radiant 0.6.4 → 0.6.5

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

@@ -1,40 +1,108 @@
 require 'base64'
 require 'yaml'
 require 'set'
-require 'active_record/deprecated_finders'
 
 module ActiveRecord #:nodoc:
-  class ActiveRecordError < StandardError #:nodoc:
+  # Generic ActiveRecord exception class.
+  class ActiveRecordError < StandardError
   end
+
+  # Raised when the single-table inheritance mechanism failes to locate the subclass
+  # (for example due to improper usage of column that +inheritance_column+ points to).
   class SubclassNotFound < ActiveRecordError #:nodoc:
   end
-  class AssociationTypeMismatch < ActiveRecordError #:nodoc:
+
+  # Raised when object assigned to association is of incorrect type.
+  #
+  # Example:
+  #
+  # class Ticket < ActiveRecord::Base
+  #   has_many :patches
+  # end
+  #
+  # class Patch < ActiveRecord::Base
+  #   belongs_to :ticket
+  # end
+  #
+  # and somewhere in the code:
+  #
+  # @ticket.patches << Comment.new(:content => "Please attach tests to your patch.")
+  # @ticket.save
+  class AssociationTypeMismatch < ActiveRecordError
   end
-  class SerializationTypeMismatch < ActiveRecordError #:nodoc:
+
+  # Raised when unserialized object's type mismatches one specified for serializable field.
+  class SerializationTypeMismatch < ActiveRecordError
   end
-  class AdapterNotSpecified < ActiveRecordError # :nodoc:
+
+  # Raised when adapter not specified on connection (or configuration file config/database.yml misses adapter field).
+  class AdapterNotSpecified < ActiveRecordError
   end
-  class AdapterNotFound < ActiveRecordError # :nodoc:
+
+  # Raised when ActiveRecord cannot find database adapter specified in config/database.yml or programmatically.
+  class AdapterNotFound < ActiveRecordError
   end
-  class ConnectionNotEstablished < ActiveRecordError #:nodoc:
+
+  # Raised when connection to the database could not been established (for example when connection= is given a nil object).
+  class ConnectionNotEstablished < ActiveRecordError
   end
-  class ConnectionFailed < ActiveRecordError #:nodoc:
+
+  # Raised when ActiveRecord cannot find record by given id or set of ids.
+  class RecordNotFound < ActiveRecordError
   end
-  class RecordNotFound < ActiveRecordError #:nodoc:
+
+  # Raised by ActiveRecord::Base.save! and ActiveRecord::Base.create! methods when record cannot be
+  # saved because record is invalid.
+  class RecordNotSaved < ActiveRecordError
   end
-  class RecordNotSaved < ActiveRecordError #:nodoc:
+
+  # Raised when SQL statement cannot be executed by the database (for example, it's often the case for MySQL when Ruby driver used is too old).
+  class StatementInvalid < ActiveRecordError
   end
-  class StatementInvalid < ActiveRecordError #:nodoc:
+
+  # Raised when number of bind variables in statement given to :condition key (for example, when using +find+ method)
+  # does not match number of expected variables.
+  #
+  # Example:
+  #
+  # Location.find :all, :conditions => ["lat = ? AND lng = ?", 53.7362]
+  #
+  # in example above two placeholders are given but only one variable to fill them.
+  class PreparedStatementInvalid < ActiveRecordError
   end
-  class PreparedStatementInvalid < ActiveRecordError #:nodoc:
+
+  # Raised on attempt to save stale record. Record is stale when it's being saved in another query after
+  # instantiation, for example, when two users edit the same wiki page and one starts editing and saves
+  # the page before the other.
+  #
+  # Read more about optimistic locking in +ActiveRecord::Locking+ module RDoc.
+  class StaleObjectError < ActiveRecordError
   end
-  class StaleObjectError < ActiveRecordError #:nodoc:
+
+  # Raised when association is being configured improperly or
+  # user tries to use offset and limit together with has_many or has_and_belongs_to_many associations.
+  class ConfigurationError < ActiveRecordError
+  end
+
+  # Raised on attempt to update record that is instantiated as read only.
+  class ReadOnlyRecord < ActiveRecordError
   end
-  class ConfigurationError < StandardError #:nodoc:
+
+  # Used by ActiveRecord transaction mechanism to distinguish rollback from other exceptional situations.
+  # You can use it to roll your transaction back explicitly in the block passed to +transaction+ method.
+  class Rollback < ActiveRecordError
   end
-  class ReadOnlyRecord < StandardError #:nodoc:
+
+  # Raised when attribute has a name reserved by ActiveRecord (when attribute has name of one of ActiveRecord instance methods).
+  class DangerousAttributeError < ActiveRecordError
   end
-  
+
+  # Raised when you've tried to access a column which wasn't
+  # loaded by your finder.  Typically this is because :select
+  # has been specified
+  class MissingAttributeError < NoMethodError
+  end
+
   class AttributeAssignmentError < ActiveRecordError #:nodoc:
     attr_reader :exception, :attribute
     def initialize(message, exception, attribute)
@@ -61,7 +129,7 @@ module ActiveRecord #:nodoc:
   # == Creation
   #
   # Active Records accept constructor parameters either in a hash or as a block. The hash method is especially useful when
-  # you're receiving the data from somewhere else, like a HTTP request. It works like this:
+  # you're receiving the data from somewhere else, like an HTTP request. It works like this:
   #
   #   user = User.new(:name => "David", :occupation => "Code Artist")
   #   user.name # => "David"
@@ -101,15 +169,15 @@ module ActiveRecord #:nodoc:
   #   end
   #
   # The <tt>authenticate_unsafely</tt> method inserts the parameters directly into the query and is thus susceptible to SQL-injection
-  # attacks if the <tt>user_name</tt> and +password+ parameters come directly from a HTTP request. The <tt>authenticate_safely</tt>  and
-  # <tt>authenticate_safely_simply</tt> both will sanitize the <tt>user_name</tt> and +password+ before inserting them in the query, 
+  # attacks if the <tt>user_name</tt> and +password+ parameters come directly from an HTTP request. The <tt>authenticate_safely</tt>  and
+  # <tt>authenticate_safely_simply</tt> both will sanitize the <tt>user_name</tt> and +password+ before inserting them in the query,
   # which will ensure that an attacker can't escape the query and fake the login (or worse).
   #
   # When using multiple parameters in the conditions, it can easily become hard to read exactly what the fourth or fifth
   # question mark is supposed to represent. In those cases, you can resort to named bind variables instead. That's done by replacing
   # the question marks with symbols and supplying a hash with values for the matching symbol keys:
   #
-  #   Company.find(:first, [
+  #   Company.find(:first, :conditions => [
   #     "id = :id AND name = :name AND division = :division AND created_at > :accounting_date",
   #     { :id => 3, :name => "37signals", :division => "First", :accounting_date => '2005-01-01' }
   #   ])
@@ -126,9 +194,9 @@ module ActiveRecord #:nodoc:
   #
   # == Overwriting default accessors
   #
-  # All column values are automatically available through basic accessors on the Active Record object, but some times you
-  # want to specialize this behavior. This can be done by either by overwriting the default accessors (using the same
-  # name as the attribute) calling read_attribute(attr_name) and write_attribute(attr_name, value) to actually change things.
+  # All column values are automatically available through basic accessors on the Active Record object, but sometimes you
+  # want to specialize this behavior. This can be done by overwriting the default accessors (using the same
+  # name as the attribute) and calling read_attribute(attr_name) and write_attribute(attr_name, value) to actually change things.
   # Example:
   #
   #   class Song < ActiveRecord::Base
@@ -143,9 +211,23 @@ module ActiveRecord #:nodoc:
   #     end
   #   end
   #
-  # You can alternatively use self[:attribute]=(value) and self[:attribute] instead of write_attribute(:attribute, vaule) and
+  # You can alternatively use self[:attribute]=(value) and self[:attribute] instead of write_attribute(:attribute, value) and
   # read_attribute(:attribute) as a shorter form.
   #
+  # == Attribute query methods
+  #
+  # In addition to the basic accessors, query methods are also automatically available on the Active Record object.
+  # Query methods allow you to test whether an attribute value is present.
+  #
+  # For example, an Active Record User with the <tt>name</tt> attribute has a <tt>name?</tt> method that you can call
+  # to determine whether the user has a name:
+  #
+  #   user = User.new(:name => "David")
+  #   user.name? # => true
+  #
+  #   anonymous = User.new(:name => "")
+  #   anonymous.name? # => false
+  #
   # == Accessing attributes before they have been typecasted
   #
   # Sometimes you want to be able to read the raw attribute data without having the column-determined typecast run its course first.
@@ -161,12 +243,12 @@ module ActiveRecord #:nodoc:
   # Dynamic attribute-based finders are a cleaner way of getting (and/or creating) objects by simple queries without turning to SQL. They work by
   # appending the name of an attribute to <tt>find_by_</tt> or <tt>find_all_by_</tt>, so you get finders like Person.find_by_user_name,
   # Person.find_all_by_last_name, Payment.find_by_transaction_id. So instead of writing
-  # <tt>Person.find(:first, ["user_name = ?", user_name])</tt>, you just do <tt>Person.find_by_user_name(user_name)</tt>.
-  # And instead of writing <tt>Person.find(:all, ["last_name = ?", last_name])</tt>, you just do <tt>Person.find_all_by_last_name(last_name)</tt>.
+  # <tt>Person.find(:first, :conditions => ["user_name = ?", user_name])</tt>, you just do <tt>Person.find_by_user_name(user_name)</tt>.
+  # And instead of writing <tt>Person.find(:all, :conditions => ["last_name = ?", last_name])</tt>, you just do <tt>Person.find_all_by_last_name(last_name)</tt>.
   #
   # It's also possible to use multiple attributes in the same find by separating them with "_and_", so you get finders like
   # <tt>Person.find_by_user_name_and_password</tt> or even <tt>Payment.find_by_purchaser_and_state_and_country</tt>. So instead of writing
-  # <tt>Person.find(:first, ["user_name = ? AND password = ?", user_name, password])</tt>, you just do
+  # <tt>Person.find(:first, :conditions => ["user_name = ? AND password = ?", user_name, password])</tt>, you just do
   # <tt>Person.find_by_user_name_and_password(user_name, password)</tt>.
   #
   # It's even possible to use all the additional parameters to find. For example, the full interface for Payment.find_all_by_amount
@@ -178,7 +260,7 @@ module ActiveRecord #:nodoc:
   #
   #   # No 'Summer' tag exists
   #   Tag.find_or_create_by_name("Summer") # equal to Tag.create(:name => "Summer")
-  #   
+  #
   #   # Now the 'Summer' tag does exist
   #   Tag.find_or_create_by_name("Summer") # equal to Tag.find_by_name("Summer")
   #
@@ -188,6 +270,13 @@ module ActiveRecord #:nodoc:
   #   winter = Tag.find_or_initialize_by_name("Winter")
   #   winter.new_record? # true
   #
+  # To find by a subset of the attributes to be used for instantiating a new object, pass a hash instead of
+  # a list of parameters. For example:
+  #
+  #   Tag.find_or_create_by_name(:name => "rails", :creator => current_user)
+  #
+  # That will either find an existing tag named "rails", or create a new one while setting the user that created it.
+  #
   # == Saving arrays, hashes, and other non-mappable objects in text columns
   #
   # Active Record can serialize any object in text columns using YAML. To do so, you must specify this with a call to the class method +serialize+.
@@ -212,7 +301,7 @@ module ActiveRecord #:nodoc:
   #
   # == Single table inheritance
   #
-  # Active Record allows inheritance by storing the name of the class in a column that by default is called "type" (can be changed
+  # Active Record allows inheritance by storing the name of the class in a column that by default is named "type" (can be changed
   # by overwriting <tt>Base.inheritance_column</tt>). This means that an inheritance looking like this:
   #
   #   class Company < ActiveRecord::Base; end
@@ -233,7 +322,7 @@ module ActiveRecord #:nodoc:
   #
   # Connections are usually created through ActiveRecord::Base.establish_connection and retrieved by ActiveRecord::Base.connection.
   # All classes inheriting from ActiveRecord::Base will use this connection. But you can also set a class-specific connection.
-  # For example, if Course is a ActiveRecord::Base, but resides in a different database you can just say Course.establish_connection
+  # For example, if Course is an ActiveRecord::Base, but resides in a different database, you can just say Course.establish_connection
   # and Course *and all its subclasses* will use this connection instead.
   #
   # This feature is implemented by keeping a connection pool in ActiveRecord::Base that is a Hash indexed by the class. If a connection is
@@ -242,12 +331,12 @@ module ActiveRecord #:nodoc:
   # == Exceptions
   #
   # * +ActiveRecordError+ -- generic error class and superclass of all other errors raised by Active Record
-  # * +AdapterNotSpecified+ -- the configuration hash used in <tt>establish_connection</tt> didn't include a
+  # * +AdapterNotSpecified+ -- the configuration hash used in <tt>establish_connection</tt> didn't include an
   #   <tt>:adapter</tt> key.
-  # * +AdapterNotFound+ -- the <tt>:adapter</tt> key used in <tt>establish_connection</tt> specified an non-existent adapter
+  # * +AdapterNotFound+ -- the <tt>:adapter</tt> key used in <tt>establish_connection</tt> specified a non-existent adapter
   #   (or a bad spelling of an existing one).
   # * +AssociationTypeMismatch+ -- the object assigned to the association wasn't of the type specified in the association definition.
-  # * +SerializationTypeMismatch+ -- the object serialized wasn't of the class specified as the second parameter.
+  # * +SerializationTypeMismatch+ -- the serialized object wasn't of the class specified as the second parameter.
   # * +ConnectionNotEstablished+ -- no connection has been established. Use <tt>establish_connection</tt> before querying.
   # * +RecordNotFound+ -- no record responded to the find* method.
   #   Either the row with the given ID doesn't exist or the row didn't meet the additional restrictions.
@@ -266,15 +355,13 @@ module ActiveRecord #:nodoc:
     # Accepts a logger conforming to the interface of Log4r or the default Ruby 1.8+ Logger class, which is then passed
     # on to any new database connections made and which can be retrieved on both a class and instance level by calling +logger+.
     cattr_accessor :logger, :instance_writer => false
-    
-    include Reloadable::Deprecated
-    
+
     def self.inherited(child) #:nodoc:
       @@subclasses[self] ||= []
       @@subclasses[self] << child
       super
     end
-    
+
     def self.reset_subclasses #:nodoc:
       nonreloadables = []
       subclasses.each do |klass|
@@ -312,13 +399,13 @@ module ActiveRecord #:nodoc:
     cattr_accessor :table_name_suffix, :instance_writer => false
     @@table_name_suffix = ""
 
