rails 4.1.4 → 4.2.0

data/guides/source/{migrations.md → active_record_migrations.md}

@@ -18,9 +18,10 @@ After reading this guide, you will know:
 Migration Overview
 ------------------
 
-Migrations are a convenient way to alter your database schema over time in a
-consistent and easy way. They use a Ruby DSL so that you don't have to write
-SQL by hand, allowing your schema and changes to be database independent.
+Migrations are a convenient way to
+[alter your database schema over time](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schema_migration)
+in a consistent and easy way. They use a Ruby DSL so that you don't have to
+write SQL by hand, allowing your schema and changes to be database independent.
 
 You can think of each migration as being a new 'version' of the database. A
 schema starts off with nothing in it, and each migration modifies it to add or
@@ -38,7 +39,7 @@ class CreateProducts < ActiveRecord::Migration
       t.string :name
       t.text :description
 
-      t.timestamps
+      t.timestamps null: false
     end
   end
 end
@@ -284,7 +285,7 @@ class CreateProducts < ActiveRecord::Migration
       t.string :name
       t.text :description
 
-      t.timestamps
+      t.timestamps null: false
     end
   end
 end
@@ -292,16 +293,10 @@ end
 
 You can append as many column name/type pairs as you want.
 
-### Supported Type Modifiers
+### Passing Modifiers
 
-You can also specify some options just after the field type between curly
-braces. You can use the following modifiers:
-
-* `limit`        Sets the maximum size of the `string/text/binary/integer` fields.
-* `precision`    Defines the precision for the `decimal` fields, representing the total number of digits in the number.
-* `scale`        Defines the scale for the `decimal` fields, representing the number of digits after the decimal point.
-* `polymorphic`  Adds a `type` column for `belongs_to` associations.
-* `null`         Allows or disallows `NULL` values in the column.
+Some commonly used [type modifiers](#column-modifiers) can be passed directly on
+the command line. They are enclosed by curly braces and follow the field type:
 
 For instance, running:
 
@@ -320,6 +315,8 @@ class AddDetailsToProducts < ActiveRecord::Migration
 end
 ```
 
+TIP: Have a look at the generators help output for further details.
+
 Writing a Migration
 -------------------
 
@@ -414,6 +411,87 @@ end
 removes the `description` and `name` columns, creates a `part_number` string
 column and adds an index on it. Finally it renames the `upccode` column.
 
+### Changing Columns
+
+Like the `remove_column` and `add_column` Rails provides the `change_column`
+migration method.
+
+```ruby
+change_column :products, :part_number, :text
+```
+
+This changes the column `part_number` on products table to be a `:text` field.
+
+Besides `change_column`, the `change_column_null` and `change_column_default`
+methods are used specifically to change the null and default values of a
+column.
+
+```ruby
+change_column_null :products, :name, false
+change_column_default :products, :approved, false
+```
+
+This sets `:name` field on products to a `NOT NULL` column and the default
+value of the `:approved` field to false.
+
+TIP: Unlike `change_column` (and `change_column_default`), `change_column_null`
+is reversible.
+
+### Column Modifiers
+
+Column modifiers can be applied when creating or changing a column:
+
+* `limit`        Sets the maximum size of the `string/text/binary/integer` fields.
+* `precision`    Defines the precision for the `decimal` fields, representing the
+total number of digits in the number.
+* `scale`        Defines the scale for the `decimal` fields, representing the
+number of digits after the decimal point.
+* `polymorphic`  Adds a `type` column for `belongs_to` associations.
+* `null`         Allows or disallows `NULL` values in the column.
+* `default`      Allows to set a default value on the column. Note that if you
+are using a dynamic value (such as a date), the default will only be calculated
+the first time (i.e. on the date the migration is applied).
+* `index`        Adds an index for the column.
+* `required`     Adds `required: true` for `belongs_to` associations and
+`null: false` to the column in the migration.
+
+Some adapters may support additional options; see the adapter specific API docs
+for further information.
+
+### Foreign Keys
+
+While it's not required you might want to add foreign key constraints to
+[guarantee referential integrity](#active-record-and-referential-integrity).
+
+```ruby
+add_foreign_key :articles, :authors
+```
+
+This adds a new foreign key to the `author_id` column of the `articles`
+table. The key references the `id` column of the `authors` table. If the
+column names can not be derived from the table names, you can use the
+`:column` and `:primary_key` options.
+
+Rails will generate a name for every foreign key starting with
+`fk_rails_` followed by 10 random characters.
+There is a `:name` option to specify a different name if needed.
+
+NOTE: Active Record only supports single column foreign keys. `execute` and
+`structure.sql` are required to use composite foreign keys.
+
+Removing a foreign key is easy as well:
+
+```ruby
+# let Active Record figure out the column name
+remove_foreign_key :accounts, :branches
+
+# remove foreign key for a specific column
+remove_foreign_key :accounts, column: :owner_id
+
+# remove foreign key by name
+remove_foreign_key :accounts, name: :special_fk_name
+```
+
 ### When Helpers aren't Enough
 
 If the helpers provided by Active Record aren't enough you can use the `execute`
@@ -444,6 +522,7 @@ definitions:
 * `add_index`
 * `add_reference`
 * `add_timestamps`
+* `add_foreign_key`
 * `create_table`
 * `create_join_table`
 * `drop_table` (must supply a block)
@@ -469,24 +548,23 @@ migration what else to do when reverting it. For example:
 ```ruby
 class ExampleMigration < ActiveRecord::Migration
   def change
-    create_table :products do |t|
-      t.references :category
+    create_table :distributors do |t|
+      t.string :zipcode
     end
 
