors.each_key { |attr| @errors[attr].each { |msg| yield attr, msg } }
+    end
+
+    # Yields each full error message added. So Person.errors.add("first_name", "can't be empty") will be returned
+    # through iteration as "First name can't be empty".
+    #
+    #   class Company < ActiveRecord::Base
+    #     validates_presence_of :name, :address, :email
+    #     validates_length_of :name, :in => 5..30
+    #   end
+    #
+    #   company = Company.create(:address => '123 First St.')
+    #   company.errors.each_full{|msg| puts msg } # =>
+    #     Name is too short (minimum is 5 characters)
+    #     Name can't be blank
+    #     Address can't be blank
+    def each_full
+      full_messages.each { |msg| yield msg }
+    end
+
+    # Returns all the full error messages in an array.
+    #
+    #   class Company < ActiveRecord::Base
+    #     validates_presence_of :name, :address, :email
+    #     validates_length_of :name, :in => 5..30
+    #   end
+    #
+    #   company = Company.create(:address => '123 First St.')
+    #   company.errors.full_messages # =>
+    #     ["Name is too short (minimum is 5 characters)", "Name can't be blank", "Address can't be blank"]
+    def full_messages
+      full_messages = []
+
+      @errors.each_key do |attr|
+        @errors[attr].each do |msg|
+          next if msg.nil?
+
+          if attr == "base"
+            full_messages << msg
+          else
+            full_messages << @base.class.human_attribute_name(attr) + " " + msg
+          end
+        end
+      end
+      full_messages
+    end
+
+    # Returns true if no errors have been added.
+    def empty?
+      @errors.empty?
+    end
+
+    # Removes all errors that have been added.
+    def clear
+      @errors = {}
+    end
+
+    # Returns the total number of errors added. Two errors added to the same attribute will be counted as such.
+    def size
+      @errors.values.inject(0) { |error_count, attribute| error_count + attribute.size }
+    end
+
+    alias_method :count, :size
+    alias_method :length, :size
+
+    # Return an XML representation of this error object.
+    #
+    #   class Company < ActiveRecord::Base
+    #     validates_presence_of :name, :address, :email
+    #     validates_length_of :name, :in => 5..30
+    #   end
+    #
+    #   company = Company.create(:address => '123 First St.')
+    #   company.errors.to_xml # =>
+    #     <?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
+    #     <errors>
+    #       <error>Name is too short (minimum is 5 characters)</error>
+    #       <error>Name can't be blank</error>
+    #       <error>Address can't be blank</error>
+    #     </errors>
+    def to_xml(options={})
+      options[:root] ||= "errors"
+      options[:indent] ||= 2
+      options[:builder] ||= Builder::XmlMarkup.new(:indent => options[:indent])
+
+      options[:builder].instruct! unless options.delete(:skip_instruct)
+      options[:builder].errors do |e|
+        full_messages.each { |msg| e.error(msg) }
+      end
+    end
+  end
+
+
+  # Active Records implement validation by overwriting Base#validate (or the variations, +validate_on_create+ and
+  # +validate_on_update+). Each of these methods can inspect the state of the object, which usually means ensuring
+  # that a number of attributes have a certain value (such as not empty, within a given range, matching a certain regular expression).
+  #
+  # Example:
+  #
+  #   class Person < ActiveRecord::Base
+  #     protected
+  #       def validate
+  #         errors.add_on_empty %w( first_name last_name )
+  #         errors.add("phone_number", "has invalid format") unless phone_number =~ /[0-9]*/
+  #       end
+  #
+  #       def validate_on_create # is only run the first time a new object is saved
+  #         unless valid_discount?(membership_discount)
+  #           errors.add("membership_discount", "has expired")
+  #         end
+  #       end
+  #
+  #       def validate_on_update
+  #         errors.add_to_base("No changes have occurred") if unchanged_attributes?
+  #       end
+  #   end
+  #
+  #   person = Person.new("first_name" => "David", "phone_number" => "what?")