-    # Indicates whether or not table names should be the pluralized versions of the corresponding class names.
+    # Indicates whether table names should be the pluralized versions of the corresponding class names.
     # If true, the default table name for a +Product+ class will be +products+. If false, it would just be +product+.
     # See table_name for the full rules on table/class naming. This is true, by default.
     cattr_accessor :pluralize_table_names, :instance_writer => false
     @@pluralize_table_names = true
 
-    # Determines whether or not to use ANSI codes to colorize the logging statements committed by the connection adapter. These colors
+    # Determines whether to use ANSI codes to colorize the logging statements committed by the connection adapter. These colors
     # make it much easier to overview things during debugging (when used through a reader like +tail+ and on a black background), but
     # may complicate matters if you use software like syslog. This is true, by default.
     cattr_accessor :colorize_logging, :instance_writer => false
@@ -329,21 +416,14 @@ module ActiveRecord #:nodoc:
     cattr_accessor :default_timezone, :instance_writer => false
     @@default_timezone = :local
 
-    # Determines whether or not to use a connection for each thread, or a single shared connection for all threads.
+    # Determines whether to use a connection for each thread, or a single shared connection for all threads.
     # Defaults to false. Set to true if you're writing a threaded application.
     cattr_accessor :allow_concurrency, :instance_writer => false
     @@allow_concurrency = false
 
-    # Determines whether to speed up access by generating optimized reader
-    # methods to avoid expensive calls to method_missing when accessing
-    # attributes by name. You might want to set this to false in development
-    # mode, because the methods would be regenerated on each request.
-    cattr_accessor :generate_read_methods, :instance_writer => false
-    @@generate_read_methods = true
-    
     # Specifies the format to use when dumping the database schema with Rails'
     # Rakefile.  If :sql, the schema is dumped as (potentially database-
-    # specific) SQL statements.  If :ruby, the schema is dumped as an 
+    # specific) SQL statements.  If :ruby, the schema is dumped as an
     # ActiveRecord::Schema file which can be loaded into any database that
     # supports migrations.  Use :ruby if you want to have different database
     # adapters for, e.g., your development and test environments.
@@ -356,25 +436,26 @@ module ActiveRecord #:nodoc:
       # * Find by id: This can either be a specific id (1), a list of ids (1, 5, 6), or an array of ids ([5, 6, 10]).
       #   If no record can be found for all of the listed ids, then RecordNotFound will be raised.
       # * Find first: This will return the first record matched by the options used. These options can either be specific
-      #   conditions or merely an order. If no record can matched, nil is returned.
+      #   conditions or merely an order. If no record can be matched, nil is returned.
       # * Find all: This will return all the records matched by the options used. If no records are found, an empty array is returned.
       #
-      # All approaches accept an option hash as their last parameter. The options are:
+      # All approaches accept an options hash as their last parameter. The options are:
       #
       # * <tt>:conditions</tt>: An SQL fragment like "administrator = 1" or [ "user_name = ?", username ]. See conditions in the intro.
       # * <tt>:order</tt>: An SQL fragment like "created_at DESC, name".
       # * <tt>:group</tt>: An attribute name by which the result should be grouped. Uses the GROUP BY SQL-clause.
       # * <tt>:limit</tt>: An integer determining the limit on the number of rows that should be returned.
-      # * <tt>:offset</tt>: An integer determining the offset from where the rows should be fetched. So at 5, it would skip the first 4 rows.
-      # * <tt>:joins</tt>: An SQL fragment for additional joins like "LEFT JOIN comments ON comments.post_id = id". (Rarely needed).
-      #   The records will be returned read-only since they will have attributes that do not correspond to the table's columns.
+      # * <tt>:offset</tt>: An integer determining the offset from where the rows should be fetched. So at 5, it would skip rows 0 through 4.
+      # * <tt>:joins</tt>: Either an SQL fragment for additional joins like "LEFT JOIN comments ON comments.post_id = id" (rarely needed)
+      #   or named associations in the same form used for the :include option, which will perform an INNER JOIN on the associated table(s).
+      #   If the value is a string, then the records will be returned read-only since they will have attributes that do not correspond to the table's columns.
       #   Pass :readonly => false to override.
       # * <tt>:include</tt>: Names associations that should be loaded alongside using LEFT OUTER JOINs. The symbols named refer
       #   to already defined associations. See eager loading under Associations.
-      # * <tt>:select</tt>: By default, this is * as in SELECT * FROM, but can be changed if you for example want to do a join, but not
+      # * <tt>:select</tt>: By default, this is * as in SELECT * FROM, but can be changed if you, for example, want to do a join but not
       #   include the joined columns.
       # * <tt>:from</tt>: By default, this is the table name of the class, but can be changed to an alternate table name (or even the name
-      #   of a database view). 
+      #   of a database view).
       # * <tt>:readonly</tt>: Mark the returned records read-only so they cannot be saved or updated.
       # * <tt>:lock</tt>: An SQL fragment like "FOR UPDATE" or "LOCK IN SHARE MODE".
       #   :lock => true gives connection's default exclusive lock, usually "FOR UPDATE".
@@ -383,9 +464,13 @@ module ActiveRecord #:nodoc:
       #   Person.find(1)       # returns the object for ID = 1
       #   Person.find(1, 2, 6) # returns an array for objects with IDs in (1, 2, 6)
       #   Person.find([7, 17]) # returns an array for objects with IDs in (7, 17)
-      #   Person.find([1])     # returns an array for objects the object with ID = 1
+      #   Person.find([1])     # returns an array for the object with ID = 1
       #   Person.find(1, :conditions => "administrator = 1", :order => "created_on DESC")
       #
+      # Note that returned records may not be in the same order as the ids you
+      # provide since database rows are unordered. Give an explicit :order
+      # to ensure the results are sorted.
+      #
       # Examples for find first:
       #   Person.find(:first) # returns the first object fetched by SELECT * FROM people
       #   Person.find(:first, :conditions => [ "user_name = ?", user_name])
@@ -409,7 +494,7 @@ module ActiveRecord #:nodoc:
       #     person.save!
       #   end
       def find(*args)
-        options = extract_options_from_args!(args)
+        options = args.extract_options!
         validate_find_options(options)
         set_readonly_option!(options)
 
@@ -419,51 +504,91 @@ module ActiveRecord #:nodoc:
           else             find_from_ids(args, options)
         end
       end
-      
-      # Works like find(:all), but requires a complete SQL string. Examples:
-      #   Post.find_by_sql "SELECT p.*, c.author FROM posts p, comments c WHERE p.id = c.post_id"
-      #   Post.find_by_sql ["SELECT * FROM posts WHERE author = ? AND created > ?", author_id, start_date]
+
+      #
+      # Executes a custom sql query against your database and returns all the results.  The results will
+      # be returned as an array with columns requested encapsulated as attributes of the model you call
+      # this method from.  If you call +Product.find_by_sql+ then the results will be returned in a Product
+      # object with the attributes you specified in the SQL query.
+      #
+      # If you call a complicated SQL query which spans multiple tables the columns specified by the
+      # SELECT will be attributes of the model, whether or not they are columns of the corresponding
+      # table.
+      #
+      # The +sql+ parameter is a full sql query as a string.  It will be called as is, there will be
+      # no database agnostic conversions performed.  This should be a last resort because using, for example,
+      # MySQL specific terms will lock you to using that particular database engine or require you to
+      # change your call if you switch engines
+      #
+      # ==== Examples
+      #   # A simple sql query spanning multiple tables
+      #   Post.find_by_sql "SELECT p.title, c.author FROM posts p, comments c WHERE p.id = c.post_id"
+      #   > [#<Post:0x36bff9c @attributes={"title"=>"Ruby Meetup", "first_name"=>"Quentin"}>, ...]
+      #
+      #   # You can use the same string replacement techniques as you can with ActiveRecord#find
+      #   Post.find_by_sql ["SELECT title FROM posts WHERE author = ? AND created > ?", author_id, start_date]
+      #   > [#<Post:0x36bff9c @attributes={"first_name"=>"The Cheap Man Buys Twice"}>, ...]
       def find_by_sql(sql)
         connection.select_all(sanitize_sql(sql), "#{name} Load").collect! { |record| instantiate(record) }
       end
 
