The uniqueness matcher creates an existing version of the model under
test if one doesn't already exist (so that it can compare this existing
version with an unpersisted version which it modifies in various ways as
it steps through all of the various tests). Back in 2014, it would
create this existing version by simply making a new instance of the
model, setting the attribute under test to some value, and then saving
the instance. However, this step would fail if there were other
attributes on the model that were necessary to save the record.
Specifically, if the model had `has_secure_password` on it and
`password_digest` was not set, then [the record would fail on
save][issue-371], because of a `before_create` that got triggered by
`validates_uniqueness_of` to serve as a check. To fix this, then, it was
necessary to [set `password_digest` to some meaningful value][pr-426]
before saving the record.
Since then, [`has_secure_password` has been updated in
Rails][uniq-validation] so that instead of checking to see that
`password_digest` is set in a `before_create`, it runs a confirmation
validation on `password` (but only if `password` is set). So this step
won't fail anymore (unless `password` is somehow present on the model).
What this means is that we don't need to concern ourselves with password
attributes or digestible attributes in general, so we can remove the old
2014 code from the uniqueness matcher entirely.
[issue-371]: https://github.com/thoughtbot/shoulda-matchers/issues/371
[pr-426]: https://github.com/thoughtbot/shoulda-matchers/pull/426
[uniq-validation]: 8ca59237dd
9f0def1aa9