+  #   person.save                         # => false (and doesn't do the save)
+  #   person.errors.empty?                # => false
+  #   person.errors.count                 # => 2
+  #   person.errors.on "last_name"        # => "can't be empty"
+  #   person.errors.on "phone_number"     # => "has invalid format"
+  #   person.errors.each_full { |msg| puts msg }
+  #                                       # => "Last name can't be empty\n" +
+  #                                            "Phone number has invalid format"
+  #
+  #   person.attributes = { "last_name" => "Heinemeier", "phone_number" => "555-555" }
+  #   person.save # => true (and person is now saved in the database)
+  #
+  # An +Errors+ object is automatically created for every Active Record.
+  #
+  # Please do have a look at ActiveRecord::Validations::ClassMethods for a higher level of validations.
+  module Validations
+    VALIDATIONS = %w( validate validate_on_create validate_on_update )
+
+    def self.included(base) # :nodoc:
+      base.extend ClassMethods
+      base.class_eval do
+        alias_method_chain :save, :validation
+        alias_method_chain :save!, :validation
+        alias_method_chain :update_attribute, :validation_skipping
+      end
+    end
+
+    # All of the following validations are defined in the class scope of the model that you're interested in validating.
+    # They offer a more declarative way of specifying when the model is valid and when it is not. It is recommended to use
+    # these over the low-level calls to validate and validate_on_create when possible.
+    module ClassMethods
+      DEFAULT_VALIDATION_OPTIONS = {
+        :on => :save,
+        :allow_nil => false,
+        :message => nil
+      }.freeze
+
+      ALL_RANGE_OPTIONS = [ :is, :within, :in, :minimum, :maximum ].freeze
+
+      def validate(*methods, &block)
+        methods << block if block_given?
+        write_inheritable_set(:validate, methods)
+      end
+
+      def validate_on_create(*methods, &block)
+        methods << block if block_given?
+        write_inheritable_set(:validate_on_create, methods)
+      end
+
+      def validate_on_update(*methods, &block)
+        methods << block if block_given?
+        write_inheritable_set(:validate_on_update, methods)
+      end
+
+      def condition_block?(condition)
+        condition.respond_to?("call") && (condition.arity == 1 || condition.arity == -1)
+      end
+
+      # Determine from the given condition (whether a block, procedure, method or string)
+      # whether or not to validate the record.  See #validates_each.
+      def evaluate_condition(condition, record)
+        case condition
+          when Symbol: record.send(condition)
+          when String: eval(condition, binding)
+          else
+            if condition_block?(condition)
+              condition.call(record)
+            else
+              raise(
+                ActiveRecordError,
+                "Validations need to be either a symbol, string (to be eval'ed), proc/method, or " +
+                "class implementing a static validation method"
+              )
+            end
+          end
+      end
+
+      # Validates each attribute against a block.
+      #
+      #   class Person < ActiveRecord::Base
+      #     validates_each :first_name, :last_name do |record, attr, value|
+      #       record.errors.add attr, 'starts with z.' if value[0] == ?z
+      #     end
+      #   end
+      #
+      # Options:
+      # * <tt>on</tt> - Specifies when this validation is active (default is :save, other options :create, :update)
+      # * <tt>allow_nil</tt> - Skip validation if attribute is nil.
+      # * <tt>if</tt> - Specifies a method, proc or string to call to determine if the validation should
+      # occur (e.g. :if => :allow_validation, or :if => Proc.new { |user| user.signup_step > 2 }).  The
+      # method, proc or string should return or evaluate to a true or false value.
+      def validates_each(*attrs)
+        options = attrs.last.is_a?(Hash) ? attrs.pop.symbolize_keys : {}
+        attrs   = attrs.flatten
+
+        # Declare the validation.
+        send(validation_method(options[:on] || :save)) do |record|
+          # Don't validate when there is an :if condition and that condition is false
+          unless options[:if] && !evaluate_condition(options[:if], record)
+            attrs.each do |attr|
+              value = record.send(attr)
+              next if value.nil? && options[:allow_nil]
+              yield record, attr, value
+            end
+          end
+        end
+      end
+
+      # Encapsulates the pattern of wanting to validate a password or email address field with a confirmation. Example:
+      #
+      #   Model:
+      #     class Person < ActiveRecord::Base
+      #       validates_confirmation_of :user_name, :password
+      #       validates_confirmation_of :email_address, :message => "should match confirmation"
+      #     end
+      #
+      #   View:
+      #     <%= password_field "person", "password" %>
+      #     <%= password_field "person", "password_confirmation" %>
+      #
+      # The person has to already have a password attribute (a column in the people table), but the password_confirmation is virtual.