-      # Returns true if the given +id+ represents the primary key of a record in the database, false otherwise.
-      # You can also pass a set of SQL conditions. 
-      # Example:
+      # Checks whether a record exists in the database that matches conditions given.  These conditions
+      # can either be a single integer representing a primary key id to be found, or a condition to be
+      # matched like using ActiveRecord#find.
+      #
+      # The +id_or_conditions+ parameter can be an Integer or a String if you want to search the primary key
+      # column of the table for a matching id, or if you're looking to match against a condition you can use
+      # an Array or a Hash.
+      #
+      # Possible gotcha: You can't pass in a condition as a string e.g. "name = 'Jamie'", this would be
+      # sanitized and then queried against the primary key column as "id = 'name = \'Jamie"
+      #
+      # ==== Examples
       #   Person.exists?(5)
       #   Person.exists?('5')
       #   Person.exists?(:name => "David")
       #   Person.exists?(['name LIKE ?', "%#{query}%"])
       def exists?(id_or_conditions)
-        !find(:first, :conditions => expand_id_conditions(id_or_conditions)).nil?
-      rescue ActiveRecord::ActiveRecordError
-        false
+        !find(:first, :select => "#{quoted_table_name}.#{primary_key}",
+              :conditions => expand_id_conditions(id_or_conditions)).nil?
       end
 
-      # Creates an object, instantly saves it as a record (if the validation permits it), and returns it. If the save
-      # fails under validations, the unsaved object is still returned.
+      # Creates an object (or multiple objects) and saves it to the database, if validations pass.
+      # The resulting object is returned whether the object was saved successfully to the database or not.
+      #
+      # The +attributes+ parameter can be either be a Hash or an Array of Hashes.  These Hashes describe the
+      # attributes on the objects that are to be created.
+      #
+      # ==== Examples
+      #   # Create a single new object
+      #   User.create(:first_name => 'Jamie')
+      #   # Create an Array of new objects
+      #   User.create([{:first_name => 'Jamie'}, {:first_name => 'Jeremy'}])
       def create(attributes = nil)
         if attributes.is_a?(Array)
           attributes.collect { |attr| create(attr) }
         else
           object = new(attributes)
-          scope(:create).each { |att,value| object.send("#{att}=", value) } if scoped?(:create)
           object.save
           object
         end
       end
 
-      # Finds the record from the passed +id+, instantly saves it with the passed +attributes+ (if the validation permits it),
-      # and returns it. If the save fails under validations, the unsaved object is still returned.
+      # Updates an object (or multiple objects) and saves it to the database, if validations pass.
+      # The resulting object is returned whether the object was saved successfully to the database or not.
       #
-      # The arguments may also be given as arrays in which case the update method is called for each pair of +id+ and 
-      # +attributes+ and an array of objects is returned.
+      # ==== Options
       #
-      # Example of updating one record:
+      # +id+          This should be the id or an array of ids to be updated
+      # +attributes+  This should be a Hash of attributes to be set on the object, or an array of Hashes.
+      #
+      # ==== Examples
+      #
+      #   # Updating one record:
       #   Person.update(15, {:user_name => 'Samuel', :group => 'expert'})
-      # 
-      # Example of updating multiple records:
-      #   people = { 1 => { "first_name" => "David" }, 2 => { "first_name" => "Jeremy"} } 	
+      #
+      #   # Updating multiple records:
+      #   people = { 1 => { "first_name" => "David" }, 2 => { "first_name" => "Jeremy"} }
       #   Person.update(people.keys, people.values)
       def update(id, attributes)
         if id.is_a?(Array)
@@ -476,62 +601,201 @@ module ActiveRecord #:nodoc:
         end
       end
 
-      # Deletes the record with the given +id+ without instantiating an object first. If an array of ids is provided, all of them
-      # are deleted.
+      # Delete an object (or multiple objects) where the +id+ given matches the primary_key.  A SQL +DELETE+ command
+      # is executed on the database which means that no callbacks are fired off running this.  This is an efficient method
+      # of deleting records that don't need cleaning up after or other actions to be taken.
+      #
+      # Objects are _not_ instantiated with this method.
+      #
+      # ==== Options
+      #
+      # +id+  Can be either an Integer or an Array of Integers
+      #
+      # ==== Examples
+      #
+      #   # Delete a single object
+      #   Todo.delete(1)
+      #
+      #   # Delete multiple objects
+      #   todos = [1,2,3]
+      #   Todo.delete(todos)
       def delete(id)
         delete_all([ "#{connection.quote_column_name(primary_key)} IN (?)", id ])
       end
 
-      # Destroys the record with the given +id+ by instantiating the object and calling #destroy (all the callbacks are the triggered).
-      # If an array of ids is provided, all of them are destroyed.
+      # Destroy an object (or multiple objects) that has the given id, the object is instantiated first,
+      # therefore all callbacks and filters are fired off before the object is deleted.  This method is
+      # less efficient than ActiveRecord#delete but allows cleanup methods and other actions to be run.
+      #
+      # This essentially finds the object (or multiple objects) with the given id, creates a new object
+      # from the attributes, and then calls destroy on it.
+      #
+      # ==== Options
+      #
+      # +id+  Can be either an Integer or an Array of Integers
+      #
+      # ==== Examples
+      #
+      #   # Destroy a single object
+      #   Todo.destroy(1)
+      #
+      #   # Destroy multiple objects
+      #   todos = [1,2,3]
+      #   Todo.destroy(todos)
       def destroy(id)
         id.is_a?(Array) ? id.each { |id| destroy(id) } : find(id).destroy
       end
 
-      # Updates all records with the SET-part of an SQL update statement in +updates+ and returns an integer with the number of rows updated.
-      # A subset of the records can be selected by specifying +conditions+. Example:
-      #   Billing.update_all "category = 'authorized', approved = 1", "author = 'David'"
-      def update_all(updates, conditions = nil)
-        sql  = "UPDATE #{table_name} SET #{sanitize_sql(updates)} "
-        add_conditions!(sql, conditions, scope(:find))
+      # Updates all records with details given if they match a set of conditions supplied, limits and order can
+      # also be supplied.
+      #
+      # ==== Options
+      #
+      # +updates+     A String of column and value pairs that will be set on any records that match conditions
+      # +conditions+  An SQL fragment like "administrator = 1" or [ "user_name = ?", username ].
+      #               See conditions in the intro for more info.
+      # +options+     Additional options are :limit and/or :order, see the examples for usage.
+      #
+      # ==== Examples
+      #
+      #   # Update all billing objects with the 3 different attributes given
+      #   Billing.update_all( "category = 'authorized', approved = 1, author = 'David'" )
+      #
+      #   # Update records that match our conditions
+      #   Billing.update_all( "author = 'David'", "title LIKE '%Rails%'" )
+      #
+      #   # Update records that match our conditions but limit it to 5 ordered by date
+      #   Billing.update_all( "author = 'David'", "title LIKE '%Rails%'",
+      #                         :order => 'created_at', :limit => 5 )
+      def update_all(updates, conditions = nil, options = {})
+        sql  = "UPDATE #{table_name} SET #{sanitize_sql_for_assignment(updates)} "
+        scope = scope(:find)
+        add_conditions!(sql, conditions, scope)
+        add_order!(sql, options[:order], scope)
+        add_limit!(sql, options, scope)
         connection.update(sql, "#{name} Update")
       end
 
-      # Destroys the objects for all the records that match the +condition+ by instantiating each object and calling
-      # the destroy method. Example:
+      # Destroys the records matching +conditions+ by instantiating each record and calling the destroy method.
+      # This means at least 2*N database queries to destroy N records, so avoid destroy_all if you are deleting
+      # many records. If you want to simply delete records without worrying about dependent associations or
+      # callbacks, use the much faster +delete_all+ method instead.
+      #
+      # ==== Options
+      #
+      # +conditions+   Conditions are specified the same way as with +find+ method.
+      #
+      # ==== Example
+      #
       #   Person.destroy_all "last_login < '2004-04-04'"
+      #
+      # This loads and destroys each person one by one, including its dependent associations and before_ and
+      # after_destroy callbacks.
       def destroy_all(conditions = nil)
         find(:all, :conditions => conditions).each { |object| object.destroy }
       end
 
-      # Deletes all the records that match the +condition+ without instantiating the objects first (and hence not
-      # calling the destroy method). Example:
+      # Deletes the records matching +conditions+ without instantiating the records first, and hence not
+      # calling the destroy method and invoking callbacks. This is a single SQL query, much more efficient
+      # than destroy_all.
+      #
+      # ==== Options
+      #
+      # +conditions+   Conditions are specified the same way as with +find+ method.
+      #
+      # ==== Example
+      #
       #   Post.delete_all "person_id = 5 AND (category = 'Something' OR category = 'Else')"
+      #
+      # This deletes the affected posts all at once with a single DELETE query. If you need to destroy dependent
+      # associations or call your before_ or after_destroy callbacks, use the +destroy_all+ method instead.
       def delete_all(conditions = nil)
-        sql = "DELETE FROM #{table_name} "
+        sql = "DELETE FROM #{quoted_table_name} "
         add_conditions!(sql, conditions, scope(:find))
         connection.delete(sql, "#{name} Delete all")
       end
 
       # Returns the result of an SQL statement that should only include a COUNT(*) in the SELECT part.
+      # The use of this method should be restricted to complicated SQL queries that can't be executed
+      # using the ActiveRecord::Calculations class methods.  Look into those before using this.
+      #
+      # ==== Options
+      #
+      # +sql+: An SQL statement which should return a count query from the database, see the example below
+      #
+      # ==== Examples
+      #
       #   Product.count_by_sql "SELECT COUNT(*) FROM sales s, customers c WHERE s.customer_id = c.id"
       def count_by_sql(sql)
         sql = sanitize_conditions(sql)
         connection.select_value(sql, "#{name} Count").to_i
       end
 
-      # Increments the specified counter by one. So <tt>DiscussionBoard.increment_counter("post_count",
-      # discussion_board_id)</tt> would increment the "post_count" counter on the board responding to discussion_board_id.
-      # This is used for caching aggregate values, so that they don't need to be computed every time. Especially important
-      # for looping over a collection where each element require a number of aggregate values. Like the DiscussionBoard
-      # that needs to list both the number of posts and comments.
+      # A generic "counter updater" implementation, intended primarily to be
+      # used by increment_counter and decrement_counter, but which may also
+      # be useful on its own. It simply does a direct SQL update for the record
+      # with the given ID, altering the given hash of counters by the amount
+      # given by the corresponding value:
+      #
+      # ==== Options
+      #
+      # +id+        The id of the object you wish to update a counter on
+      # +counters+  An Array of Hashes containing the names of the fields
+      #             to update as keys and the amount to update the field by as
+      #             values
+      #
+      # ==== Examples
+      #
+      #   # For the Post with id of 5, decrement the comment_count by 1, and
+      #   # increment the action_count by 1
+      #   Post.update_counters 5, :comment_count => -1, :action_count => 1
+      #   # Executes the following SQL:
+      #   # UPDATE posts
+      #   #    SET comment_count = comment_count - 1,
+      #   #        action_count = action_count + 1
+      #   #  WHERE id = 5
+      def update_counters(id, counters)
+        updates = counters.inject([]) { |list, (counter_name, increment)|
+          sign = increment < 0 ? "-" : "+"
+          list << "#{connection.quote_column_name(counter_name)} = #{connection.quote_column_name(counter_name)} #{sign} #{increment.abs}"
+        }.join(", ")
+        update_all(updates, "#{connection.quote_column_name(primary_key)} = #{quote_value(id)}")
+      end
+
+      # Increment a number field by one, usually representing a count.
+      #
+      # This is used for caching aggregate values, so that they don't need to be computed every time.
+      # For example, a DiscussionBoard may cache post_count and comment_count otherwise every time the board is
+      # shown it would have to run an SQL query to find how many posts and comments there are.
+      #
+      # ==== Options
+      #
+      # +counter_name+  The name of the field that should be incremented
+      # +id+            The id of the object that should be incremented
+      #
+      # ==== Examples
+      #
+      #   # Increment the post_count column for the record with an id of 5
+      #   DiscussionBoard.increment_counter(:post_count, 5)
       def increment_counter(counter_name, id)
-        update_all "#{connection.quote_column_name(counter_name)} = #{connection.quote_column_name(counter_name)} + 1", "#{connection.quote_column_name(primary_key)} = #{quote_value(id)}"
+        update_counters(id, counter_name => 1)
       end
 
