= Serialist

Serialize anything. Why waste time migrating your table for yet another dumb attribute you won't search on? Add one serialization field in your table, and let serialist do the rest : validate and mass_assign all your serialized stuff, transparently. Now in version 1.0.0, fully tested.

=== Before!

class Article < ActiveRecord::Base serialize :preferences # impossible... # validates_presence_of :key end

a = Article.new a.preferences = {} a.preferences[:key] = "value" a.preferences[:key] => "value" Article.create({:preferences => {:key => "value"}}) => #<Article id: ##, preferences: {:key=>"value"}>

=== After!

class Article < ActiveRecord::Base serialist :preferences, [:key, :other_key, :yet_another_key] validates_presence_of :key end

a = Article.new a.key = "value" a.key => "value" Article.create! => "key cannot be blank" Article.create({:key => "value"}) => #<Article id: ##, preferences: {:key=>"value"}>

== Install the gem!

sudo gem install serialist

== Try the demo!

rails -m http://github.com/bbenezech/serialist/raw/master/installation-template.txt serialist-example

== Or simply generate a migration for your existing rails app!

./script/generate serialist SerialistMigration MyModel my_serialist_attribute

Ex :

./script/generate serialist SerialistMigration Article slug rake db:migrate

Then hook Serialist into your ActiveRecord model :

serialist :my_serialist_attribute, [:foo, :bar]

OR

serialist :my_serialist_attribute

See below

Add validation as you normally would :

validates_presence_of :bar

etc.

== Serialist comes in 2 flavors!

=== Declarative, use define_method as your model load.

class Article serialist :slug, [:foo, :bar] validates_presence_of :foo end

Allows you to serialize only the desired keys. ex :

./script/console

Article.create! => 'foo cannot be blank' a = Article.new => #<Article id: nil, title: nil, created_at: nil, updated_at: nil, slug: nil> a.foo? => false a.foo => nil a.foo = "hello" => "hello" a.foo? => true a.taz = "hello" => NoMethodError: undefined method `taz=' ... a => #<Article id: XX, title: nil, created_at: "..", updated_at: "..", slug: {:foo=>"hello"}>

=== Catch-all, use define_method lazily at access time (hooked in your model method_missing)

class Article serialist :slug validates_presence_of :foo end

Allows you to serialize anything. ex :

./script/console

Article.create! => 'foo cannot be blank' a = Article.new => #<Article id: nil, title: nil, created_at: nil, updated_at: nil, slug: nil> a.foo => nil a.foo? => false a.foo = "hello" => "hello" a.foo?("hello") => true a.foo? => true a.foo => "hello" a.baz? => false a.baz => nil a => #<Article id: XX, title: nil, created_at: "..", updated_at: "..", slug: {:foo=>"hello"}>

=== But be aware...