gistfile1.rb

require "rubygems"
require "datamapper"

DataMapper.setup(:default, "sqlite::memory:")
DataMapper::Logger.new(STDOUT, :debug)

class Recipe
  include DataMapper::Resource
  
  property :id,           Serial
  property :name,         String, :required => true,
    :messages => {
      :presence => 'A recipe requires a name.'
      }
  property :slug,         Slug, :required => true, :unique => true,
    :messages => {
      :presence   => 'A slug is required!',
      :is_unique  => 'That slug is already in use.'
      }
  property :description,  Text, :required => true
  property :preptime,     Integer, :default => 0
  property :cooktime,     Integer, :default => 0
  
  belongs_to :user
  # has n, :comments
  # has n, :favorites
  
end

class User
  include DataMapper::Resource
  
  property :id,               Serial
  property :login,            String, :required => true, :unique => true, :length => 6..64,
    :messages => {
      :presence  => 'A login is required.',
      :is_unique => 'That login is taken!'
      }
  
  has n, :recipes
  # has n, :comments
  # has n, :favorites

#other unrelated stuff here.
end

DataMapper.auto_migrate!

#Problem code
user = User.create(
  :login => 'CannedUser'# ,
  #   :password => 'abc456',
  #   :password_confirmation => 'abc456'
)

useher = User.create(
  :login => 'CannedUseher'# ,
  #   :password => 'abc456',
  #   :password_confirmation => 'abc456'
)

recipe = Recipe.create(
  :name => "Canned Brownies",
  :description => "A description of a recipe.",
  :slug => "Canned_Brownies",
  :user => user
)

slug = "Canned Brownies"
# user = User.create(:login => "my_special_user")
# Recipe.create(:user => user, :name => "test", :slug => slug, :description => "value")

recipe = Recipe.first(:slug => slug)
user = recipe.user
p user
#recipe.user = 1 (the id); not an object