-      # Works like increment_counter, but decrements instead.
+      # Decrement a number field by one, usually representing a count.
+      #
+      # This works the same as increment_counter but reduces the column value by 1 instead of increasing it.
+      #
+      # ==== Options
+      #
+      # +counter_name+  The name of the field that should be decremented
+      # +id+            The id of the object that should be decremented
+      #
+      # ==== Examples
+      #
+      #   # Decrement the post_count column for the record with an id of 5
+      #   DiscussionBoard.decrement_counter(:post_count, 5)
       def decrement_counter(counter_name, id)
-        update_all "#{connection.quote_column_name(counter_name)} = #{connection.quote_column_name(counter_name)} - 1", "#{connection.quote_column_name(primary_key)} = #{quote_value(id)}"
+        update_counters(id, counter_name => -1)
       end
 
 
@@ -550,8 +814,10 @@ module ActiveRecord #:nodoc:
       #
       #   customer.credit_rating = "Average"
       #   customer.credit_rating # => "Average"
+      #
+      # To start from an all-closed default and enable attributes as needed, have a look at attr_accessible.
       def attr_protected(*attributes)
-        write_inheritable_array("attr_protected", attributes - (protected_attributes || []))
+        write_inheritable_attribute("attr_protected", Set.new(attributes.map(&:to_s)) + (protected_attributes || []))
       end
 
       # Returns an array of all the attributes that have been protected from mass-assignment.
@@ -559,12 +825,33 @@ module ActiveRecord #:nodoc:
         read_inheritable_attribute("attr_protected")
       end
 
-      # If this macro is used, only those attributes named in it will be accessible for mass-assignment, such as
-      # <tt>new(attributes)</tt> and <tt>attributes=(attributes)</tt>. This is the more conservative choice for mass-assignment
-      # protection. If you'd rather start from an all-open default and restrict attributes as needed, have a look at
-      # attr_protected.
+      # Similar to the attr_protected macro, this protects attributes of your model from mass-assignment,
+      # such as <tt>new(attributes)</tt> and <tt>attributes=(attributes)</tt>
+      # however, it does it in the opposite way.  This locks all attributes and only allows access to the
+      # attributes specified.  Assignment to attributes not in this list will be ignored and need to be set
+      # using the direct writer methods instead.  This is meant to protect sensitive attributes from being
+      # overwritten by URL/form hackers. If you'd rather start from an all-open default and restrict
+      # attributes as needed, have a look at attr_protected.
+      #
+      # ==== Options
+      #
+      # <tt>*attributes</tt>   A comma separated list of symbols that represent columns _not_ to be protected
+      #
+      # ==== Examples
+      #
+      #   class Customer < ActiveRecord::Base
+      #     attr_accessible :name, :nickname
+      #   end
+      #
+      #   customer = Customer.new(:name => "David", :nickname => "Dave", :credit_rating => "Excellent")
+      #   customer.credit_rating # => nil
+      #   customer.attributes = { :name => "Jolly fellow", :credit_rating => "Superb" }
+      #   customer.credit_rating # => nil
+      #
+      #   customer.credit_rating = "Average"
+      #   customer.credit_rating # => "Average"
       def attr_accessible(*attributes)
-        write_inheritable_array("attr_accessible", attributes - (accessible_attributes || []))
+        write_inheritable_attribute("attr_accessible", Set.new(attributes.map(&:to_s)) + (accessible_attributes || []))
       end
 
       # Returns an array of all the attributes that have been made accessible to mass-assignment.
@@ -572,10 +859,31 @@ module ActiveRecord #:nodoc:
         read_inheritable_attribute("attr_accessible")
       end
 
+       # Attributes listed as readonly can be set for a new record, but will be ignored in database updates afterwards.
+       def attr_readonly(*attributes)
+         write_inheritable_attribute("attr_readonly", Set.new(attributes.map(&:to_s)) + (readonly_attributes || []))
+       end
 
-      # Specifies that the attribute by the name of +attr_name+ should be serialized before saving to the database and unserialized
-      # after loading from the database. The serialization is done through YAML. If +class_name+ is specified, the serialized
-      # object must be of that class on retrieval, or nil. Otherwise, +SerializationTypeMismatch+ will be raised.
+       # Returns an array of all the attributes that have been specified as readonly.
+       def readonly_attributes
+         read_inheritable_attribute("attr_readonly")
+       end
+
+      # If you have an attribute that needs to be saved to the database as an object, and retrieved as the same object,
+      # then specify the name of that attribute using this method and it will be handled automatically.
+      # The serialization is done through YAML. If +class_name+ is specified, the serialized object must be of that
+      # class on retrieval or +SerializationTypeMismatch+ will be raised.
+      #
+      # ==== Options
+      #
+      # +attr_name+   The field name that should be serialized
+      # +class_name+  Optional, class name that the object type should be equal to
+      #
+      # ==== Example
+      #   # Serialize a preferences attribute
+      #   class User
+      #     serialize :preferences
+      #   end
       def serialize(attr_name, class_name = Object)
         serialized_attributes[attr_name.to_s] = class_name
       end
@@ -588,14 +896,23 @@ module ActiveRecord #:nodoc:
 
       # Guesses the table name (in forced lower-case) based on the name of the class in the inheritance hierarchy descending
       # directly from ActiveRecord. So if the hierarchy looks like: Reply < Message < ActiveRecord, then Message is used
-      # to guess the table name from even when called on Reply. The rules used to do the guess are handled by the Inflector class
-      # in Active Support, which knows almost all common English inflections (report a bug if your inflection isn't covered).
+      # to guess the table name even when called on Reply. The rules used to do the guess are handled by the Inflector class
+      # in Active Support, which knows almost all common English inflections. You can add new inflections in config/initializers/inflections.rb.
       #
       # Nested classes are given table names prefixed by the singular form of
-      # the parent's table name. Example:
+      # the parent's table name. Enclosing modules are not considered. Examples:
+      #
+      #   class Invoice < ActiveRecord::Base; end;
       #   file                  class               table_name
       #   invoice.rb            Invoice             invoices
-      #   invoice/lineitem.rb   Invoice::Lineitem   invoice_lineitems
+      #
+      #   class Invoice < ActiveRecord::Base; class Lineitem < ActiveRecord::Base; end; end;
+      #   file                  class               table_name
+      #   invoice.rb            Invoice::Lineitem   invoice_lineitems
+      #
+      #   module Invoice; class Lineitem < ActiveRecord::Base; end; end;
+      #   file                  class               table_name
+      #   invoice/lineitem.rb   Invoice::Lineitem   lineitems
       #
       # Additionally, the class-level table_name_prefix is prepended and the
       # table_name_suffix is appended.  So if you have "myapp_" as a prefix,
@@ -753,7 +1070,7 @@ module ActiveRecord #:nodoc:
             columns.size > 0
           rescue ActiveRecord::StatementInvalid
             false
-          end          
+          end
         end
       end
 
@@ -796,15 +1113,10 @@ module ActiveRecord #:nodoc:
         end
       end
 
-      # Contains the names of the generated reader methods.
-      def read_methods #:nodoc:
-        @read_methods ||= Set.new
-      end
-
       # Resets all the cached information about columns, which will cause them to be reloaded on the next request.
       def reset_column_information
-        read_methods.each { |name| undef_method(name) }
-        @column_names = @columns = @columns_hash = @content_columns = @dynamic_methods_hash = @read_methods = @inheritance_column = nil
+        generated_methods.each { |name| undef_method(name) }
+        @column_names = @columns = @columns_hash = @content_columns = @dynamic_methods_hash = @generated_methods = @inheritance_column = nil
       end
 
       def reset_column_information_and_inheritable_attributes_for_all_subclasses#:nodoc:
@@ -818,21 +1130,40 @@ module ActiveRecord #:nodoc:
         attribute_key_name.humanize
       end
 
-      def descends_from_active_record? # :nodoc:
-        superclass == Base || !columns_hash.include?(inheritance_column)
+      # True if this isn't a concrete subclass needing a STI type condition.
+      def descends_from_active_record?
+        if superclass.abstract_class?
+          superclass.descends_from_active_record?
+        else
+          superclass == Base || !columns_hash.include?(inheritance_column)
+        end
       end
 
+      def finder_needs_type_condition? #:nodoc:
+        # This is like this because benchmarking justifies the strange :false stuff
+        :true == (@finder_needs_type_condition ||= descends_from_active_record? ? :false : :true)
+      end
 
-      def quote_value(value, column = nil) #:nodoc:
-        connection.quote(value,column)
+      # Returns a string like 'Post id:integer, title:string, body:text'
+      def inspect
+        if self == Base
+          super
+        elsif abstract_class?
+          "#{super}(abstract)"
+        elsif table_exists?
+          attr_list = columns.map { |c| "#{c.name}: #{c.type}" } * ', '
+          "#{super}(#{attr_list})"
+        else
+          "#{super}(Table doesn't exist)"
+        end
       end
 
-      def quote(value, column = nil) #:nodoc:
-        connection.quote(value, column)
+
+      def quote_value(value, column = nil) #:nodoc:
+        connection.quote(value,column)
       end
-      deprecate :quote => :quote_value
 
-      # Used to sanitize objects before they're used in an SELECT SQL-statement. Delegates to <tt>connection.quote</tt>.
+      # Used to sanitize objects before they're used in an SQL SELECT statement. Delegates to <tt>connection.quote</tt>.
       def sanitize(object) #:nodoc:
         connection.quote(object)
       end
@@ -869,104 +1200,9 @@ module ActiveRecord #:nodoc:
         logger.level = old_logger_level if logger
       end
 
