Clarify how the ConnectionHandler works

This makes the implicit description of how connection pooling works a
little more explicit. It converts the examples of a model hierarchy into
actual Ruby code and demonstrates how the key structure of the
database.yml relates to the `establish_connection` method.

1 files changed, 36 insertions, 15 deletions

diff --git a/activerecord/lib/active_record/connection_adapters/abstract/connection_pool.rb b/activerecord/lib/active_record/connection_adapters/abstract/connection_pool.rb
index cb75070e3a..a5fa9d6adc 100644
--- a/activerecord/lib/active_record/connection_adapters/abstract/connection_pool.rb
+++ b/activerecord/lib/active_record/connection_adapters/abstract/connection_pool.rb
@@ -462,23 +462,44 @@ module ActiveRecord
     #
     # For example, suppose that you have 5 models, with the following hierarchy:
     #
-    #  |
-    #  +-- Book
-    #  |    |
-    #  |    +-- ScaryBook
-    #  |    +-- GoodBook
-    #  +-- Author
-    #  +-- BankAccount
+    #   class Author < ActiveRecord::Base
+    #   end
     #
-    # Suppose that Book is to connect to a separate database (i.e. one other
-    # than the default database). Then Book, ScaryBook and GoodBook will all use
-    # the same connection pool. Likewise, Author and BankAccount will use the
-    # same connection pool. However, the connection pool used by Author/BankAccount
-    # is not the same as the one used by Book/ScaryBook/GoodBook.
+    #   class BankAccount < ActiveRecord::Base
+    #   end
     #
-    # Normally there is only a single ConnectionHandler instance, accessible via
-    # ActiveRecord::Base.connection_handler. Active Record models use this to
-    # determine the connection pool that they should use.
+    #   class Book < ActiveRecord::Base
+    #     establish_connection "library_db"
+    #   end
+    #
+    #   class ScaryBook < Book
+    #   end
+    #
+    #   class GoodBook < Book
+    #   end
+    #
+    # And a database.yml that looked like this:
+    #
+    #   development:
+    #     database: my_application
+    #     host: localhost
+    #
+    #   library_db:
+    #     database: library
+    #     host: some.library.org
+    #
+    # Your primary database in the development environment is "my_application"
+    # but the Book model connects to a separate database called "library_db"
+    # (this can even be a database on a different machine).
+    #
+    # Book, ScaryBook and GoodBook will all use the same connection pool to
+    # "library_db" while Author, BankAccount, and any other models you create
+    # will use the default connection pool to "my_application".
+    #
+    # The various connection pools are managed by a single instance of
+    # ConnectionHandler accessible via ActiveRecord::Base.connection_handler.
+    # All Active Record models use this handler to determine the connection pool that they
+    # should use.
     class ConnectionHandler
       def initialize
         # These caches are keyed by klass.name, NOT klass. Keying them by klass