validates_confirmation_of

Encapsulates the pattern of wanting to validate a password or email address field with a confirmation. Example:

  Model:
    class Person < ActiveRecord::Base
      validates_confirmation_of :user_name, :password
      validates_confirmation_of :email_address, :message => "should match confirmation"
    end

  View:
    <%= password_field "person", "password" %>
    <%= password_field "person", "password_confirmation" %>

The person has to already have a password attribute (a column in the people table), but the password_confirmation is virtual. It exists only as an in-memory variable for validating the password. This check is performed only if password_confirmation is not nil and by default on save.

Configuration options:

• message - A custom error message (default is: "doesn’t match confirmation")
• on - Specifies when this validation is active (default is :save, other options :create, :update)
• if - Specifies a method, proc or string to call to determine if the validation should

occur (e.g. :if => :allow_validation, or :if => Proc.new { |user| user.signup_step > 2 }). The method, proc or string should return or evaluate to a true or false value.