Rails 3 - New Model is not recognized

I created a new Model in a Rails 3 application, along with a database table - but because I was not creating a controller or views I did not use a rails generator and just created the file by hand.

The contents followed exactly the format of other Model files and I was careful to use a Plural name for  the database table and a Singular name for the model class.

But when I ran the application, either in the console or as a server, I kept getting an error reporting the  Model name as an 'uninitialized constant'.

I double and triple checked everything but no luck getting it to work. Poking around the web I found mention of the Lazy Loading feature in Rails whereby classes are not loaded until they are needed.

Along with that was mention that using the command 'Rails.application.eager_load!' in the console might solve the problem. indeed it did - but only in the Rails console...

The problem turned out to be that the model FILE name was PLURAL. The Model class itself was singular - which is correct - but the lazy loading mechanism was using this (I assume) to define the filename in which to find the Model. Because my was plural it could not find the file and because it did not find a model it assumed that my Model name was a constant and then found that to be uninitialized.

It's a confusing error message and I wonder if there might be a way for Rails to figure out that I wanted a model. But I figure this is a side effect of the Rails machinery for inferring model, controller, etc. names.

Ah well... live and learn...

Microsoft AutoUpdate doesn't...

I got this message when I started up MS Word on my Mac this morning:

In other words, Microsoft AutoUpdate does not auto update...  :^{

Compare that to the Google Chrome web browser which auto updates itself without requiring any action from myself and without requiring a browser restart.