-      # Scope parameters to method calls within the block.  Takes a hash of method_name => parameters hash.
-      # method_name may be :find or :create. :find parameters may include the <tt>:conditions</tt>, <tt>:joins</tt>,
-      # <tt>:include</tt>, <tt>:offset</tt>, <tt>:limit</tt>, and <tt>:readonly</tt> options. :create parameters are an attributes hash.
-      #
-      #   Article.with_scope(:find => { :conditions => "blog_id = 1" }, :create => { :blog_id => 1 }) do
-      #     Article.find(1) # => SELECT * from articles WHERE blog_id = 1 AND id = 1
-      #     a = Article.create(1)
-      #     a.blog_id # => 1
-      #   end
-      #
-      # In nested scopings, all previous parameters are overwritten by inner rule
-      # except :conditions in :find, that are merged as hash.
-      #
-      #   Article.with_scope(:find => { :conditions => "blog_id = 1", :limit => 1 }, :create => { :blog_id => 1 }) do
-      #     Article.with_scope(:find => { :limit => 10})
-      #       Article.find(:all) # => SELECT * from articles WHERE blog_id = 1 LIMIT 10
-      #     end
-      #     Article.with_scope(:find => { :conditions => "author_id = 3" })
-      #       Article.find(:all) # => SELECT * from articles WHERE blog_id = 1 AND author_id = 3 LIMIT 1
-      #     end
-      #   end
-      #
-      # You can ignore any previous scopings by using <tt>with_exclusive_scope</tt> method.
-      #
-      #   Article.with_scope(:find => { :conditions => "blog_id = 1", :limit => 1 }) do
-      #     Article.with_exclusive_scope(:find => { :limit => 10 })
-      #       Article.find(:all) # => SELECT * from articles LIMIT 10
-      #     end
-      #   end
-      def with_scope(method_scoping = {}, action = :merge, &block)
-        method_scoping = method_scoping.method_scoping if method_scoping.respond_to?(:method_scoping)
-
-        # Dup first and second level of hash (method and params).
-        method_scoping = method_scoping.inject({}) do |hash, (method, params)|
-          hash[method] = (params == true) ? params : params.dup
-          hash
-        end
-
-        method_scoping.assert_valid_keys([ :find, :create ])
-
-        if f = method_scoping[:find]
-          f.assert_valid_keys([ :conditions, :joins, :select, :include, :from, :offset, :limit, :order, :readonly, :lock ])
-          f[:readonly] = true if !f[:joins].blank? && !f.has_key?(:readonly)
-        end
-
-        # Merge scopings
-        if action == :merge && current_scoped_methods
-          method_scoping = current_scoped_methods.inject(method_scoping) do |hash, (method, params)|
-            case hash[method]
-              when Hash
-                if method == :find
-                  (hash[method].keys + params.keys).uniq.each do |key|
-                    merge = hash[method][key] && params[key] # merge if both scopes have the same key
-                    if key == :conditions && merge
-                      hash[method][key] = [params[key], hash[method][key]].collect{ |sql| "( %s )" % sanitize_sql(sql) }.join(" AND ")
-                    elsif key == :include && merge
-                      hash[method][key] = merge_includes(hash[method][key], params[key]).uniq
-                    else
-                      hash[method][key] = hash[method][key] || params[key]
-                    end
-                  end
-                else
-                  hash[method] = params.merge(hash[method])
-                end
-              else
-                hash[method] = params
-            end
-            hash
-          end
-        end
-
-        self.scoped_methods << method_scoping
-
-        begin
-          yield
-        ensure
-          self.scoped_methods.pop
-        end
-      end
-
-      # Works like with_scope, but discards any nested properties.
-      def with_exclusive_scope(method_scoping = {}, &block)
-        with_scope(method_scoping, :overwrite, &block)
-      end
-
       # Overwrite the default class equality method to provide support for association proxies.
       def ===(object)
         object.is_a?(self)
-      end      
-
-      # Deprecated 
-      def threaded_connections #:nodoc:
-        allow_concurrency
-      end
-
-      # Deprecated 
-      def threaded_connections=(value) #:nodoc:
-        self.allow_concurrency = value
       end
 
       # Returns the base AR subclass that this class descends from. If A
@@ -993,7 +1229,7 @@ module ActiveRecord #:nodoc:
 
         def find_every(options)
           records = scoped?(:find, :include) || options[:include] ?
-            find_with_associations(options) : 
+            find_with_associations(options) :
             find_by_sql(construct_finder_sql(options))
 
           records.each { |record| record.readonly! } if options[:readonly]
@@ -1017,10 +1253,10 @@ module ActiveRecord #:nodoc:
               find_some(ids, options)
           end
         end
-      
+
         def find_one(id, options)
           conditions = " AND (#{sanitize_sql(options[:conditions])})" if options[:conditions]
-          options.update :conditions => "#{table_name}.#{connection.quote_column_name(primary_key)} = #{quote_value(id,columns_hash[primary_key])}#{conditions}"
+          options.update :conditions => "#{quoted_table_name}.#{connection.quote_column_name(primary_key)} = #{quote_value(id,columns_hash[primary_key])}#{conditions}"
 
           # Use find_every(options).first since the primary key condition
           # already ensures we have a single record. Using find_initial adds
@@ -1031,18 +1267,31 @@ module ActiveRecord #:nodoc:
             raise RecordNotFound, "Couldn't find #{name} with ID=#{id}#{conditions}"
           end
         end
-      
+
         def find_some(ids, options)
           conditions = " AND (#{sanitize_sql(options[:conditions])})" if options[:conditions]
           ids_list   = ids.map { |id| quote_value(id,columns_hash[primary_key]) }.join(',')
-          options.update :conditions => "#{table_name}.#{connection.quote_column_name(primary_key)} IN (#{ids_list})#{conditions}"
+          options.update :conditions => "#{quoted_table_name}.#{connection.quote_column_name(primary_key)} IN (#{ids_list})#{conditions}"
 
           result = find_every(options)
 
-          if result.size == ids.size
+          # Determine expected size from limit and offset, not just ids.size.
+          expected_size =
+            if options[:limit] && ids.size > options[:limit]
+              options[:limit]
+            else
+              ids.size
+            end
+
+          # 11 ids with limit 3, offset 9 should give 2 results.
+          if options[:offset] && (ids.size - options[:offset] < expected_size)
+            expected_size = ids.size - options[:offset]
+          end
+
+          if result.size == expected_size
             result
           else
-            raise RecordNotFound, "Couldn't find all #{name.pluralize} with IDs (#{ids_list})#{conditions}"
+            raise RecordNotFound, "Couldn't find all #{name.pluralize} with IDs (#{ids_list})#{conditions} (found #{result.size} results, but was looking for #{expected_size})"
           end
         end
 
@@ -1052,9 +1301,10 @@ module ActiveRecord #:nodoc:
         def instantiate(record)
           object =
             if subclass_name = record[inheritance_column]
+              # No type given.
               if subclass_name.empty?
-                # No type given.
                 allocate
+
               else
                 # Ignore type if no column is present since it was probably
                 # pulled in from a sloppy join.
@@ -1078,6 +1328,16 @@ module ActiveRecord #:nodoc:
             end
 
           object.instance_variable_set("@attributes", record)
+          object.instance_variable_set("@attributes_cache", Hash.new)
+
+          if object.respond_to_without_attributes?(:after_find)
+            object.send(:callback, :after_find)
+          end
+
+          if object.respond_to_without_attributes?(:after_initialize)
+            object.send(:callback, :after_initialize)
+          end
+
           object
         end
 
@@ -1089,14 +1349,13 @@ module ActiveRecord #:nodoc:
 
         def construct_finder_sql(options)
           scope = scope(:find)
-          sql  = "SELECT #{(scope && scope[:select]) || options[:select] || '*'} "
-          sql << "FROM #{(scope && scope[:from]) || options[:from] || table_name} "
+          sql  = "SELECT #{(scope && scope[:select]) || options[:select] || (options[:joins] && quoted_table_name + '.*') || '*'} "
+          sql << "FROM #{(scope && scope[:from]) || options[:from] || quoted_table_name} "
 
           add_joins!(sql, options, scope)
           add_conditions!(sql, options[:conditions], scope)
 
-          sql << " GROUP BY #{options[:group]} " if options[:group]
-
+          add_group!(sql, options[:group], scope)
           add_order!(sql, options[:order], scope)
           add_limit!(sql, options, scope)
           add_lock!(sql, options, scope)
@@ -1132,10 +1391,26 @@ module ActiveRecord #:nodoc:
           end
         end
 
+        def add_group!(sql, group, scope = :auto)
+          if group
+            sql << " GROUP BY #{group}"
+          else
+            scope = scope(:find) if :auto == scope
+            if scope && (scoped_group = scope[:group])
+              sql << " GROUP BY #{scoped_group}"
+            end
+          end
+        end
+
         # The optional scope argument is for the current :find scope.
         def add_limit!(sql, options, scope = :auto)
           scope = scope(:find) if :auto == scope
-          options = options.reverse_merge(:limit => scope[:limit], :offset => scope[:offset]) if scope
+
+          if scope
+            options[:limit] ||= scope[:limit]
+            options[:offset] ||= scope[:offset]
+          end
+
           connection.add_limit_offset!(sql, options)
         end
 
@@ -1151,7 +1426,13 @@ module ActiveRecord #:nodoc:
         def add_joins!(sql, options, scope = :auto)
           scope = scope(:find) if :auto == scope
           join = (scope && scope[:joins]) || options[:joins]
-          sql << " #{join} " if join
+          case join
+          when Symbol, Hash, Array
+            join_dependency = ActiveRecord::Associations::ClassMethods::InnerJoinDependency.new(self, join, nil)
+            sql << " #{join_dependency.join_associations.collect{|join| join.association_join }.join} "
+          else
+            sql << " #{join} "
+          end
         end
 
         # Adds a sanitized version of +conditions+ to the +sql+ string. Note that the passed-in +sql+ string is changed.
@@ -1159,17 +1440,17 @@ module ActiveRecord #:nodoc:
         def add_conditions!(sql, conditions, scope = :auto)
           scope = scope(:find) if :auto == scope
           segments = []
-          segments << sanitize_sql(scope[:conditions]) if scope && scope[:conditions]
-          segments << sanitize_sql(conditions) unless conditions.nil?
-          segments << type_condition unless descends_from_active_record?
-          segments.compact!
+          segments << sanitize_sql(scope[:conditions]) if scope && !scope[:conditions].blank?
+          segments << sanitize_sql(conditions) unless conditions.blank?
+          segments << type_condition if finder_needs_type_condition?
+          segments.delete_if{|s| s.blank?}
           sql << "WHERE (#{segments.join(") AND (")}) " unless segments.empty?
         end
 
         def type_condition
           quoted_inheritance_column = connection.quote_column_name(inheritance_column)
-          type_condition = subclasses.inject("#{table_name}.#{quoted_inheritance_column} = '#{name.demodulize}' ") do |condition, subclass|
-            condition << "OR #{table_name}.#{quoted_inheritance_column} = '#{subclass.name.demodulize}' "
+          type_condition = subclasses.inject("#{quoted_table_name}.#{quoted_inheritance_column} = '#{name.demodulize}' ") do |condition, subclass|
+            condition << "OR #{quoted_table_name}.#{quoted_inheritance_column} = '#{subclass.name.demodulize}' "
           end
 
           " (#{type_condition}) "
@@ -1184,56 +1465,69 @@ module ActiveRecord #:nodoc:
 
         # Enables dynamic finders like find_by_user_name(user_name) and find_by_user_name_and_password(user_name, password) that are turned into
         # find(:first, :conditions => ["user_name = ?", user_name]) and  find(:first, :conditions => ["user_name = ? AND password = ?", user_name, password])
-        # respectively. Also works for find(:all), but using find_all_by_amount(50) that are turned into find(:all, :conditions => ["amount = ?", 50]).
+        # respectively. Also works for find(:all) by using find_all_by_amount(50) that is turned into find(:all, :conditions => ["amount = ?", 50]).
         #
         # It's even possible to use all the additional parameters to find. For example, the full interface for find_all_by_amount
         # is actually find_all_by_amount(amount, options).
         #
-        # This also enables you to initialize a record if it is not found, such as find_or_initialize_by_amount(amount) 
+        # This also enables you to initialize a record if it is not found, such as find_or_initialize_by_amount(amount)
         # or find_or_create_by_user_and_password(user, password).
+        #
+        # Each dynamic finder or initializer/creator is also defined in the class after it is first invoked, so that future
+        # attempts to use it do not run through method_missing.
         def method_missing(method_id, *arguments)
           if match = /^find_(all_by|by)_([_a-zA-Z]\w*)$/.match(method_id.to_s)
-            finder, deprecated_finder = determine_finder(match), determine_deprecated_finder(match)
+            finder = determine_finder(match)
 
             attribute_names = extract_attribute_names_from_match(match)
             super unless all_attributes_exists?(attribute_names)
 
