grosser-clear_empty_attributes 0.1

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`
+ - Datebases can handle `NULL` better & faster than `''` (especially when using `LIKE`)
+
+Solution
+========
+Defines a AR `before_validation` that sets empty Strings to nil.
+
+Install
+=======
+    script/plugin install git://github.com/grosser/clear_empty_attributes.git
+OR  
+    sudo gem install grosser-clear_empty_attributes
+
+
+Migration
+=========
+When you are switching to `clear_empty_attributes`, run this task
+to remove any `''` strings/texts from your database.
+
+    rake clear_empty_attributes:clear_all_blank_strings MODELS=User,Movie,...
+(only works when checked out or installed as plugin)

data/Rakefile

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+require 'rubygems'
+require 'echoe'
+
+porject_name = 'clear_empty_attributes'
+
+Echoe.new(porject_name , '0.1') do |p|
+  p.description    = "Save empty strings as nil to avoid lots of problems"
+  p.url            = "http://github.com/grosser/#{porject_name}"
+  p.author         = "Michael Grosser"
+  p.email          = "grosser.michael@gmail.com"
+  p.ignore_pattern = ["tmp/*", "script/*"]
+  p.dependencies   = %w[activerecord]
+  p.development_dependencies = []
+end
+
+Dir["#{File.dirname(__FILE__)}/tasks/*.rake"].sort.each { |ext| load ext }
+
+task :update_gemspec do
+  puts "updating..."
+  `rake manifest`
+  `rake build_gemspec`
+end

data/clear_empty_attributes.gemspec

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+# -*- encoding: utf-8 -*-
+
+Gem::Specification.new do |s|
+  s.name = %q{clear_empty_attributes}
+  s.version = "0.1"
+
+  s.required_rubygems_version = Gem::Requirement.new(">= 1.2") if s.respond_to? :required_rubygems_version=
+  s.authors = ["Michael Grosser"]
+  s.date = %q{2009-01-02}
+  s.description = %q{Save empty strings as nil to avoid lots of problems}
+  s.email = %q{grosser.michael@gmail.com}
+  s.extra_rdoc_files = ["lib/clear_empty_attributes.rb", "README.markdown", "tasks/clear_empty_attributes.rake"]
+  s.files = ["Manifest", "lib/clear_empty_attributes.rb", "init.rb", "Rakefile", "README.markdown", "tasks/clear_empty_attributes.rake", "clear_empty_attributes.gemspec"]
+  s.has_rdoc = true
+  s.homepage = %q{http://github.com/grosser/clear_empty_attributes}
+  s.rdoc_options = ["--line-numbers", "--inline-source", "--title", "Clear_empty_attributes", "--main", "README.markdown"]
+  s.require_paths = ["lib"]
+  s.rubyforge_project = %q{clear_empty_attributes}
+  s.rubygems_version = %q{1.3.1}
+  s.summary = %q{Save empty strings as nil to avoid lots of problems}
+
+  if s.respond_to? :specification_version then
+    current_version = Gem::Specification::CURRENT_SPECIFICATION_VERSION
+    s.specification_version = 2
+
+    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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+class ActiveRecord::Base
+  before_validation :clear_empty_attrs
+protected
+  def clear_empty_attrs
+    @attributes.each do |key,value|
+      self[key] = nil if value.is_a?(String) && value.blank?
+    end
+  end
+end

data/tasks/clear_empty_attributes.rake

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+namespace :clear_empty_attributes do
+  desc "clear all blank strings of the given MODELS"
+  task :clear_all_blank_strings do
+    raise "rake clear_empty_attributes:clear_all_blank_strings MODELS=User,Movie,... to clear blank strings of those models" unless ENV['MODELS']
+    models = ENV['MODELS'].split(',').map(&:constantize)
+
+    models.each do |model|
+      puts "#{model}:"
+      model.columns.select(&:text?).each do |column|
+        name = column.name
+        puts "  #{name}"
+        model.update_all("#{name} = NULL","#{name} = ''")
+      end
+      puts ''
+    end
+  end
+end

metadata

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+--- !ruby/object:Gem::Specification 
+name: grosser-clear_empty_attributes
+version: !ruby/object:Gem::Version 
+  version: "0.1"
+platform: ruby
+authors: 
+- Michael Grosser
+autorequire: 
+bindir: bin
+cert_chain: []
+
+date: 2009-01-02 00:00:00 -08:00
+default_executable: 
+dependencies: 
+- !ruby/object:Gem::Dependency 
+  name: activerecord
+  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: grosser.michael@gmail.com
+executables: []
+
+extensions: []
+
+extra_rdoc_files: 
+- lib/clear_empty_attributes.rb
+- README.markdown
+- tasks/clear_empty_attributes.rake
+files: 
+- Manifest
+- lib/clear_empty_attributes.rb
+- init.rb
+- Rakefile
+- README.markdown
+- tasks/clear_empty_attributes.rake
+- clear_empty_attributes.gemspec
+has_rdoc: true
+homepage: http://github.com/grosser/clear_empty_attributes
+post_install_message: 
+rdoc_options: 
+- --line-numbers
+- --inline-source
+- --title
+- Clear_empty_attributes
+- --main
+- README.markdown
+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: "1.2"
+  version: 
+requirements: []
+
+rubyforge_project: clear_empty_attributes
+rubygems_version: 1.2.0
+signing_key: 
+specification_version: 2
+summary: Save empty strings as nil to avoid lots of problems
+test_files: []
+