+      # It exists only as an in-memory variable for validating the password. This check is performed only if password_confirmation
+      # is not nil and by default on save.
+      #
+      # Configuration options:
+      # * <tt>message</tt> - A custom error message (default is: "doesn't match confirmation")
+      # * <tt>on</tt> - Specifies when this validation is active (default is :save, other options :create, :update)
+      # * <tt>if</tt> - Specifies a method, proc or string to call to determine if the validation should
+      # occur (e.g. :if => :allow_validation, or :if => Proc.new { |user| user.signup_step > 2 }).  The
+      # method, proc or string should return or evaluate to a true or false value.
+      def validates_confirmation_of(*attr_names)
+        configuration = { :message => ActiveRecord::Errors.default_error_messages[:confirmation], :on => :save }
+        configuration.update(attr_names.pop) if attr_names.last.is_a?(Hash)
+
+        attr_accessor *(attr_names.map { |n| "#{n}_confirmation" })
+
+        validates_each(attr_names, configuration) do |record, attr_name, value|
+          record.errors.add(attr_name, configuration[:message]) unless record.send("#{attr_name}_confirmation").nil? or value == record.send("#{attr_name}_confirmation")
+        end
+      end
+
+      # Encapsulates the pattern of wanting to validate the acceptance of a terms of service check box (or similar agreement). Example:
+      #
+      #   class Person < ActiveRecord::Base
+      #     validates_acceptance_of :terms_of_service
+      #     validates_acceptance_of :eula, :message => "must be abided"
+      #   end
+      #
+      # The terms_of_service attribute is entirely virtual. No database column is needed. This check is performed only if
+      # terms_of_service is not nil and by default on save.
+      #
+      # Configuration options:
+      # * <tt>message</tt> - A custom error message (default is: "must be accepted")
+      # * <tt>on</tt> - Specifies when this validation is active (default is :save, other options :create, :update)
+      # * <tt>allow_nil</tt> - Skip validation if attribute is nil. (default is true)
+      # * <tt>accept</tt> - Specifies value that is considered accepted.  The default value is a string "1", which
+      # makes it easy to relate to an HTML checkbox.
+      # * <tt>if</tt> - Specifies a method, proc or string to call to determine if the validation should
+      # occur (e.g. :if => :allow_validation, or :if => Proc.new { |user| user.signup_step > 2 }).  The
+      # method, proc or string should return or evaluate to a true or false value.
+      def validates_acceptance_of(*attr_names)
+        configuration = { :message => ActiveRecord::Errors.default_error_messages[:accepted], :on => :save, :allow_nil => true, :accept => "1" }
+        configuration.update(attr_names.pop) if attr_names.last.is_a?(Hash)
+
+        attr_accessor *attr_names
+
+        validates_each(attr_names,configuration) do |record, attr_name, value|
+          record.errors.add(attr_name, configuration[:message]) unless value == configuration[:accept]
+        end
+      end
+
+      # Validates that the specified attributes are not blank (as defined by Object#blank?). Happens by default on save. Example:
+      #
+      #   class Person < ActiveRecord::Base
+      #     validates_presence_of :first_name
+      #   end
+      #
+      # The first_name attribute must be in the object and it cannot be blank.
+      #
+      # If you want to validate the presence of a boolean field (where the real values are true and false),
+      # you will want to use validates_inclusion_of :field_name, :in => [true, false]
+      # This is due to the way Object#blank? handles boolean values. false.blank? # => true
+      #
+      # Configuration options:
+      # * <tt>message</tt> - A custom error message (default is: "can't be blank")
+      # * <tt>on</tt> - Specifies when this validation is active (default is :save, other options :create, :update)
+      # * <tt>if</tt> - Specifies a method, proc or string to call to determine if the validation should
+      # occur (e.g. :if => :allow_validation, or :if => Proc.new { |user| user.signup_step > 2 }).  The
+      # method, proc or string should return or evaluate to a true or false value.
