clear_empty_attributes 0.2.0

data/.gitignore

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+Manifest
+pkg

data/README.markdown

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+Problem
+=======
+When AR objects are saved, empty fields are saved as '' instead of nil.
+
+ - Complicates queries for empty fields (`WHERE field IS NULL OR field = ''`)
+ - Makes the use of `unless field.blank?` necessary (opposed to only `if field`)
+ - Can lead to late-detected bugs because most of the time strings were `filled or ''` and suddenly they are `nil`
+ - Some validations do not support `:allow_blank=>true`
+ - Databases can handle `NULL` better & faster than empty strings (especially when using `LIKE`)
+
+
+Solution
+========
+Defines an AR `before_validation` that sets empty Strings to nil.
+
+
+Install
+=======
+` script/plugin install git://github.com/collectiveidea/clear_empty_attributes.git `
+OR  
+` sudo gem install clear_empty_attributes -s http://gemcutter.org `
+
+
+Migration
+=========
+When you are switching to `clear_empty_attributes`, run this task
+to remove any `''` strings/texts from your database.
+
+    rake db:clear_empty_attributes
+(only works when checked out or installed as plugin)
+
+
+Authors
+=======
+ - [Brandon Keepers](http://opensoul.org)
+ - [Michael Grosser](http://pragmatig.wordpress.com)
+
+Hereby placed under public domain, do what you want, just do not hold anybody accountable...

data/Rakefile

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+desc "Run all specs in spec directory"
+task :default do |t|
+  options = "--colour --format progress --loadby --reverse"
+  files = FileList['spec/**/*_spec.rb']
+  system("spec #{options} #{files}")
+end
+
+begin
+  require 'jeweler'
+  project_name = 'clear_empty_attributes'
+  Jeweler::Tasks.new do |gem|
+    gem.name = project_name
+    gem.description = gem.summary = "Save empty strings as nil to avoid lots of problems"
+    gem.email = "brandon@opensoul.org"
+    gem.homepage = "http://github.com/grosser/#{project_name}"
+    gem.authors = ["Brandon Keepers"]
+    gem.add_dependency ['activerecord']
+  end
+
+  Jeweler::GemcutterTasks.new
+rescue LoadError
+  puts "Jeweler, or one of its dependencies, is not available. Install it with: sudo gem install technicalpickles-jeweler -s http://gems.github.com"
+end

data/VERSION

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+0.2.0

data/clear_empty_attributes.gemspec

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+# Generated by jeweler
+# DO NOT EDIT THIS FILE DIRECTLY
+# Instead, edit Jeweler::Tasks in Rakefile, and run the gemspec command
+# -*- encoding: utf-8 -*-
+
+Gem::Specification.new do |s|
+  s.name = %q{clear_empty_attributes}
+  s.version = "0.2.0"
+
+  s.required_rubygems_version = Gem::Requirement.new(">= 0") if s.respond_to? :required_rubygems_version=
+  s.authors = ["Brandon Keepers"]
+  s.date = %q{2009-11-13}
+  s.description = %q{Save empty strings as nil to avoid lots of problems}
+  s.email = %q{brandon@opensoul.org}
+  s.extra_rdoc_files = [
+    "README.markdown"
+  ]
+  s.files = [
+    ".gitignore",
+     "README.markdown",
+     "Rakefile",
+     "VERSION",
+     "clear_empty_attributes.gemspec",
+     "init.rb",
+     "lib/clear_empty_attributes.rb",
+     "spec/clear_empty_attributes_spec.rb",
+     "spec/setup_test_model.rb",
+     "spec/spec_helper.rb",
+     "tasks/clear_empty_attributes.rake"
+  ]
+  s.homepage = %q{http://github.com/grosser/clear_empty_attributes}
+  s.rdoc_options = ["--charset=UTF-8"]
+  s.require_paths = ["lib"]
+  s.rubygems_version = %q{1.3.5}
+  s.summary = %q{Save empty strings as nil to avoid lots of problems}
+  s.test_files = [
+    "spec/spec_helper.rb",
+     "spec/clear_empty_attributes_spec.rb",
+     "spec/setup_test_model.rb"
+  ]
+
+  if s.respond_to? :specification_version then
+    current_version = Gem::Specification::CURRENT_SPECIFICATION_VERSION
+    s.specification_version = 3
+
+    if Gem::Version.new(Gem::RubyGemsVersion) >= Gem::Version.new('1.2.0') then
+      s.add_runtime_dependency(%q<activerecord>, [">= 0"])
+    else
+      s.add_dependency(%q<activerecord>, [">= 0"])
+    end
+  else
+    s.add_dependency(%q<activerecord>, [">= 0"])
+  end
+end
+

data/init.rb

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+require 'clear_empty_attributes'

data/lib/clear_empty_attributes.rb

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+require 'activerecord'
+
+class ActiveRecord::Base
+
+  before_validation :clear_empty_attrs
+  before_save :clear_empty_attrs # needed to work correctly with update_attribute too
+
+  protected
+
+  def clear_empty_attrs
+    @attributes.each do |key,value|
+      self[key] = nil if value.is_a?(String) && value.blank?
+    end
+  end
+end

