Don't rely on underscore-prefixed attribute methods.

Define singleton methods on the attributes module instead. This reduces
method pollution on the actual model classes. It also seems to make
something faster, I am unsure why! O_o

activerecord/lib/active_record/attribute_methods/read.rb

@@ -29,9 +29,54 @@ module ActiveRecord
           cached_attributes.include?(attr_name)
         end
 
+        def undefine_attribute_methods
+          if base_class == self
+            generated_attribute_methods.module_eval do
+              public_methods(false).each do |m|
+                singleton_class.send(:undef_method, m) if m.to_s =~ /^cast_/
+              end
+            end
+          end
+
+          super
+        end
+
         protected
+          # Where possible, generate the method by evalling a string, as this will result in
+          # faster accesses because it avoids the block eval and then string eval incurred
+          # by the second branch.
+          #
+          # The second, slower, branch is necessary to support instances where the database
+          # returns columns with extra stuff in (like 'my_column(omg)').
           def define_method_attribute(attr_name)
-            define_read_method(attr_name, attr_name, columns_hash[attr_name])
+            access_code = attribute_access_code(attr_name)
+            cast_code   = "v && (#{attribute_cast_code(attr_name)})"
+
+            if attr_name =~ ActiveModel::AttributeMethods::NAME_COMPILABLE_REGEXP
+              generated_attribute_methods.module_eval <<-STR, __FILE__, __LINE__
+                def #{attr_name}
+                  #{access_code}
+                end
+
+                def self.cast_#{attr_name}(v)
+                  #{cast_code}
+                end
+
+                alias _#{attr_name} #{attr_name}
+              STR
+            else
+              generated_attribute_methods.module_eval do
+                define_method(attr_name) do
+                  eval(access_code)
+                end
+
+                singleton_class.send(:define_method, "cast_#{attr_name}") do |v|
+                  eval(cast_code)
+                end
+
+                alias_method("_#{attr_name}", attr_name)
+              end
+            end
           end
 
         private
@@ -39,14 +84,10 @@ module ActiveRecord
             attribute_types_cached_by_default.include?(column.type)
           end
 
-          # Define an attribute reader method. Cope with nil column.
-          # method_name is the same as attr_name except when a non-standard primary key is used,
-          # we still define #id as an accessor for the key
-          def define_read_method(method_name, attr_name, column)
-            cast_code = column.type_cast_code('v')
-            access_code = "(v=@attributes['#{attr_name}']) && #{cast_code}"
+          def attribute_access_code(attr_name)
+            access_code = "(v=@attributes['#{attr_name}']) && #{attribute_cast_code(attr_name)}"
 
-            unless attr_name.to_s == self.primary_key.to_s
+            unless attr_name == self.primary_key
               access_code.insert(0, "missing_attribute('#{attr_name}', caller) unless @attributes.has_key?('#{attr_name}'); ")
             end
 
@@ -54,35 +95,25 @@ module ActiveRecord
               access_code = "@attributes_cache['#{attr_name}'] ||= (#{access_code})"
             end
 
-            # Where possible, generate the method by evalling a string, as this will result in
-            # faster accesses because it avoids the block eval and then string eval incurred
-            # by the second branch.
-            #
-            # The second, slower, branch is necessary to support instances where the database
-            # returns columns with extra stuff in (like 'my_column(omg)').
-            if method_name =~ ActiveModel::AttributeMethods::NAME_COMPILABLE_REGEXP
-              generated_attribute_methods.module_eval <<-STR, __FILE__, __LINE__
-                def _#{method_name}
-                  #{access_code}
-                end
+            access_code
+          end
 
-                alias #{method_name} _#{method_name}
-              STR
-            else
-              generated_attribute_methods.module_eval do
-                define_method("_#{method_name}") { eval(access_code) }
-                alias_method(method_name, "_#{method_name}")
-              end
-            end
+          def attribute_cast_code(attr_name)
+            columns_hash[attr_name].type_cast_code('v')
           end
       end
 
       # Returns the value of the attribute identified by <tt>attr_name</tt> after it has been typecast (for example,
       # "2004-12-12" in a data column is cast to a date object, like Date.new(2004, 12, 12)).
       def read_attribute(attr_name)
-        method = "_#{attr_name}"
-        if respond_to? method
-          send method if @attributes.has_key?(attr_name.to_s)
+        attr_name = attr_name.to_s
+        caster    = "cast_#{attr_name}"
+        methods   = self.class.generated_attribute_methods
+
+        if methods.respond_to?(caster)
+          if @attributes.has_key?(attr_name)
+            @attributes_cache[attr_name] || methods.send(caster, @attributes[attr_name])
+          end
         else
           _read_attribute attr_name
         end

activerecord/lib/active_record/attribute_methods/serialization.rb

@@ -58,14 +58,11 @@ module ActiveRecord
           self.serialized_attributes = serialized_attributes.merge(attr_name.to_s => coder)
         end
 
-        def define_method_attribute(attr_name)
+        private
+
+        def attribute_cast_code(attr_name)
           if serialized_attributes.include?(attr_name)
-            generated_attribute_methods.module_eval(<<-CODE, __FILE__, __LINE__)
-              def _#{attr_name}
-                @attributes['#{attr_name}'].unserialized_value
-              end
-              alias #{attr_name} _#{attr_name}
-            CODE
+            "v.unserialized_value"
           else
             super
           end

activerecord/lib/active_record/attribute_methods/time_zone_conversion.rb

@@ -19,18 +19,22 @@ module ActiveRecord
           # Defined for all +datetime+ and +timestamp+ attributes when +time_zone_aware_attributes+ are enabled.
           # This enhanced read method automatically converts the UTC time stored in the database to the time
           # zone stored in Time.zone.
-          def define_method_attribute(attr_name)
+          def attribute_access_code(attr_name)
             if create_time_zone_conversion_attribute?(attr_name, columns_hash[attr_name])
-              method_body, line = <<-EOV, __LINE__ + 1
-                def _#{attr_name}
-                  cached = @attributes_cache['#{attr_name}']
-                  return cached if cached
-                  time = _read_attribute('#{attr_name}')
-                  @attributes_cache['#{attr_name}'] = time.acts_like?(:time) ? time.in_time_zone : time
-                end
-                alias #{attr_name} _#{attr_name}
-              EOV
-              generated_attribute_methods.module_eval(method_body, __FILE__, line)
+              <<-CODE
+                cached = @attributes_cache['#{attr_name}']
+                return cached if cached
+                time = _read_attribute('#{attr_name}')
+                @attributes_cache['#{attr_name}'] = time.acts_like?(:time) ? time.in_time_zone : time
+              CODE
+            else
+              super
+            end
+          end
+
+          def attribute_cast_code(attr_name)
+            if create_time_zone_conversion_attribute?(attr_name, columns_hash[attr_name])
+              "v.acts_like?(:time) ? v.in_time_zone : v"
             else
               super
             end