-            attributes = construct_attributes_from_arguments(attribute_names, arguments)
-
-            case extra_options = arguments[attribute_names.size]
-              when nil
-                options = { :conditions => attributes }
+            self.class_eval %{
+              def self.#{method_id}(*args)
+                options = args.last.is_a?(Hash) ? args.pop : {}
+                attributes = construct_attributes_from_arguments([:#{attribute_names.join(',:')}], args)
+                finder_options = { :conditions => attributes }
+                validate_find_options(options)
                 set_readonly_option!(options)
-                ActiveSupport::Deprecation.silence { send(finder, options) }
-
-              when Hash
-                finder_options = extra_options.merge(:conditions => attributes)
-                validate_find_options(finder_options)
-                set_readonly_option!(finder_options)
 
-                if extra_options[:conditions]
-                  with_scope(:find => { :conditions => extra_options[:conditions] }) do
-                    ActiveSupport::Deprecation.silence { send(finder, finder_options) }
+                if options[:conditions]
+                  with_scope(:find => finder_options) do
+                    ActiveSupport::Deprecation.silence { send(:#{finder}, options) }
                   end
                 else
-                  ActiveSupport::Deprecation.silence { send(finder, finder_options) }
+                  ActiveSupport::Deprecation.silence { send(:#{finder}, options.merge(finder_options)) }
                 end
-
-              else
-                ActiveSupport::Deprecation.silence do
-                  send(deprecated_finder, sanitize_sql(attributes), *arguments[attribute_names.length..-1])
-                end
-            end
+              end
+            }, __FILE__, __LINE__
+            send(method_id, *arguments)
           elsif match = /^find_or_(initialize|create)_by_([_a-zA-Z]\w*)$/.match(method_id.to_s)
             instantiator = determine_instantiator(match)
             attribute_names = extract_attribute_names_from_match(match)
             super unless all_attributes_exists?(attribute_names)
 
-            attributes = construct_attributes_from_arguments(attribute_names, arguments)
-            options = { :conditions => attributes }
-            set_readonly_option!(options)
+            self.class_eval %{
+              def self.#{method_id}(*args)
+                if args[0].is_a?(Hash)
+                  attributes = args[0].with_indifferent_access
+                  find_attributes = attributes.slice(*[:#{attribute_names.join(',:')}])
+                else
+                  find_attributes = attributes = construct_attributes_from_arguments([:#{attribute_names.join(',:')}], args)
+                end
+
+                options = { :conditions => find_attributes }
+                set_readonly_option!(options)
 
-            find_initial(options) || send(instantiator, attributes)
+                record = find_initial(options)
+                if record.nil?
+                  record = self.new { |r| r.send(:attributes=, attributes, false) }
+                  #{'record.save' if instantiator == :create}
+                  record
+                else
+                  record
+                end
+              end
+            }, __FILE__, __LINE__
+            send(method_id, *arguments)
           else
             super
           end
@@ -1243,10 +1537,6 @@ module ActiveRecord #:nodoc:
           match.captures.first == 'all_by' ? :find_every : :find_initial
         end
 
-        def determine_deprecated_finder(match)
-          match.captures.first == 'all_by' ? :find_all : :find_first
-        end
-
         def determine_instantiator(match)
           match.captures.first == 'initialize' ? :new : :create
         end
@@ -1268,7 +1558,7 @@ module ActiveRecord #:nodoc:
         def attribute_condition(argument)
           case argument
             when nil   then "IS ?"
-            when Array then "IN (?)"
+            when Array, ActiveRecord::Associations::AssociationCollection then "IN (?)"
             when Range then "BETWEEN ? AND ?"
             else            "= ?"
           end
@@ -1314,6 +1604,103 @@ module ActiveRecord #:nodoc:
         end
 
       protected
+        # Scope parameters to method calls within the block.  Takes a hash of method_name => parameters hash.
+        # method_name may be :find or :create. :find parameters may include the <tt>:conditions</tt>, <tt>:joins</tt>,
+        # <tt>:include</tt>, <tt>:offset</tt>, <tt>:limit</tt>, and <tt>:readonly</tt> options. :create parameters are an attributes hash.
+        #
+        #   class Article < ActiveRecord::Base
+        #     def self.create_with_scope
+        #       with_scope(:find => { :conditions => "blog_id = 1" }, :create => { :blog_id => 1 }) do
+        #         find(1) # => SELECT * from articles WHERE blog_id = 1 AND id = 1
+        #         a = create(1)
+        #         a.blog_id # => 1
+        #       end
+        #     end
+        #   end
+        #
+        # In nested scopings, all previous parameters are overwritten by the innermost rule, with the exception of
+        # :conditions and :include options in :find, which are merged.
+        #
+        #   class Article < ActiveRecord::Base
+        #     def self.find_with_scope
+        #       with_scope(:find => { :conditions => "blog_id = 1", :limit => 1 }, :create => { :blog_id => 1 }) do
+        #         with_scope(:find => { :limit => 10})
+        #           find(:all) # => SELECT * from articles WHERE blog_id = 1 LIMIT 10
+        #         end
+        #         with_scope(:find => { :conditions => "author_id = 3" })
+        #           find(:all) # => SELECT * from articles WHERE blog_id = 1 AND author_id = 3 LIMIT 1
+        #         end
+        #       end
+        #     end
+        #   end
+        #
+        # You can ignore any previous scopings by using the <tt>with_exclusive_scope</tt> method.
+        #
+        #   class Article < ActiveRecord::Base
+        #     def self.find_with_exclusive_scope
+        #       with_scope(:find => { :conditions => "blog_id = 1", :limit => 1 }) do
+        #         with_exclusive_scope(:find => { :limit => 10 })
+        #           find(:all) # => SELECT * from articles LIMIT 10
+        #         end
+        #       end
+        #     end
+        #   end
+        def with_scope(method_scoping = {}, action = :merge, &block)
+          method_scoping = method_scoping.method_scoping if method_scoping.respond_to?(:method_scoping)
+
+          # Dup first and second level of hash (method and params).
+          method_scoping = method_scoping.inject({}) do |hash, (method, params)|
+            hash[method] = (params == true) ? params : params.dup
+            hash
+          end
+
+          method_scoping.assert_valid_keys([ :find, :create ])
+
+          if f = method_scoping[:find]
+            f.assert_valid_keys(VALID_FIND_OPTIONS)
+            set_readonly_option! f
+          end
+
+          # Merge scopings
+          if action == :merge && current_scoped_methods
+            method_scoping = current_scoped_methods.inject(method_scoping) do |hash, (method, params)|
+              case hash[method]
+                when Hash
+                  if method == :find
+                    (hash[method].keys + params.keys).uniq.each do |key|
+                      merge = hash[method][key] && params[key] # merge if both scopes have the same key
+                      if key == :conditions && merge
+                        hash[method][key] = [params[key], hash[method][key]].collect{ |sql| "( %s )" % sanitize_sql(sql) }.join(" AND ")
+                      elsif key == :include && merge
+                        hash[method][key] = merge_includes(hash[method][key], params[key]).uniq
+                      else
+                        hash[method][key] = hash[method][key] || params[key]
+                      end
+                    end
+                  else
+                    hash[method] = params.merge(hash[method])
+                  end
+                else
+                  hash[method] = params
+              end
+              hash
+            end
+          end
+
+          self.scoped_methods << method_scoping
+
+          begin
+            yield
+          ensure
+            self.scoped_methods.pop
+          end
+        end
+
+        # Works like with_scope, but discards any nested properties.
+        def with_exclusive_scope(method_scoping = {}, &block)
+          with_scope(method_scoping, :overwrite, &block)
+        end
+
         def subclasses #:nodoc:
           @@subclasses[self] ||= []
           @@subclasses[self] + extra = @@subclasses[self].inject([]) {|list, subclass| list + subclass.subclasses }
@@ -1337,18 +1724,18 @@ module ActiveRecord #:nodoc:
           scoped_methods = (Thread.current[:scoped_methods] ||= {})
           scoped_methods[self] ||= []
         end
-        
+
         def single_threaded_scoped_methods #:nodoc:
           @scoped_methods ||= []
         end
-        
+
         # pick up the correct scoped_methods version from @@allow_concurrency
         if @@allow_concurrency
           alias_method :scoped_methods, :thread_safe_scoped_methods
         else
           alias_method :scoped_methods, :single_threaded_scoped_methods
         end
-        
+
         def current_scoped_methods #:nodoc:
           scoped_methods.last
         end
@@ -1381,32 +1768,66 @@ module ActiveRecord #:nodoc:
         end
 
         # Accepts an array, hash, or string of sql conditions and sanitizes
-        # them into a valid SQL fragment.
+        # them into a valid SQL fragment for a WHERE clause.
         #   ["name='%s' and group_id='%s'", "foo'bar", 4]  returns  "name='foo''bar' and group_id='4'"
         #   { :name => "foo'bar", :group_id => 4 }  returns "name='foo''bar' and group_id='4'"
         #   "name='foo''bar' and group_id='4'" returns "name='foo''bar' and group_id='4'"
-        def sanitize_sql(condition)
+        def sanitize_sql_for_conditions(condition)
           case condition
             when Array; sanitize_sql_array(condition)
-            when Hash;  sanitize_sql_hash(condition)
+            when Hash;  sanitize_sql_hash_for_conditions(condition)
             else        condition
           end
         end
+        alias_method :sanitize_sql, :sanitize_sql_for_conditions
 
-        # Sanitizes a hash of attribute/value pairs into SQL conditions.
+        # Accepts an array, hash, or string of sql conditions and sanitizes
+        # them into a valid SQL fragment for a SET clause.
+        #   { :name => nil, :group_id => 4 }  returns "name = NULL , group_id='4'"
+        def sanitize_sql_for_assignment(assignments)
+          case assignments
+            when Array; sanitize_sql_array(assignments)
+            when Hash;  sanitize_sql_hash_for_assignment(assignments)
+            else        assignments
+          end
+        end
+
+        # Sanitizes a hash of attribute/value pairs into SQL conditions for a WHERE clause.
         #   { :name => "foo'bar", :group_id => 4 }
         #     # => "name='foo''bar' and group_id= 4"
         #   { :status => nil, :group_id => [1,2,3] }
         #     # => "status IS NULL and group_id IN (1,2,3)"
         #   { :age => 13..18 }
         #     # => "age BETWEEN 13 AND 18"
-        def sanitize_sql_hash(attrs)
+        #   { 'other_records.id' => 7 }
+        #     # => "`other_records`.`id` = 7"
+        def sanitize_sql_hash_for_conditions(attrs)
           conditions = attrs.map do |attr, value|
+            attr = attr.to_s
+
+            # Extract table name from qualified attribute names.
+            if attr.include?('.')
+              table_name, attr = attr.split('.', 2)
+              table_name = connection.quote_table_name(table_name)
+            else
+              table_name = quoted_table_name
+            end
+
             "#{table_name}.#{connection.quote_column_name(attr)} #{attribute_condition(value)}"
           end.join(' AND ')
 
           replace_bind_variables(conditions, expand_range_bind_variables(attrs.values))
         end
+        alias_method :sanitize_sql_hash, :sanitize_sql_hash_for_conditions
+
+        # Sanitizes a hash of attribute/value pairs into SQL conditions for a SET clause.
+        #   { :status => nil, :group_id => 1 }
+        #     # => "status = NULL , group_id = 1"
+        def sanitize_sql_hash_for_assignment(attrs)
+          conditions = attrs.map do |attr, value|
+            "#{connection.quote_column_name(attr)} = #{quote_bound_value(value)}"
+          end.join(', ')
+        end
 
         # Accepts an array of conditions.  The array has each value
         # sanitized and interpolated into the sql statement.
@@ -1466,10 +1887,6 @@ module ActiveRecord #:nodoc:
           end
         end
 
-        def extract_options_from_args!(args) #:nodoc:
-          args.last.is_a?(Hash) ? args.pop : {}
-        end
-
         VALID_FIND_OPTIONS = [ :conditions, :include, :joins, :limit, :offset,
                                :order, :select, :readonly, :group, :from, :lock ]
 
