# Let's say we have some really simple models for a blog. (I'm using
# DataMapper here, but Machinist works exactly the same way with ActiveRecord.)
 
  class Person
    include DataMapper::Resource
    property :id,   Serial
    property :name, String
  end
 
  class Post
    include DataMapper::Resource
    property :id,        Serial
    property :author_id, Integer
    property :body,      String
 
    belongs_to :author, :class_name => "Person", :child_key => [:author_id]
    has n, :comments
  end
 
  class Comment
    include DataMapper::Resource
    property :id,      Serial
    property :post_id, Integer
    property :body,    String
 
    belongs_to :post
  end
 
# I can define Machinist blueprints for these like this:
 
  Person.blueprint do
    name "Fred"   # In real life I'd use Sham to generate the attribute values.
                  # See the Machinist README for details!
  end
 
  Post.blueprint do
    author        # This tells Machinist to make an author for the post.
    body "A post"
  end
 
  Comment.blueprint do
    post          # This tells Machinist to make a post for the comment.
    body "A comment"
  end
 
# Then in my tests I can call:
 
  comment = Comment.make
 
# Machinist will introspect on the associations and create a Comment, a Post,
# and a Person, and set up all the relationships properly.
#
# Let's see Factory Girl do that! ;)
#
# Machinist lives at: http://github.com/notahat/machinist