     reversible do |dir|
       dir.up do
-        #add a foreign key
+        # add a CHECK constraint
         execute <<-SQL
-          ALTER TABLE products
-            ADD CONSTRAINT fk_products_categories
-            FOREIGN KEY (category_id)
-            REFERENCES categories(id)
+          ALTER TABLE distributors
+            ADD CONSTRAINT zipchk
+              CHECK (char_length(zipcode) = 5) NO INHERIT;
         SQL
       end
       dir.down do
         execute <<-SQL
-          ALTER TABLE products
-            DROP FOREIGN KEY fk_products_categories
+          ALTER TABLE distributors
+            DROP CONSTRAINT zipchk
         SQL
       end
     end
@@ -500,7 +578,7 @@ end
 Using `reversible` will ensure that the instructions are executed in the
 right order too. If the previous example migration is reverted,
 the `down` block will be run after the `home_page_url` column is removed and
-right before the table `products` is dropped.
+right before the table `distributors` is dropped.
 
 Sometimes your migration will do something which is just plain irreversible; for
 example, it might destroy some data. In such cases, you can raise
@@ -523,16 +601,15 @@ made in the `up` method. The example in the `reversible` section is equivalent t
 ```ruby
 class ExampleMigration < ActiveRecord::Migration
   def up
-    create_table :products do |t|
-      t.references :category
+    create_table :distributors do |t|
+      t.string :zipcode
     end
 
-    # add a foreign key
+    # add a CHECK constraint
     execute <<-SQL
-      ALTER TABLE products
-        ADD CONSTRAINT fk_products_categories
-        FOREIGN KEY (category_id)
-        REFERENCES categories(id)
+      ALTER TABLE distributors
+        ADD CONSTRAINT zipchk
+        CHECK (char_length(zipcode) = 5);
     SQL
 
     add_column :users, :home_page_url, :string
@@ -544,11 +621,11 @@ class ExampleMigration < ActiveRecord::Migration
     remove_column :users, :home_page_url
 
     execute <<-SQL
-      ALTER TABLE products
-        DROP FOREIGN KEY fk_products_categories
+      ALTER TABLE distributors
+        DROP CONSTRAINT zipchk
     SQL
 
-    drop_table :products
+    drop_table :distributors
   end
 end
 ```
@@ -579,43 +656,27 @@ end
 The `revert` method also accepts a block of instructions to reverse.
 This could be useful to revert selected parts of previous migrations.
 For example, let's imagine that `ExampleMigration` is committed and it
-is later decided it would be best to serialize the product list instead.
-One could write:
+is later decided it would be best to use Active Record validations,
+in place of the `CHECK` constraint, to verify the zipcode.
 
 ```ruby
-class SerializeProductListMigration < ActiveRecord::Migration
+class DontUseConstraintForZipcodeValidationMigration < ActiveRecord::Migration
   def change
-    add_column :categories, :product_list
-
-    reversible do |dir|
-      dir.up do
-        # transfer data from Products to Category#product_list
-      end
-      dir.down do
-        # create Products from Category#product_list
-      end
-    end
-
     revert do
       # copy-pasted code from ExampleMigration
-      create_table :products do |t|
-        t.references :category
-      end
-
       reversible do |dir|
         dir.up do
-          #add a foreign key
+          # add a CHECK constraint
           execute <<-SQL
-            ALTER TABLE products
-              ADD CONSTRAINT fk_products_categories
-              FOREIGN KEY (category_id)
-              REFERENCES categories(id)
+            ALTER TABLE distributors
+              ADD CONSTRAINT zipchk
+                CHECK (char_length(zipcode) = 5);
           SQL
         end
         dir.down do
           execute <<-SQL
-            ALTER TABLE products
-              DROP FOREIGN KEY fk_products_categories
+            ALTER TABLE distributors
+              DROP CONSTRAINT zipchk
           SQL
         end
       end
