factory_girl_race_condition.rb

class Merchant < ActiveRecord::Base
  def foobarable?
    # ...
  end
end

class Customer < ActiveRecord::Base
  belongs_to :merchant
  def foobar=(something_else)
    self[:foobar] = something_else if merchant.foobarable?
  end
end

FactoryGirl.define do
  factory :merchant do
  end
  factory :customer do
    association :merchant
  end
end

# How can I make sure that the merchant attribute/association is set first so 
# that the foobar attribute checks my passed in merchant?
c = FactoryGirl.create :customer, :merchant => @some_merchant, :foobar => 'xyz'

I don't know if "that's a cure". Looks like asking for trouble: if someone isn't aware of the ordering requirement.

It seems to me when a Hash is accepted as an argument, then the message is that order is not important (in other languages too. of course).

I'm not disagreeing on that too, hence why I am using the patch till I hear other feedback from the authors.