+      #
+      # === Warning
+      # Validate the presence of the foreign key, not the instance variable itself.
+      # Do this:
+      #  validates_presence_of :invoice_id
+      #
+      # Not this:
+      #  validates_presence_of :invoice
+      #
+      # If you validate the presence of the associated object, you will get
+      # failures on saves when both the parent object and the child object are
+      # new.
+      def validates_presence_of(*attr_names)
+        configuration = { :message => ActiveRecord::Errors.default_error_messages[:blank], :on => :save }
+        configuration.update(attr_names.pop) if attr_names.last.is_a?(Hash)
+
+        # can't use validates_each here, because it cannot cope with nonexistent attributes,
+        # while errors.add_on_empty can
+        attr_names.each do |attr_name|
+          send(validation_method(configuration[:on])) do |record|
+            unless configuration[:if] and not evaluate_condition(configuration[:if], record)
+              record.errors.add_on_blank(attr_name,configuration[:message])
+            end
+          end
+        end
+      end
+
+      # Validates that the specified attribute matches the length restrictions supplied. Only one option can be used at a time:
+      #
+      #   class Person < ActiveRecord::Base
+      #     validates_length_of :first_name, :maximum=>30
+      #     validates_length_of :last_name, :maximum=>30, :message=>"less than %d if you don't mind"
+      #     validates_length_of :fax, :in => 7..32, :allow_nil => true
+      #     validates_length_of :user_name, :within => 6..20, :too_long => "pick a shorter name", :too_short => "pick a longer name"
+      #     validates_length_of :fav_bra_size, :minimum=>1, :too_short=>"please enter at least %d character"
+      #     validates_length_of :smurf_leader, :is=>4, :message=>"papa is spelled with %d characters... don't play me."
+      #   end
+      #
+      # Configuration options:
+      # * <tt>minimum</tt> - The minimum size of the attribute
+      # * <tt>maximum</tt> - The maximum size of the attribute
+      # * <tt>is</tt> - The exact size of the attribute
+      # * <tt>within</tt> - A range specifying the minimum and maximum size of the attribute
+      # * <tt>in</tt> - A synonym(or alias) for :within
+      # * <tt>allow_nil</tt> - Attribute may be nil; skip validation.
+      #
+      # * <tt>too_long</tt> - The error message if the attribute goes over the maximum (default is: "is too long (maximum is %d characters)")
+      # * <tt>too_short</tt> - The error message if the attribute goes under the minimum (default is: "is too short (min is %d characters)")
+      # * <tt>wrong_length</tt> - The error message if using the :is method and the attribute is the wrong size (default is: "is the wrong length (should be %d characters)")
+      # * <tt>message</tt> - The error message to use for a :minimum, :maximum, or :is violation.  An alias of the appropriate too_long/too_short/wrong_length message
+      # * <tt>on</tt> - Specifies when this validation is active (default is :save, other options :create, :update)
+      # * <tt>if</tt> - Specifies a method, proc or string to call to determine if the validation should
+      # occur (e.g. :if => :allow_validation, or :if => Proc.new { |user| user.signup_step > 2 }).  The
+      # method, proc or string should return or evaluate to a true or false value.
+      def validates_length_of(*attrs)
+        # Merge given options with defaults.
+        options = {
+          :too_long     => ActiveRecord::Errors.default_error_messages[:too_long],
+          :too_short    => ActiveRecord::Errors.default_error_messages[:too_short],
+          :wrong_length => ActiveRecord::Errors.default_error_messages[:wrong_length]
+        }.merge(DEFAULT_VALIDATION_OPTIONS)
+        options.update(attrs.pop.symbolize_keys) if attrs.last.is_a?(Hash)
+
+        # Ensure that one and only one range option is specified.
+        range_options = ALL_RANGE_OPTIONS & options.keys
+        case range_options.size
+          when 0
+            raise ArgumentError, 'Range unspecified.  Specify the :within, :maximum, :minimum, or :is option.'
+          when 1
+            # Valid number of options; do nothing.
