= 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 2.0.0 works now for Rails 4.0 with Ruby 1.9.3 and 2.0.0. Use the version 1.0.2 for Rails  ~3.0 with Ruby 1.8.7 or higher.

**Note**<br/>
The migration helpers changed. The column statement is now named +t.authorstamps+ instead of +t.authors+.
Similar the changing a table is named +add_authorstamp+. The columns generated are still named the same - so they are calles
+created_by+ and +updated_by+.


== Installation

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


== Usage

=== Migration

In a models migration add:
  t.authorstamps

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.authorstamps(:integer)

By default the columns are mandatory (<tt>:null => false</tt>). 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_authorstamps(:your_table_name, :string, :null => true)
or
    change_table :your_table_name do |t|
      t.authorstamps(:integer, :null => true)
    end

==== Note
The _authorstamps_ 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.<br/>
**Note** You can name the attributes +created_by_id+ and +updated_by_id+. If these columns are detected they are filled as well.

=== 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 2.0.0
* Works for Rails4 with Ruby1.9.3 and Ruby 2.0.0
* Works now not only for +created_by+ and +updated_by+, but as well for attributes +created_by_id+ and +updated_by_id+

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