@@ -1481,8 +1898,8 @@ module ActiveRecord #:nodoc:
           # Inherit :readonly from finder scope if set.  Otherwise,
           # if :joins is not blank then :readonly defaults to true.
           unless options.has_key?(:readonly)
-            if scoped?(:find, :readonly)
-              options[:readonly] = scope(:find, :readonly)
+            if scoped_readonly = scope(:find, :readonly)
+              options[:readonly] = scoped_readonly
             elsif !options[:joins].blank? && !options[:select]
               options[:readonly] = true
             end
@@ -1491,8 +1908,8 @@ module ActiveRecord #:nodoc:
 
         def encode_quoted_value(value) #:nodoc:
           quoted_value = connection.quote(value)
-          quoted_value = "'#{quoted_value[1..-2].gsub(/\'/, "\\\\'")}'" if quoted_value.include?("\\\'") # (for ruby mode) " 
-          quoted_value 
+          quoted_value = "'#{quoted_value[1..-2].gsub(/\'/, "\\\\'")}'" if quoted_value.include?("\\\'") # (for ruby mode) "
+          quoted_value
         end
     end
 
@@ -1503,10 +1920,14 @@ module ActiveRecord #:nodoc:
       # hence you can't have attributes that aren't part of the table columns.
       def initialize(attributes = nil)
         @attributes = attributes_from_column_definition
+        @attributes_cache = {}
         @new_record = true
         ensure_proper_type
         self.attributes = attributes unless attributes.nil?
-        yield self if block_given?
+        self.class.send(:scope, :create).each { |att,value| self.send("#{att}=", value) } if self.class.send(:scoped?, :create)
+        result = yield self if block_given?
+        callback(:after_initialize) if respond_to_without_attributes?(:after_initialize)
+        result
       end
 
       # A model instance's primary key is always available as model.id
@@ -1514,8 +1935,11 @@ module ActiveRecord #:nodoc:
       def id
         attr_name = self.class.primary_key
         column = column_for_attribute(attr_name)
-        define_read_method(:id, attr_name, column) if self.class.generate_read_methods
-        read_attribute(attr_name)
+
+        self.class.send(:define_read_method, :id, attr_name, column)
+        # now that the method exists, call it
+        self.send attr_name.to_sym
+
       end
 
       # Enables Active Record objects to be used as URL parameters in Action Pack automatically.
@@ -1547,8 +1971,8 @@ module ActiveRecord #:nodoc:
       def save
         create_or_update
       end
-      
-      # Attempts to save the record, but instead of just returning false if it couldn't happen, it raises a 
+
+      # Attempts to save the record, but instead of just returning false if it couldn't happen, it raises a
       # RecordNotSaved exception
       def save!
         create_or_update || raise(RecordNotSaved)
@@ -1559,7 +1983,7 @@ module ActiveRecord #:nodoc:
       def destroy
         unless new_record?
           connection.delete <<-end_sql, "#{self.class.name} Destroy"
-            DELETE FROM #{self.class.table_name}
+            DELETE FROM #{self.class.quoted_table_name}
             WHERE #{connection.quote_column_name(self.class.primary_key)} = #{quoted_id}
           end_sql
         end
@@ -1575,14 +1999,29 @@ module ActiveRecord #:nodoc:
       def clone
         attrs = self.attributes_before_type_cast
         attrs.delete(self.class.primary_key)
-        self.class.new do |record|
-          record.send :instance_variable_set, '@attributes', attrs
+        record = self.class.new
+        record.send :instance_variable_set, '@attributes', attrs
+        record
+      end
+
+      # Returns an instance of the specified klass with the attributes of the current record. This is mostly useful in relation to
+      # single-table inheritance structures where you want a subclass to appear as the superclass. This can be used along with record
+      # identification in Action Pack to allow, say, Client < Company to do something like render :partial => @client.becomes(Company)
+      # to render that instance using the companies/company partial instead of clients/client.
+      #
+      # Note: The new instance will share a link to the same attributes as the original class. So any change to the attributes in either
+      # instance will affect the other.
+      def becomes(klass)
+        returning klass.new do |became|
+          became.instance_variable_set("@attributes", @attributes)
+          became.instance_variable_set("@attributes_cache", @attributes_cache)
+          became.instance_variable_set("@new_record", new_record?)
         end
       end
 
       # Updates a single attribute and saves the record. This is especially useful for boolean flags on existing records.
       # Note: This method is overwritten by the Validation module that'll make sure that updates made with this method
-      # doesn't get subjected to validation checks. Hence, attributes can be updated even if the full object isn't valid.
+      # aren't subjected to validation checks. Hence, attributes can be updated even if the full object isn't valid.
       def update_attribute(name, value)
         send(name.to_s + '=', value)
         save
@@ -1594,7 +2033,7 @@ module ActiveRecord #:nodoc:
         self.attributes = attributes
         save
       end
-      
+
       # Updates an object just like Base.update_attributes but calls save! instead of save so an exception is raised if the record is invalid.
       def update_attributes!(attributes)
         self.attributes = attributes
@@ -1644,6 +2083,7 @@ module ActiveRecord #:nodoc:
         clear_aggregation_cache
         clear_association_cache
         @attributes.update(self.class.find(self.id, options).instance_variable_get('@attributes'))
+        @attributes_cache = {}
         self
       end
 
@@ -1663,15 +2103,17 @@ module ActiveRecord #:nodoc:
       # Allows you to set all the attributes at once by passing in a hash with keys
       # matching the attribute names (which again matches the column names). Sensitive attributes can be protected
       # from this form of mass-assignment by using the +attr_protected+ macro. Or you can alternatively
-      # specify which attributes *can* be accessed in with the +attr_accessible+ macro. Then all the
+      # specify which attributes *can* be accessed with the +attr_accessible+ macro. Then all the
       # attributes not included in that won't be allowed to be mass-assigned.
-      def attributes=(new_attributes)
+      def attributes=(new_attributes, guard_protected_attributes = true)
         return if new_attributes.nil?
         attributes = new_attributes.dup
         attributes.stringify_keys!
 
         multi_parameter_attributes = []
-        remove_attributes_protected_from_mass_assignment(attributes).each do |k, v|
+        attributes = remove_attributes_protected_from_mass_assignment(attributes) if guard_protected_attributes
+
+        attributes.each do |k, v|
           k.include?("(") ? multi_parameter_attributes << [ k, v ] : send(k + "=", v)
         end
 
@@ -1682,7 +2124,7 @@ module ActiveRecord #:nodoc:
       # Returns a hash of all the attributes with their names as keys and clones of their objects as values.
       def attributes(options = nil)
         attributes = clone_attributes :read_attribute
-        
+
         if options.nil?
           attributes
         else
@@ -1705,11 +2147,24 @@ module ActiveRecord #:nodoc:
         clone_attributes :read_attribute_before_type_cast
       end
 
+      # Format attributes nicely for inspect.
+      def attribute_for_inspect(attr_name)
+        value = read_attribute(attr_name)
+
+        if value.is_a?(String) && value.length > 50
+          "#{value[0..50]}...".inspect
+        elsif value.is_a?(Date) || value.is_a?(Time)
+          %("#{value.to_s(:db)}")
+        else
+          value.inspect
+        end
+      end
+
       # Returns true if the specified +attribute+ has been set by the user or by a database load and is neither
       # nil nor empty? (the latter only applies to objects that respond to empty?, most notably Strings).
       def attribute_present?(attribute)
         value = read_attribute(attribute)
-        !value.blank? or value == 0
+        !value.blank?
       end
 
       # Returns true if the given attribute is in the attributes hash
@@ -1730,8 +2185,8 @@ module ActiveRecord #:nodoc:
       # Returns true if the +comparison_object+ is the same object, or is of the same type and has the same id.
       def ==(comparison_object)
         comparison_object.equal?(self) ||
-          (comparison_object.instance_of?(self.class) && 
-            comparison_object.id == id && 
+          (comparison_object.instance_of?(self.class) &&
+            comparison_object.id == id &&
             !comparison_object.new_record?)
       end
 
@@ -1746,45 +2201,36 @@ module ActiveRecord #:nodoc:
         id.hash
       end
 
-      # For checking respond_to? without searching the attributes (which is faster).
-      alias_method :respond_to_without_attributes?, :respond_to?
-
-      # A Person object with a name attribute can ask person.respond_to?("name"), person.respond_to?("name="), and
-      # person.respond_to?("name?") which will all return true.
-      def respond_to?(method, include_priv = false)
-        if @attributes.nil?
-          return super
-        elsif attr_name = self.class.column_methods_hash[method.to_sym]
-          return true if @attributes.include?(attr_name) || attr_name == self.class.primary_key
-          return false if self.class.read_methods.include?(attr_name)
-        elsif @attributes.include?(method_name = method.to_s)
-          return true
-        elsif md = self.class.match_attribute_method?(method.to_s)
-          return true if @attributes.include?(md.pre_match)
-        end
-        # super must be called at the end of the method, because the inherited respond_to?
-        # would return true for generated readers, even if the attribute wasn't present
-        super
-      end
-
-      # Just freeze the attributes hash, such that associations are still accessible even on destroyed records.
+      # Freeze the attributes hash such that associations are still accessible, even on destroyed records.
       def freeze
         @attributes.freeze; self
       end
 
+      # Returns +true+ if the attributes hash has been frozen.
       def frozen?
         @attributes.frozen?
       end
 
-      # Records loaded through joins with piggy-back attributes will be marked as read only as they cannot be saved and return true to this query.
+      # Returns +true+ if the record is read only. Records loaded through joins with piggy-back
+      # attributes will be marked as read only since they cannot be saved.
       def readonly?
         @readonly == true
       end
 
-      def readonly! #:nodoc:
+      # Marks this record as read only.
+      def readonly!
         @readonly = true
       end
 
+      # Returns the contents of the record as a nicely formatted string.
+      def inspect
+        attributes_as_nice_string = self.class.column_names.collect { |name|
+          if has_attribute?(name) || new_record?
+            "#{name}: #{attribute_for_inspect(name)}"
+          end
+        }.compact.join(", ")
+        "#<#{self.class} #{attributes_as_nice_string}>"
+      end
 
     private
       def create_or_update
@@ -1796,9 +2242,11 @@ module ActiveRecord #:nodoc:
       # Updates the associated record with values matching those of the instance attributes.
       # Returns the number of affected rows.
       def update
+        quoted_attributes = attributes_with_quotes(false, false)
+        return 0 if quoted_attributes.empty?
         connection.update(
-          "UPDATE #{self.class.table_name} " +
-          "SET #{quoted_comma_pair_list(connection, attributes_with_quotes(false))} " +
+          "UPDATE #{self.class.quoted_table_name} " +
+          "SET #{quoted_comma_pair_list(connection, quoted_attributes)} " +
           "WHERE #{connection.quote_column_name(self.class.primary_key)} = #{quote_value(id)}",
           "#{self.class.name} Update"
         )
@@ -1811,13 +2259,18 @@ module ActiveRecord #:nodoc:
           self.id = connection.next_sequence_value(self.class.sequence_name)
         end
 
-        self.id = connection.insert(
-          "INSERT INTO #{self.class.table_name} " +
+        quoted_attributes = attributes_with_quotes
+
+        statement = if quoted_attributes.empty?
+          connection.empty_insert_statement(self.class.table_name)
+        else
+          "INSERT INTO #{self.class.quoted_table_name} " +
           "(#{quoted_column_names.join(', ')}) " +
-          "VALUES(#{attributes_with_quotes.values.join(', ')})",
-          "#{self.class.name} Create",
-          self.class.primary_key, self.id, self.class.sequence_name
-        )
+          "VALUES(#{quoted_attributes.values.join(', ')})"
+        end
+
+        self.id = connection.insert(statement, "#{self.class.name} Create",
+          self.class.primary_key, self.id, self.class.sequence_name)
 
