Sync your development database and file upload folders with whatever your staging/production server currently has

gistfile1.rb

# Task has the following dependencies
#   net/ssh gem [gem install net-ssh]
#   net/sftp gem [gem install net-sftp]
#   rsync command line utility 
#   yamb_db rails plugin [ruby script/plugin install git://github.com/adamwiggins/yaml_db.git]

desc "This task will make your development environment download and import a fresh copy of your staging database and also sync any folders such as image uploads so you can quickly replicate your staging/production server content locally"
task :sync_with_staging => :environment do
  @remote_host = 'yourremoteserver.com'
  @remote_user = 'yoursshuser'
  @remote_password = "yoursshpassword"
  @remote_environment = "staging"
  @remote_path_to_rails = "/home/rails/myproject/current"
  @directories_to_sync = {"/home/rails/myproject/shared/system" => "#{RAILS_ROOT}/public"}
  
  require 'net/ssh'
  require 'net/sftp'

  #Delete our old local data.yml file
  File.delete("#{RAILS_ROOT}/db/data.yml") if File::exists?("#{RAILS_ROOT}/db/data.yml")

  #Create a new data.yml file on the staging server
  Net::SSH.start(@remote_host, @remote_user, :password => @remote_password) do |ssh|
    output = ssh.exec!("hostname")
    ssh.exec "rake -f #{@remote_path_to_rails}/Rakefile RAILS_ENV=#{@remote_environment} db:data:dump"
    
    #Now download the data.yml file over the ssh connection
    ssh.sftp.connect do |sftp|
      sftp.download!("#{@remote_path_to_rails}/db/data.yml", "#{RAILS_ROOT}/db/data.yml")
    end
  end
    
  #Import the new data.yml file
  Rake::Task["db:data:load"].invoke
  
  #Sync the uploads
  @directories_to_sync.each do |remote_path, local_path|
    sh("rsync -vra #{@remote_user}@#{@remote_host}:#{remote_path} #{local_path}")
  end
end