data/spec/clear_empty_attributes_spec.rb

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+require "spec/spec_helper"
+
+describe :clear_empty_attributes do
+  before do
+    @user = User.new(:name=>'Michael')
+    @user.save!
+  end
+
+  describe :validations do
+    it "is not valid with a invalid string" do
+      @user.name = 'a'
+      @user.should_not be_valid
+    end
+
+    it "is valid with a allow_nil field set to empty string" do
+      @user.name = ''
+      @user.should be_valid
+    end
+  end
+
+  describe :update_attributes do
+    it "stores non-empty strings normally" do
+      @user.update_attributes(:name=>'Hans')
+      @user.reload.name.should == 'Hans'
+    end
+
+    it "stores strings as nil" do
+      @user.update_attributes(:name=>'')
+      @user.reload.name.should == nil
+    end
+
+    it "does not affect booleans" do
+      @user.update_attributes(:sexy=>false)
+      @user.reload.sexy.should == false
+    end
+  end
+
+  describe :attributes= do
+    it "stores non-empty strings normally" do
+      @user.attributes = {'name'=>'Hans'}
+      @user.save!
+      @user.reload.name.should == 'Hans'
+    end
+
+    it "stores strings as nil" do
+      @user.attributes = {:name=>''}
+      @user.save!
+      @user.reload.name.should == nil
+    end
+  end
+
+  describe :update_attribute do
+    it "stores non-empty strings normally" do
+      @user.update_attribute(:name,'Hans')
+      @user.reload.name.should == 'Hans'
+    end
+
+    it "stores strings as nil" do
+      @user.update_attribute(:name,'')
+      @user.reload.name.should == nil
+    end
+
+    it "does not affect booleans" do
+      @user.update_attribute(:sexy,false)
+      @user.reload.sexy.should == false
+    end
+  end
+
+  describe :write_attribute do
+    it "stores non-empty strings normally" do
+      @user.write_attribute(:name,'Hans')
+      @user.save!
+      @user.reload.name.should == 'Hans'
+    end
+
+    it "stores strings as nil" do
+      @user.write_attribute(:name,'')
+      @user.save!
+      @user.reload.name.should == nil
+    end
+
+    it "does not affect booleans" do
+      @user.write_attribute(:sexy,false)
+      @user.save!
+      @user.reload.sexy.should == false
+    end
+  end
+end

data/spec/setup_test_model.rb

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+# connect
+ActiveRecord::Base.configurations = {"test" => {
+  :adapter => "sqlite3",
+  :database => ":memory:",
+}.with_indifferent_access}
+
+ActiveRecord::Base.establish_connection(:test)
+
+# create table
+ActiveRecord::Schema.define(:version => 1) do
+  create_table :users do |t|
+    t.string    :name
+    t.boolean   :sexy
+    t.integer   :age
+    t.timestamps
+  end
+end
+
+# create model
+class User < ActiveRecord::Base
+  validates_length_of :name, :within=>2..20, :allow_nil=>true
+end

data/spec/spec_helper.rb

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+$LOAD_PATH << 'lib'
+
+require "init"
+require "spec/setup_test_model.rb"

data/tasks/clear_empty_attributes.rake

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+namespace :db do
+  desc "Clear all blank strings in the database. Specify TABLES=table1,table2 to limit to specific tables."
+  task :clear_empty_attributes => :environment do
+    connection = ActiveRecord::Base.connection
+    tables = ENV['TABLES'] ? ENV['TABLES'].split(/,/) : connection.tables
+    tables.each do |table|
+      puts "#{table}:"
+      connection.columns(table).select(&:text?).each do |column|
+        name = column.name
+        puts "  #{name}"
+        column_name = connection.quote_column_name(column.name)
+        connection.update("UPDATE #{connection.quote_table_name(table)} SET #{column_name} = NULL WHERE #{column_name} = ''")
+      end
+    end
+  end
+end

metadata

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+--- !ruby/object:Gem::Specification 
+name: clear_empty_attributes
+version: !ruby/object:Gem::Version 
+  version: 0.2.0
+platform: ruby
+authors: 
+- Brandon Keepers
+autorequire: 
+bindir: bin
+cert_chain: []
+
+date: 2009-11-13 00:00:00 +01:00
+default_executable: 
+dependencies: 
+- !ruby/object:Gem::Dependency 
+  name: activerecord
+  type: :runtime
+  version_requirement: 
+  version_requirements: !ruby/object:Gem::Requirement 
+    requirements: 
+    - - ">="
+      - !ruby/object:Gem::Version 
+        version: "0"
+    version: 
+description: Save empty strings as nil to avoid lots of problems
+email: brandon@opensoul.org
+executables: []
+
+extensions: []
+
+extra_rdoc_files: 
+- README.markdown
+files: 
+- .gitignore
+- README.markdown
+- Rakefile
+- VERSION
+- clear_empty_attributes.gemspec
+- init.rb
+- lib/clear_empty_attributes.rb
+- spec/clear_empty_attributes_spec.rb
+- spec/setup_test_model.rb
+- spec/spec_helper.rb
+- tasks/clear_empty_attributes.rake
+has_rdoc: true
+homepage: http://github.com/grosser/clear_empty_attributes
+licenses: []
+
+post_install_message: 
+rdoc_options: 
+- --charset=UTF-8
+require_paths: 
+- lib
+required_ruby_version: !ruby/object:Gem::Requirement 
+  requirements: 
+  - - ">="
+    - !ruby/object:Gem::Version 
+      version: "0"
+  version: 
+required_rubygems_version: !ruby/object:Gem::Requirement 
+  requirements: 
+  - - ">="
+    - !ruby/object:Gem::Version 
+      version: "0"
+  version: 
+requirements: []
+
+rubyforge_project: 
+rubygems_version: 1.3.5
+signing_key: 
+specification_version: 3
+summary: Save empty strings as nil to avoid lots of problems
+test_files: 
+- spec/spec_helper.rb
+- spec/clear_empty_attributes_spec.rb
+- spec/setup_test_model.rb