         @new_record = false
         id
@@ -1833,189 +2286,42 @@ module ActiveRecord #:nodoc:
         end
       end
 
-
-      # Allows access to the object attributes, which are held in the @attributes hash, as were
-      # they first-class methods. So a Person class with a name attribute can use Person#name and
-      # Person#name= and never directly use the attributes hash -- except for multiple assigns with
-      # ActiveRecord#attributes=. A Milestone class can also ask Milestone#completed? to test that
-      # the completed attribute is not nil or 0.
-      #
-      # It's also possible to instantiate related objects, so a Client class belonging to the clients
-      # table with a master_id foreign key can instantiate master through Client#master.
-      def method_missing(method_id, *args, &block)
-        method_name = method_id.to_s
-        if @attributes.include?(method_name) or
-            (md = /\?$/.match(method_name) and
-            @attributes.include?(query_method_name = md.pre_match) and
-            method_name = query_method_name)
-          define_read_methods if self.class.read_methods.empty? && self.class.generate_read_methods
-          md ? query_attribute(method_name) : read_attribute(method_name)
-        elsif self.class.primary_key.to_s == method_name
-          id
-        elsif md = self.class.match_attribute_method?(method_name)
-          attribute_name, method_type = md.pre_match, md.to_s
-          if @attributes.include?(attribute_name)
-            __send__("attribute#{method_type}", attribute_name, *args, &block)
-          else
-            super
-          end
-        else
-          super
+      def convert_number_column_value(value)
+        case value
+          when FalseClass; 0
+          when TrueClass;  1
+          when '';         nil
+          else value
         end
       end
 
-      # Returns the value of the attribute identified by <tt>attr_name</tt> after it has been typecast (for example,
-      # "2004-12-12" in a data column is cast to a date object, like Date.new(2004, 12, 12)).
-      def read_attribute(attr_name)
-        attr_name = attr_name.to_s
-        if !(value = @attributes[attr_name]).nil?
-          if column = column_for_attribute(attr_name)
-            if unserializable_attribute?(attr_name, column)
-              unserialize_attribute(attr_name)
-            else
-              column.type_cast(value)
-            end
+      def remove_attributes_protected_from_mass_assignment(attributes)
+        safe_attributes =
+          if self.class.accessible_attributes.nil? && self.class.protected_attributes.nil?
+            attributes.reject { |key, value| attributes_protected_by_default.include?(key.gsub(/\(.+/, "")) }
+          elsif self.class.protected_attributes.nil?
+            attributes.reject { |key, value| !self.class.accessible_attributes.include?(key.gsub(/\(.+/, "")) || attributes_protected_by_default.include?(key.gsub(/\(.+/, "")) }
+          elsif self.class.accessible_attributes.nil?
+            attributes.reject { |key, value| self.class.protected_attributes.include?(key.gsub(/\(.+/,"")) || attributes_protected_by_default.include?(key.gsub(/\(.+/, "")) }
           else
-            value
+            raise "Declare either attr_protected or attr_accessible for #{self.class}, but not both."
           end
-        else
-          nil
-        end
-      end
 
-      def read_attribute_before_type_cast(attr_name)
-        @attributes[attr_name]
-      end
-
-      # Called on first read access to any given column and generates reader
-      # methods for all columns in the columns_hash if
-      # ActiveRecord::Base.generate_read_methods is set to true.
-      def define_read_methods
-        self.class.columns_hash.each do |name, column|
-          unless respond_to_without_attributes?(name)
-            if self.class.serialized_attributes[name]
-              define_read_method_for_serialized_attribute(name)
-            else
-              define_read_method(name.to_sym, name, column)
-            end
-          end
-
-          unless respond_to_without_attributes?("#{name}?")
-            define_question_method(name)
-          end
-        end
-      end
-
-      # Define an attribute reader method.  Cope with nil column.
-      def define_read_method(symbol, attr_name, column)
-        cast_code = column.type_cast_code('v') if column
-        access_code = cast_code ? "(v=@attributes['#{attr_name}']) && #{cast_code}" : "@attributes['#{attr_name}']"
-        
-        unless attr_name.to_s == self.class.primary_key.to_s
-          access_code = access_code.insert(0, "raise NoMethodError, 'missing attribute: #{attr_name}', caller unless @attributes.has_key?('#{attr_name}'); ")
-          self.class.read_methods << attr_name
-        end
-        
-        evaluate_read_method attr_name, "def #{symbol}; #{access_code}; end"
-      end
-      
-      # Define read method for serialized attribute.
-      def define_read_method_for_serialized_attribute(attr_name)
-        unless attr_name.to_s == self.class.primary_key.to_s
-          self.class.read_methods << attr_name
-        end
-        
-        evaluate_read_method attr_name, "def #{attr_name}; unserialize_attribute('#{attr_name}'); end"
-      end
-           
-      # Define an attribute ? method.
-      def define_question_method(attr_name)
-        unless attr_name.to_s == self.class.primary_key.to_s
-          self.class.read_methods << "#{attr_name}?"
-        end
-        
-        evaluate_read_method attr_name, "def #{attr_name}?; query_attribute('#{attr_name}'); end"
-      end
-      
-      # Evaluate the definition for an attribute reader or ? method
-      def evaluate_read_method(attr_name, method_definition)
-        begin
-          self.class.class_eval(method_definition)
-        rescue SyntaxError => err
-          self.class.read_methods.delete(attr_name)
-          if logger
-            logger.warn "Exception occurred during reader method compilation."
-            logger.warn "Maybe #{attr_name} is not a valid Ruby identifier?"
-            logger.warn "#{err.message}"
-          end
-        end
-      end
-
-      # Returns true if the attribute is of a text column and marked for serialization.
-      def unserializable_attribute?(attr_name, column)
-        column.text? && self.class.serialized_attributes[attr_name]
-      end
-
-      # Returns the unserialized object of the attribute.
-      def unserialize_attribute(attr_name)
-        unserialized_object = object_from_yaml(@attributes[attr_name])
-
-        if unserialized_object.is_a?(self.class.serialized_attributes[attr_name]) || unserialized_object.nil?
-          @attributes[attr_name] = unserialized_object
-        else
-          raise SerializationTypeMismatch,
-            "#{attr_name} was supposed to be a #{self.class.serialized_attributes[attr_name]}, but was a #{unserialized_object.class.to_s}"
-        end
-      end
+        removed_attributes = attributes.keys - safe_attributes.keys
 
-      # Updates the attribute identified by <tt>attr_name</tt> with the specified +value+. Empty strings for fixnum and float
-      # columns are turned into nil.
-      def write_attribute(attr_name, value)
-        attr_name = attr_name.to_s
-        if (column = column_for_attribute(attr_name)) && column.number?
-          @attributes[attr_name] = convert_number_column_value(value)
-        else
-          @attributes[attr_name] = value
+        if removed_attributes.any?
+          logger.debug "WARNING: Can't mass-assign these protected attributes: #{removed_attributes.join(', ')}"
         end
-      end
 
-      def convert_number_column_value(value)
-        case value
-          when FalseClass: 0
-          when TrueClass:  1
-          when '':         nil
-          else value
-        end
+        safe_attributes
       end
 
-      def query_attribute(attr_name)
-        attribute = @attributes[attr_name]
-        if attribute.kind_of?(Fixnum) && attribute == 0
-          false
-        elsif attribute.kind_of?(String) && attribute == "0"
-          false
-        elsif attribute.kind_of?(String) && attribute.empty?
-          false
-        elsif attribute.nil?
-          false
-        elsif attribute == false
-          false
-        elsif attribute == "f"
-          false
-        elsif attribute == "false"
-          false
+      # Removes attributes which have been marked as readonly.
+      def remove_readonly_attributes(attributes)
+        unless self.class.readonly_attributes.nil?
+          attributes.delete_if { |key, value| self.class.readonly_attributes.include?(key.gsub(/\(.+/,"")) }
         else
-          true
-        end
-      end
-
-      def remove_attributes_protected_from_mass_assignment(attributes)
-        if self.class.accessible_attributes.nil? && self.class.protected_attributes.nil?
-          attributes.reject { |key, value| attributes_protected_by_default.include?(key.gsub(/\(.+/, "")) }
-        elsif self.class.protected_attributes.nil?
-          attributes.reject { |key, value| !self.class.accessible_attributes.include?(key.gsub(/\(.+/, "").intern) || attributes_protected_by_default.include?(key.gsub(/\(.+/, "")) }
-        elsif self.class.accessible_attributes.nil?
-          attributes.reject { |key, value| self.class.protected_attributes.include?(key.gsub(/\(.+/,"").intern) || attributes_protected_by_default.include?(key.gsub(/\(.+/, "")) }
+          attributes
         end
       end
 
@@ -2026,15 +2332,16 @@ module ActiveRecord #:nodoc:
         default
       end
 
-      # Returns copy of the attributes hash where all the values have been safely quoted for use in
+      # Returns a copy of the attributes hash where all the values have been safely quoted for use in
       # an SQL statement.
-      def attributes_with_quotes(include_primary_key = true)
-        attributes.inject({}) do |quoted, (name, value)|
+      def attributes_with_quotes(include_primary_key = true, include_readonly_attributes = true)
+        quoted = attributes.inject({}) do |quoted, (name, value)|
           if column = column_for_attribute(name)
             quoted[name] = quote_value(value, column) unless !include_primary_key && column.primary
           end
           quoted
         end
+        include_readonly_attributes ? quoted : remove_readonly_attributes(quoted)
       end
 
       # Quote strings appropriately for SQL statements.
@@ -2042,13 +2349,6 @@ module ActiveRecord #:nodoc:
         self.class.connection.quote(value, column)
       end
 
-      # Deprecated, use quote_value
-      def quote(value, column = nil)
-        self.class.connection.quote(value, column)
-      end
-      deprecate :quote => :quote_value
-      
-      
       # Interpolate custom sql string in instance context.
       # Optional record argument is meant for custom insert_sql.
       def interpolate_sql(sql, record = nil)
@@ -2071,7 +2371,7 @@ module ActiveRecord #:nodoc:
       # So having the pairs written_on(1) = "2004", written_on(2) = "6", written_on(3) = "24", will instantiate
       # written_on (a date type) with Date.new("2004", "6", "24"). You can also specify a typecast character in the
       # parentheses to have the parameters typecasted before they're used in the constructor. Use i for Fixnum, f for Float,
-      # s for String, and a for Array. If all the values for a given attribute is empty, the attribute will be set to nil.
+      # s for String, and a for Array. If all the values for a given attribute are empty, the attribute will be set to nil.
       def assign_multiparameter_attributes(pairs)
         execute_callstack_for_multiparameter_attributes(
           extract_callstack_for_multiparameter_attributes(pairs)
@@ -2134,6 +2434,10 @@ module ActiveRecord #:nodoc:
         end
       end
 
+      def self.quoted_table_name
+        self.connection.quote_table_name(self.table_name)
+      end
+
       def quote_columns(quoter, hash)
         hash.inject({}) do |quoted, (name, value)|
           quoted[quoter.quote_column_name(name)] = value
@@ -2159,13 +2463,7 @@ module ActiveRecord #:nodoc:
 
       def clone_attribute_value(reader_method, attribute_name)
         value = send(reader_method, attribute_name)
-
-        case value
-        when nil, Fixnum, true, false
-          value
-        else
-          value.clone
-        end
+        value.duplicable? ? value.clone : value
       rescue TypeError, NoMethodError
         value
       end