@@ -765,7 +826,7 @@ class CreateProducts < ActiveRecord::Migration
       create_table :products do |t|
         t.string :name
         t.text :description
-        t.timestamps
+        t.timestamps null: false
       end
     end
 
@@ -819,159 +880,6 @@ The `revert` method can be helpful when writing a new migration to undo
 previous migrations in whole or in part
 (see [Reverting Previous Migrations](#reverting-previous-migrations) above).
 
-Using Models in Your Migrations
--------------------------------
-
-When creating or updating data in a migration it is often tempting to use one
-of your models. After all, they exist to provide easy access to the underlying
-data. This can be done, but some caution should be observed.
-
-For example, problems occur when the model uses database columns which are (1)
-not currently in the database and (2) will be created by this or a subsequent
-migration.
-
-Consider this example, where Alice and Bob are working on the same code base
-which contains a `Product` model:
-
-Bob goes on vacation.
-
-Alice creates a migration for the `products` table which adds a new column and
-initializes it:
-
-```ruby
-# db/migrate/20100513121110_add_flag_to_product.rb
-
-class AddFlagToProduct < ActiveRecord::Migration
-  def change
-    add_column :products, :flag, :boolean
-    reversible do |dir|
-      dir.up { Product.update_all flag: false }
-    end
-  end
-end
-```
-
-She also adds a validation to the `Product` model for the new column:
-
-```ruby
-# app/models/product.rb
-
-class Product < ActiveRecord::Base
-  validates :flag, inclusion: { in: [true, false] }
-end
-```
-
-Alice adds a second migration which adds another column to the `products`
-table and initializes it:
-
-```ruby
-# db/migrate/20100515121110_add_fuzz_to_product.rb
-
-class AddFuzzToProduct < ActiveRecord::Migration
-  def change
-    add_column :products, :fuzz, :string
-    reversible do |dir|
-      dir.up { Product.update_all fuzz: 'fuzzy' }
-    end
-  end
-end
-```
-
-She also adds a validation to the `Product` model for the new column:
-
-```ruby
-# app/models/product.rb
-
-class Product < ActiveRecord::Base
-  validates :flag, inclusion: { in: [true, false] }
-  validates :fuzz, presence: true
-end
-```
-
-Both migrations work for Alice.
-
-Bob comes back from vacation and:
-
-*   Updates the source - which contains both migrations and the latest version
-    of the Product model.
-*   Runs outstanding migrations with `rake db:migrate`, which
-    includes the one that updates the `Product` model.
-
-The migration crashes because when the model attempts to save, it tries to
-validate the second added column, which is not in the database when the _first_
-migration runs:
-
-```
-rake aborted!
-An error has occurred, this and all later migrations canceled:
-
-undefined method `fuzz' for #<Product:0x000001049b14a0>
-```
-
-A fix for this is to create a local model within the migration. This keeps
-Rails from running the validations, so that the migrations run to completion.
-
-When using a local model, it's a good idea to call
-`Product.reset_column_information` to refresh the Active Record cache for the
-`Product` model prior to updating data in the database.
-
-If Alice had done this instead, there would have been no problem:
-
-```ruby
-# db/migrate/20100513121110_add_flag_to_product.rb
-
-class AddFlagToProduct < ActiveRecord::Migration
-  class Product < ActiveRecord::Base
-  end
-
-  def change
-    add_column :products, :flag, :boolean
-    Product.reset_column_information
-    reversible do |dir|
-      dir.up { Product.update_all flag: false }
-    end
-  end
-end
-```
-
-```ruby
-# db/migrate/20100515121110_add_fuzz_to_product.rb
-
-class AddFuzzToProduct < ActiveRecord::Migration
-  class Product < ActiveRecord::Base
-  end
-
-  def change
-    add_column :products, :fuzz, :string
-    Product.reset_column_information
-    reversible do |dir|
-      dir.up { Product.update_all fuzz: 'fuzzy' }
