FactoryGirl belongs_to association and validates_presence_of failing -- foreign key is associated, object is not

When using FactoryGirl (now known as FactoryBot) to create records with associations and validations, it's essential to ensure that the associations are correctly set up to avoid validation failures. The issue you described, where validates_presence_of fails even though the foreign key is associated, could be due to incorrect setup of the association or a missing step in your FactoryGirl factory.

Here are some steps you can follow to resolve the issue:

1. Check the Association: Ensure that the association between the two models is correctly defined in your ActiveRecord model classes. Make sure the belongs_to association is set up properly.

   For example, if you have a User model that belongs_to a Company, your model definitions should look like this:

   rubyCopy code
   # app/models/user.rb
   class User < ApplicationRecord
     belongs_to :company
     validates_presence_of :company # Ensure that the association is present
   end
   
   # app/models/company.rb
   class Company < ApplicationRecord
     has_many :users
   end
   

2. Use FactoryBot Associations: In your FactoryBot factory for the User model, make sure you're correctly associating it with a Company. Use the association method to establish the association.

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   # spec/factories/users.rb
   FactoryBot.define do
     factory :user do
       # Other attributes for the user
   
       # Associate the user with a company
       association :company, factory: :company
     end
   end
   

3. Ensure Factories Are Loaded: Confirm that the FactoryBot factories are loaded and available in your test environment. In your spec_helper.rb or rails_helper.rb, make sure you have included the necessary configuration to load the factories.

   rubyCopy code
   # spec/spec_helper.rb or spec/rails_helper.rb
   require 'factory_bot_rails'
   FactoryBot.find_definitions
   

4. Create the Associated Object: Make sure you're creating the associated object (Company) before creating the User object. Otherwise, the validates_presence_of validation may fail because the associated object doesn't exist.

   For example, in your test code, create the Company first and then the associated User:

   rubyCopy code
   company = create(:company)
   user = create(:user, company: company)
   

By following these steps, you should be able to create User objects with associated Company objects successfully, and the validates_presence_of validation should pass. If you're still facing issues, double-check your model associations and the configuration of your FactoryBot factories to ensure everything is set up correctly.