@user_var_dump.yaml

/* line 37 and 27 here are eerily empty, and I dont know why, because they're populated in the params hash */


--- !ruby/object:User 
accept_tos: "1"
attributes: 
  occupation: 
  last_login_at: 
  image_file_size: 
  avatar_file_size: 
  avatar_file_name: 
  dob: 1985-09-19 00:00:00 Z
  updated_at: 
  last_request_at: 
  crypted_password: 674380e9866d2e28f5ceabef78c7f41577638b12c9200ead939b12f4cec216bb3adefd0ca476c61aa054c71f5e833d5588b8d43174e99ad51d1bb601e782b5fa
  postcode: 
  current_login_ip: 
  perishable_token: 
  single_access_token: 
  admin: false
  notify_suggestion: true
  current_login_at: 
  password_salt: xjB8U0biNr2scJZSyE4B
  image_content_type: 

  /* important line*/
  country: 
  failed_login_count: 0
  avatar_content_type: 
  from_old_nag: false
  monthly_nagging: "0"
  login_count: 0
  persistence_token: 501e79cc722a071e638fca3e7421a0ba53d421f1166e50d82d49644f11d7fc830b39a5e65a7afa691cc5e81579b9065497b2fc1daa290452da3a261e96164316
  newsletter: "0"

  /* other important line*/
  town: 
  hotness: 
  first_name: firstname
  notify_story: true
  income: 
  age: 
  notify_member: true
  notify_comment: true
  image_updated_at: 
  last_name: lastname
  user_name: username
  active: false
  created_at: 
  last_login_ip: 
  image_file_name: 
  location: 
  email: 
attributes_cache: {}

changed_attributes: 
  dob: 
  crypted_password: 
  password_salt: 
  persistence_token: 
  newsletter: 
  first_name: 
  last_name: 
  user_name: 
country: United Kingdom
email_domain: addy.com
email_name: "1"
new_record: true
password: password
password_changed: true
password_confirmation: password
town: london

debug.usernew.rb

# created like so - user1 = User.new(params[:user])


(rdb:53) y user1
--- !ruby/object:User 
accept_tos: "1"
attributes: 
  introduced_to_new_nag: false
  occupation: 
  last_login_at: 
  image_file_size: 
  avatar_file_size: 
  avatar_file_name: 
  dob: 1985-09-19 00:00:00 Z
  updated_at: 
  last_request_at: 
  crypted_password: fcb77d7f84a2b54d9fc39ba61e8c829d1eb2176de2c766b3474b91b6f1dfa205e3e902c02b575f54aeb26c1ca2a0045e0e4757cceea4999e904351811f9f1f2a
  postcode: 
  current_login_ip: 
  perishable_token: 
  single_access_token: 
  admin: false
  ethnic_origin: 
  notify_suggestion: true
  current_login_at: 
  password_salt: jHMpaLJHYIf7cPFgB5Zj
  image_content_type: 
  country: 
  failed_login_count: 0
  avatar_content_type: 
  from_old_nag: false
  monthly_nagging: "0"
  login_count: 0
  persistence_token: 0a96a6ea7dde83e38dbe517d981876d6dd429c59204ffd19dd76474c6f7db3664ea79e1fac3de585c1e96d8e108875ed5dc68b3d64d3b2b0ebc715fe502c5240
  newsletter: "0"
  town: 
  hotness: 
  first_name: firstname
  notify_story: true
  income: 
  age: 
  notify_member: true
  notify_comment: true
  image_updated_at: 
  last_name: lastname
  user_name: username
  active: false
  created_at: 
  last_login_ip: 
  image_file_name: 
  location: 
  email: 
attributes_cache: {}

changed_attributes: 
  dob: 
  crypted_password: 
  password_salt: 
  persistence_token: 
  newsletter: 
  monthly_nagging: 
  first_name: 
  last_name: 
  user_name: 
country: United Kingdom
email_domain: addy.com
email_name: "1"
new_record: true
password: password
password_changed: true
password_confirmation: password
town: london
nil

params_hash

--- !map:HashWithIndifferentAccess 
accept_tos: "1"
email_name: "1"
password_confirmation: password
country: United Kingdom
dob(1i): "1985"
dob(2i): "9"
dob(3i): "19"
email_domain: addy.com
town: london
monthly_nagging: "0"
newsletter: "0"
first_name: firstname
user_name: username
last_name: lastname
password: password

schema.rb

# relevant schema fragment

  create_table "users", :force => true do |t|
    t.string   "user_name"
    t.string   "first_name"
    t.string   "last_name"
    t.string   "email"
    t.string   "location"
    t.string   "town"
    t.string   "country"
    t.string   "postcode"
    t.boolean  "newsletter"

user#create.rb

# debuggers added to see what's going on here

  def create
    debugger
    @user = User.new params[:user]
    debugger
    if @user.save_without_session_maintenance
      @user.deliver_activation_instructions!
      flash[:notice] = "Your account has been created. Please check your e-mail for your account activation instructions!"
      redirect_to root_url
    else
      render :action => :new
    end
    debugger
  end

user.rb

class User < ActiveRecord::Base

# lots of code

  attr_protected :admin, :active

# relevant accessor methods

  attr_accessor :town, :postcode, :country


end