-    end
-  end
-end
-```
-
-There are other ways in which the above example could have gone badly.
-
-For example, imagine that Alice creates a migration that selectively
-updates the `description` field on certain products. She runs the
-migration, commits the code, and then begins working on the next feature,
-which is to add a new column `fuzz` to the products table.
-
-She creates two migrations for this new feature, one which adds the new
-column, and a second which selectively updates the `fuzz` column based on
-other product attributes.
-
-These migrations run just fine, but when Bob comes back from his vacation
-and calls `rake db:migrate` to run all the outstanding migrations, he gets a
-subtle bug: The descriptions have defaults, and the `fuzz` column is present,
-but `fuzz` is `nil` on all products.
-
-The solution is again to use `Product.reset_column_information` before
-referencing the Product model in a migration, ensuring the Active Record's
-knowledge of the table structure is current before manipulating data in those
-records.
-
 Schema Dumping and You
 ----------------------
 
@@ -1033,10 +941,10 @@ that Active Record supports. This could be very useful if you were to
 distribute an application that is able to run against multiple databases.
 
 There is however a trade-off: `db/schema.rb` cannot express database specific
-items such as foreign key constraints, triggers, or stored procedures. While in
-a migration you can execute custom SQL statements, the schema dumper cannot
-reconstitute those statements from the database. If you are using features like
-this, then you should set the schema format to `:sql`.
+items such as triggers, or stored procedures. While in a migration you can
+execute custom SQL statements, the schema dumper cannot reconstitute those
+statements from the database. If you are using features like this, then you
+should set the schema format to `:sql`.
 
 Instead of using Active Record's schema dumper, the database's structure will
 be dumped using a tool specific to the database (via the `db:structure:dump`
@@ -1054,11 +962,16 @@ schema into a RDBMS other than the one used to create it.
 Because schema dumps are the authoritative source for your database schema, it
 is strongly recommended that you check them into source control.
 
+`db/schema.rb` contains the current version number of the database. This
+ensures conflicts are going to happen in the case of a merge where both
+branches touched the schema. When that happens, solve conflicts manually,
+keeping the highest version number of the two.
+
 Active Record and Referential Integrity
 ---------------------------------------
 
 The Active Record way claims that intelligence belongs in your models, not in
-the database. As such, features such as triggers or foreign key constraints,
+the database. As such, features such as triggers or constraints,
 which push some of that intelligence back into the database, are not heavily
 used.
 
@@ -1067,14 +980,10 @@ which models can enforce data integrity. The `:dependent` option on
 associations allows models to automatically destroy child objects when the
 parent is destroyed. Like anything which operates at the application level,
 these cannot guarantee referential integrity and so some people augment them
-with foreign key constraints in the database.
-
-Although Active Record does not provide any tools for working directly with
-such features, the `execute` method can be used to execute arbitrary SQL. You
-can also use a gem like
-[foreigner](https://github.com/matthuhiggins/foreigner) which adds foreign key
-support to Active Record (including support for dumping foreign keys in
-`db/schema.rb`).
+with [foreign key constraints](#foreign-keys) in the database.
+
+Although Active Record does not provide all the tools for working directly with
+such features, the `execute` method can be used to execute arbitrary SQL.
 
 Migrations and Seed Data
 ------------------------