classloader - Rails doesn't load classes on deserializing YAML/Marshal objects

Question

• Rails: 3.0.3
• Ruby: 1.9.2

Trying to deserialize a very simple object using YAML.load or Marshal.load produces a corrupted object because the class which belongs to is not required on the deserializing process.

Example:

# app/models/my_model.rb
class MyModel
  attr_accessor :id
end

# test/unit/serializing_test.rb
require 'test_helper'

class SerializingTest < Test::Unit::TestCase
  def test_yaml_serialize_structure
    my_model = MyModel.new
    my_model.id = 'my model'

    File.open( "#{Rails.root}/tmp/object.yml" , 'w' ) do |f|
      YAML::dump(my_model, f)
    end
  end

  def test_yaml_deserialize_structure
    object = YAML.load_file "#{Rails.root}/tmp/object.yml"
    assert( object.instance_of? MyModel )
    assert_equal( 'my model', object.id )
  end
end

With this code we can run this shell console session without any error:

$ ruby -Itest test/unit/serializing_test.rb -n test_yaml_serialize_structure
$ ruby -Itest test/unit/serializing_test.rb -n test_yaml_deserialize_structure

But if I run the deserialization calls from a Rails console the object is not deserialized properly because the class is never required:

$ rails c
ruby-1.9.2-p0 > object = YAML.load_file "#{Rails.root}/tmp/object.yml"
 => #<Syck::Object:0x0000010322ea30 @class="MyModel", @ivars={"id"=>"my model"}> 

I know the only problem is that the class is not required because if I require it by hand everything works:

ruby-1.9.2-p0 > require "#{Rails.root}/app/models/my_model"
 => ["MyModel"] 
ruby-1.9.2-p0 > object = YAML.load_file "#{Rails.root}/tmp/object.yml"
 => #<MyModel:0x0000010320c8e0 @id="my model"> 

I have presented only the YAML examples but with Marshal is pretty the same.

Also say that although I'm reproducing the problem in a Rails console originally this problem was turning me crazy in a normal request to my application.

So the question is: How can I deserialize objects in Rails without have to require all my classes by hand?

Thanks

f.

Answer 1

Well, after read @tadman and a bunch of answers I have received in the spanish ror mailing list [1] I have collected a few hot tips when you have to deal with Ruby deserializing and class loading in Rails:

Super fast solution

Use config.cache_classes = true in your development.rb but you will lost the class auto-refreshing.

Better solution

Require all the classes that are gonna be deserialized but not with require but with require_dependency[2] so in development environment the class auto-refreshing will remain working.

Elegant solution

Monkey-patch the YAML and the Marshal gem to tell them to call require_dependency when they find a non-defined class to deserialize.

And @Xavi has sent me a proposition of monkey-patch Marshal (he says he wrote it on the air and it is not tested so use it in your own risk) [3]

• [1] http://lists.simplelogica.net/pipermail/ror-es/2011-January/024787.html
• [2] http://apidock.com/rails/ActiveSupport/Dependencies/Loadable/require_dependency
• [3] http://lists.simplelogica.net/pipermail/ror-es/2011-January/024796.html