+          else
+            raise ArgumentError, 'Too many range options specified.  Choose only one.'
+        end
+
+        # Get range option and value.
+        option = range_options.first
+        option_value = options[range_options.first]
+
+        case option
+          when :within, :in
+            raise ArgumentError, ":#{option} must be a Range" unless option_value.is_a?(Range)
+
+            too_short = options[:too_short] % option_value.begin
+            too_long  = options[:too_long]  % option_value.end
+
+            validates_each(attrs, options) do |record, attr, value|
+              if value.nil? or value.split(//).size < option_value.begin
+                record.errors.add(attr, too_short)
+              elsif value.split(//).size > option_value.end
+                record.errors.add(attr, too_long)
+              end
+            end
+          when :is, :minimum, :maximum
+            raise ArgumentError, ":#{option} must be a nonnegative Integer" unless option_value.is_a?(Integer) and option_value >= 0
+
+            # Declare different validations per option.
+            validity_checks = { :is => "==", :minimum => ">=", :maximum => "<=" }
+            message_options = { :is => :wrong_length, :minimum => :too_short, :maximum => :too_long }
+
+            message = (options[:message] || options[message_options[option]]) % option_value
+
+            validates_each(attrs, options) do |record, attr, value|
+              if value.kind_of?(String)
+                record.errors.add(attr, message) unless !value.nil? and value.split(//).size.method(validity_checks[option])[option_value]
+              else
+                record.errors.add(attr, message) unless !value.nil? and value.size.method(validity_checks[option])[option_value]
+              end
+            end
+        end
+      end
+
+      alias_method :validates_size_of, :validates_length_of
+
+
+      # Validates whether the value of the specified attributes are unique across the system. Useful for making sure that only one user
+      # can be named "davidhh".
+      #
+      #   class Person < ActiveRecord::Base
+      #     validates_uniqueness_of :user_name, :scope => :account_id
+      #   end
+      #
+      # It can also validate whether the value of the specified attributes are unique based on multiple scope parameters.  For example,
+      # making sure that a teacher can only be on the schedule once per semester for a particular class.
+      #
+      #   class TeacherSchedule < ActiveRecord::Base
+      #     validates_uniqueness_of :teacher_id, :scope => [:semester_id, :class_id]
+      #   end
+      #
+      # When the record is created, a check is performed to make sure that no record exists in the database with the given value for the specified
+      # attribute (that maps to a column). When the record is updated, the same check is made but disregarding the record itself.
+      #
+      # Configuration options:
+      # * <tt>message</tt> - Specifies a custom error message (default is: "has already been taken")
+      # * <tt>scope</tt> - One or more columns by which to limit the scope of the uniquness constraint.
+      # * <tt>case_sensitive</tt> - Looks for an exact match.  Ignored by non-text columns (true by default).
+      # * <tt>allow_nil</tt> - If set to true, skips this validation if the attribute is null (default is: false)
+      # * <tt>if</tt> - Specifies a method, proc or string to call to determine if the validation should
+      # occur (e.g. :if => :allow_validation, or :if => Proc.new { |user| user.signup_step > 2 }).  The
+      # method, proc or string should return or evaluate to a true or false value.
+      def validates_uniqueness_of(*attr_names)
+        configuration = { :message => ActiveRecord::Errors.default_error_messages[:taken], :case_sensitive => true }
+        configuration.update(attr_names.pop) if attr_names.last.is_a?(Hash)
+
+        validates_each(attr_names,configuration) do |record, attr_name, value|
+          if value.nil? || (configuration[:case_sensitive] || !columns_hash[attr_name.to_s].text?)
+            condition_sql = "#{record.class.table_name}.#{attr_name} #{attribute_condition(value)}"
+            condition_params = [value]
+          else
+            condition_sql = "LOWER(#{record.class.table_name}.#{attr_name}) #{attribute_condition(value)}"
+            condition_params = [value.downcase]
+          end
+          if scope = configuration[:scope]
+            Array(scope).map do |scope_item|
+              scope_value = record.send(scope_item)
+              condition_sql << " AND #{record.class.table_name}.#{scope_item} #{attribute_condition(scope_value)}"
+              condition_params << scope_value
+            end
+          end
+          unless record.new_record?
