validates_format_of :r_or_s, :with => ^(r|s)$, :on => :create
Why doesn't that work? Where is a reference who shows me how to use regular expressions???
You could try:
validates_format_of :r_or_s, :with => /^(r|s)$/, :on => :create
For reference checkout http://www.regular-expressions.info/ or the more in depth O'Reilly book "Mastering Regular Expressions, Powerful Techniques for Perl and Other Tools".