= ar-audit-tracer

{<img src="https://secure.travis-ci.org/verticonaut/ar-audit-tracer.png" />}[http://travis-ci.org/verticonaut/ar-audit-tracer]

== Summary

<i>ar-audit-tracer</i> patches ActiveRecord so modifiers of a record can be traked on saving (insert/update).
It works exactly like 'timestamps' (see usage below).

The new version 1.0.2 works now for Rails 3.0, 3.1 and 3.2 and is tested with Ruby 1.8.7, 1.9.2 and 1.9.3.


== Installation

Add below to your Gemfile and run the +bundle+ command
  gem 'ar-audit-tracer'


== Usage

=== Migration

In a models migration add:
  t.authors

This will add columns +created_by+ and +updated_by+ of type +:string+ to your model.

In case you want to use another type, simply pass the type as argument, e.g.
  t.authors(:integer)

By default the columns are mandatory (:null => true). If you have existing models you want to change
you have to pass the option <tt>:null => true</tt>, update the values in the new attributes columns and add another
migration to change the column to <tt>:null => false</tt> if required.
Note: If you pass options you have to pass the type as well - sample migration statments:
    add_authors(:your_table_name, :string, :null => true)
or
    change_table :your_table_name do |t|
      t.authors(:integer, :null => true)
    end

==== Note
The _authors_ methods are simple conveniance methods (as regular timestamp methods are). You can simply
add columns named +created_by+ and +updated_by+ using regular migration statements.

=== Configuration

All you need to do is to set the current author such as e.g:
  Concern::Audit::Author.current="bad_man"

Each ActiveRecord +save+ or +update+ then will set the respetive attributes +created_by+ and +modified_by+ automatically, whereas the modifier is set to the same value as the creator on model creation.

In a Rails Application you would set the author as described above in a +before_filter+.
<tt>Concern::Audit::Author</tt> stores the author in a Thread-Local variable.

== Additional Notes
In case you need associations to a respective Author Model you have to set them up yourselfs.


== Changelog

=== Version 1.0.2
* Fixed migrations so option can be passed