+            condition_sql << " AND #{record.class.table_name}.#{record.class.primary_key} <> ?"
+            condition_params << record.send(:id)
+          end
+          if record.class.find(:first, :conditions => [condition_sql, *condition_params])
+            record.errors.add(attr_name, configuration[:message])
+          end
+        end
+      end
+
+
+      # Validates whether the value of the specified attribute is of the correct form by matching it against the regular expression
+      # provided.
+      #
+      #   class Person < ActiveRecord::Base
+      #     validates_format_of :email, :with => /\A([^@\s]+)@((?:[-a-z0-9]+\.)+[a-z]{2,})\Z/i, :on => :create
+      #   end
+      #
+      # Note: use \A and \Z to match the start and end of the string, ^ and $ match the start/end of a line.
+      #
+      # A regular expression must be provided or else an exception will be raised.
+      #
+      # Configuration options:
+      # * <tt>message</tt> - A custom error message (default is: "is invalid")
+      # * <tt>with</tt> - The regular expression used to validate the format with (note: must be supplied!)
+      # * <tt>on</tt> Specifies when this validation is active (default is :save, other options :create, :update)
+      # * <tt>if</tt> - Specifies a method, proc or string to call to determine if the validation should
+      # occur (e.g. :if => :allow_validation, or :if => Proc.new { |user| user.signup_step > 2 }).  The
+      # method, proc or string should return or evaluate to a true or false value.
+      def validates_format_of(*attr_names)
+        configuration = { :message => ActiveRecord::Errors.default_error_messages[:invalid], :on => :save, :with => nil }
+        configuration.update(attr_names.pop) if attr_names.last.is_a?(Hash)
+
+        raise(ArgumentError, "A regular expression must be supplied as the :with option of the configuration hash") unless configuration[:with].is_a?(Regexp)
+
+        validates_each(attr_names, configuration) do |record, attr_name, value|
+          record.errors.add(attr_name, configuration[:message]) unless value.to_s =~ configuration[:with]
+        end
+      end
+
+      # Validates whether the value of the specified attribute is available in a particular enumerable object.
+      #
+      #   class Person < ActiveRecord::Base
+      #     validates_inclusion_of :gender, :in=>%w( m f ), :message=>"woah! what are you then!??!!"
+      #     validates_inclusion_of :age, :in=>0..99
+      #   end
+      #
+      # Configuration options:
+      # * <tt>in</tt> - An enumerable object of available items
+      # * <tt>message</tt> - Specifies a customer error message (default is: "is not included in the list")
+      # * <tt>allow_nil</tt> - If set to true, skips this validation if the attribute is null (default is: false)
+      # * <tt>if</tt> - Specifies a method, proc or string to call to determine if the validation should
+      # occur (e.g. :if => :allow_validation, or :if => Proc.new { |user| user.signup_step > 2 }).  The
+      # method, proc or string should return or evaluate to a true or false value.
+      def validates_inclusion_of(*attr_names)
+        configuration = { :message => ActiveRecord::Errors.default_error_messages[:inclusion], :on => :save }
+        configuration.update(attr_names.pop) if attr_names.last.is_a?(Hash)
+
+        enum = configuration[:in] || configuration[:within]
+
+        raise(ArgumentError, "An object with the method include? is required must be supplied as the :in option of the configuration hash") unless enum.respond_to?("include?")
+
+        validates_each(attr_names, configuration) do |record, attr_name, value|
+          record.errors.add(attr_name, configuration[:message]) unless enum.include?(value)
+        end
+      end
+
+      # Validates that the value of the specified attribute is not in a particular enumerable object.
+      #
+      #   class Person < ActiveRecord::Base
+      #     validates_exclusion_of :username, :in => %w( admin superuser ), :message => "You don't belong here"
+      #     validates_exclusion_of :age, :in => 30..60, :message => "This site is only for under 30 and over 60"
+      #   end
+      #
+      # Configuration options:
+      # * <tt>in</tt> - An enumerable object of items that the value shouldn't be part of
+      # * <tt>message</tt> - Specifies a customer error message (default is: "is reserved")
+      # * <tt>allow_nil</tt> - If set to true, skips this validation if the attribute is null (default is: false)
+      # * <tt>if</tt> - Specifies a method, proc or string to call to determine if the validation should
+      # occur (e.g. :if => :allow_validation, or :if => Proc.new { |user| user.signup_step > 2 }).  The
+      # method, proc or string should return or evaluate to a true or false value.
