Allow store to be a not null column.

activerecord/lib/active_record/store.rb

@@ -36,11 +36,13 @@ def store(store_attribute, options = {})
       def store_accessor(store_attribute, *keys)
         Array(keys).flatten.each do |key|
           define_method("#{key}=") do |value|
+            send("#{store_attribute}=", {}) unless send(store_attribute).is_a?(Hash)
             send(store_attribute)[key] = value
             send("#{store_attribute}_will_change!")
           end
 
           define_method(key) do
+            send("#{store_attribute}=", {}) unless send(store_attribute).is_a?(Hash)
             send(store_attribute)[key]
           end
         end

activerecord/test/cases/store_test.rb

@@ -4,14 +4,14 @@
 
 class StoreTest < ActiveRecord::TestCase
   setup do
-    @john = Admin::User.create(:name => 'John Doe', :color => 'black')
+    @john = Admin::User.create(:name => 'John Doe', :color => 'black', :remember_login => true)
   end
 
   test "reading store attributes through accessors" do
     assert_equal 'black', @john.color
     assert_nil @john.homepage
   end
-
+  
   test "writing store attributes through accessors" do
     @john.color = 'red'
     @john.homepage = '37signals.com'
@@ -31,4 +31,13 @@ class StoreTest < ActiveRecord::TestCase
     @john.color = 'red'
     assert @john.settings_changed?
   end
+
+  test "object initialization with not nullable column" do
+    assert_equal true, @john.remember_login
+  end
+
+  test "writing with not nullable column" do
+    @john.remember_login = false
+    assert_equal false, @john.remember_login
+  end
 end

activerecord/test/models/admin/user.rb

@@ -1,4 +1,5 @@
 class Admin::User < ActiveRecord::Base
   belongs_to :account
   store :settings, :accessors => [ :color, :homepage ]
+  store :preferences, :accessors => [ :remember_login ]
 end

activerecord/test/schema/schema.rb

@@ -37,7 +37,8 @@ def create_table(*args, &block)
 
   create_table :admin_users, :force => true do |t|
     t.string :name
-    t.text :settings
+    t.text :settings, :null => true
+    t.text :preferences, :null => false, :default => ""
     t.references :account
   end