activerecord model belongs_to and validates_associated duplicate validation

[sreid]

In one of my models I have these lines :

belongs_to :user, :validate => true
...
validates_associated :user

When I remove the 2nd one, my tests run noticeably faster. Is the
above causing validations to be run twice ?

[sreid]

And if it is a duplication, are there any differences, and which
method is best ?

[sreid]

Also, is there some reason why validates_associated does not throw an
exception on nil ?

[Tim Shaffer]

That's just the way it's designed to work. If you want to make sure it's not null, you'll need to also use validates_presence_of or validates :presence => true