+      def validates_exclusion_of(*attr_names)
+        configuration = { :message => ActiveRecord::Errors.default_error_messages[:exclusion], :on => :save }
+        configuration.update(attr_names.pop) if attr_names.last.is_a?(Hash)
+
+        enum = configuration[:in] || configuration[:within]
+
+        raise(ArgumentError, "An object with the method include? is required must be supplied as the :in option of the configuration hash") unless enum.respond_to?("include?")
+
+        validates_each(attr_names, configuration) do |record, attr_name, value|
+          record.errors.add(attr_name, configuration[:message]) if enum.include?(value)
+        end
+      end
+
+      # Validates whether the associated object or objects are all valid themselves. Works with any kind of association.
+      #
+      #   class Book < ActiveRecord::Base
+      #     has_many :pages
+      #     belongs_to :library
+      #
+      #     validates_associated :pages, :library
+      #   end
+      #
+      # Warning: If, after the above definition, you then wrote:
+      #
+      #   class Page < ActiveRecord::Base
+      #     belongs_to :book
+      #
+      #     validates_associated :book
+      #   end
+      #
+      # ...this would specify a circular dependency and cause infinite recursion.
+      #
+      # NOTE: This validation will not fail if the association hasn't been assigned. If you want to ensure that the association
+      # is both present and guaranteed to be valid, you also need to use validates_presence_of.
+      #
+      # Configuration options:
+      # * <tt>on</tt> Specifies when this validation is active (default is :save, other options :create, :update)
+      # * <tt>if</tt> - Specifies a method, proc or string to call to determine if the validation should
+      # occur (e.g. :if => :allow_validation, or :if => Proc.new { |user| user.signup_step > 2 }).  The
+      # method, proc or string should return or evaluate to a true or false value.
+      def validates_associated(*attr_names)
+        configuration = { :message => ActiveRecord::Errors.default_error_messages[:invalid], :on => :save }
+        configuration.update(attr_names.pop) if attr_names.last.is_a?(Hash)
+
+        validates_each(attr_names, configuration) do |record, attr_name, value|
+          record.errors.add(attr_name, configuration[:message]) unless
+            (value.is_a?(Array) ? value : [value]).all? { |r| r.nil? or r.valid? }
+        end
+      end
+
+      # Validates whether the value of the specified attribute is numeric by trying to convert it to
+      # a float with Kernel.Float (if <tt>integer</tt> is false) or applying it to the regular expression
+      # <tt>/\A[\+\-]?\d+\Z/</tt> (if <tt>integer</tt> is set to true).
+      #
+      #   class Person < ActiveRecord::Base
+      #     validates_numericality_of :value, :on => :create
+      #   end
+      #
+      # Configuration options:
+      # * <tt>message</tt> - A custom error message (default is: "is not a number")
+      # * <tt>on</tt> Specifies when this validation is active (default is :save, other options :create, :update)
+      # * <tt>only_integer</tt> Specifies whether the value has to be an integer, e.g. an integral value (default is false)
+      # * <tt>allow_nil</tt> Skip validation if attribute is nil (default is false). Notice that for fixnum and float columns empty strings are converted to nil
+      # * <tt>if</tt> - Specifies a method, proc or string to call to determine if the validation should
+      # occur (e.g. :if => :allow_validation, or :if => Proc.new { |user| user.signup_step > 2 }).  The
+      # method, proc or string should return or evaluate to a true or false value.
+      def validates_numericality_of(*attr_names)
+        configuration = { :message => ActiveRecord::Errors.default_error_messages[:not_a_number], :on => :save,
+                           :only_integer => false, :allow_nil => false }
+        configuration.update(attr_names.pop) if attr_names.last.is_a?(Hash)
+
+        if configuration[:only_integer]
+          validates_each(attr_names,configuration) do |record, attr_name,value|
+            record.errors.add(attr_name, configuration[:message]) unless record.send("#{attr_name}_before_type_cast").to_s =~ /\A[+-]?\d+\Z/
+          end
+        else
+          validates_each(attr_names,configuration) do |record, attr_name,value|
+           next if configuration[:allow_nil] and record.send("#{attr_name}_before_type_cast").nil?
+            begin
+              Kernel.Float(record.send("#{attr_name}_before_type_cast").to_s)
+            rescue ArgumentError, TypeError
+              record.errors.add(attr_name, configuration[:message])
+            end
+          end
+        end
+      end
+
+
+      # Creates an object just like Base.create but calls save! instead of save
+      # so an exception is raised if the record is invalid.
+      def create!(attributes = nil)
+        if attributes.is_a?(Array)
+          attributes.collect { |attr| create(attr) }
+        else
+          object = new(attributes)
+          object.save!
+          object
+        end
+      end
+
+
+      private
+        def write_inheritable_set(key, methods)
+          existing_methods = read_inheritable_attribute(key) || []
+          write_inheritable_attribute(key, existing_methods | methods)
+        end
+
+        def validation_method(on)
+          case on
+            when :save   then :validate
+            when :create then :validate_on_create
+            when :update then :validate_on_update
+          end
+        end
+    end
+
+    # The validation process on save can be skipped by passing false. The regular Base#save method is
+    # replaced with this when the validations module is mixed in, which it is by default.
+    def save_with_validation(perform_validation = true)
+      if perform_validation && valid? || !perform_validation
+        save_without_validation
+      else
+        false
+      end
+    end
+
+    # Attempts to save the record just like Base#save but will raise a RecordInvalid exception instead of returning false
+    # if the record is not valid.
+    def save_with_validation!
+      if valid?
+        save_without_validation!
+      else
+        raise RecordInvalid.new(self)
+      end
+    end
+
+    # Updates a single attribute and saves the record without going through the normal validation procedure.
+    # This is especially useful for boolean flags on existing records. The regular +update_attribute+ method
+    # in Base is replaced with this when the validations module is mixed in, which it is by default.
+    def update_attribute_with_validation_skipping(name, value)
+      send(name.to_s + '=', value)
+      save(false)
+    end
+
+    # Runs validate and validate_on_create or validate_on_update and returns true if no errors were added otherwise false.
+    def valid?
+      errors.clear
+
+      run_validations(:validate)
+      validate
+
+      if new_record?
+        run_validations(:validate_on_create)
+        validate_on_create
+      else
+        run_validations(:validate_on_update)
+        validate_on_update
+      end
+
+      errors.empty?
+    end
+
+    # Returns the Errors object that holds all information about attribute error messages.
+    def errors
+      @errors ||= Errors.new(self)
+    end
+
+    protected
+      # Overwrite this method for validation checks on all saves and use Errors.add(field, msg) for invalid attributes.
+      def validate #:doc:
+      end
+
+      # Overwrite this method for validation checks used only on creation.
+      def validate_on_create #:doc:
+      end
+
+      # Overwrite this method for validation checks used only on updates.
+      def validate_on_update # :doc:
+      end
+
+    private
+      def run_validations(validation_method)
+        validations = self.class.read_inheritable_attribute(validation_method.to_sym)
+        if validations.nil? then return end
+        validations.each do |validation|
+          if validation.is_a?(Symbol)
+            self.send(validation)
+          elsif validation.is_a?(String)
+            eval(validation, binding)
+          elsif validation_block?(validation)
+            validation.call(self)
+          elsif validation_class?(validation, validation_method)
+            validation.send(validation_method, self)
+          else
+            raise(
+              ActiveRecordError,
+              "Validations need to be either a symbol, string (to be eval'ed), proc/method, or " +
+              "class implementing a static validation method"
+            )
+          end
+        end
+      end
+
+      def validation_block?(validation)
+        validation.respond_to?("call") && (validation.arity == 1 || validation.arity == -1)
+      end
+
+      def validation_class?(validation, validation_method)
+        validation.respond_to?(validation_method)
+      end
+  end
+end