Basic Elixir | Installation, mix, create project, module and method

Elixir is a dynamic, functional language designed for building scalable and maintainable applications. Built on the Erlang VM, it inherits Erlang's excellent support for concurrent and fault-tolerant systems. This tutorial will guide you through the basics of Elixir, including installation, project creation with Mix, and an introduction to modules and methods.

1. Installing Elixir

Before diving into Elixir, you need to have it installed on your system. Follow these steps:

On macOS:

1. Open Terminal.

2. Use Homebrew to install Elixir:

brew install elixir

1. Verify the installation:

elixir --version

On Linux:

1. Update your package index:

sudo apt update

1. Install Elixir using your package manager:

sudo apt install elixir

1. Verify the installation:

elixir --version

On Windows:

1. Download the installer from the official website.

   1. I did use Scoop for easier installation. first install erlang then elixir.

2. Follow the installation instructions.

3. Open a command prompt and verify the installation:

elixir --version

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2. Creating a Project with Mix

Mix is Elixir's build tool, essential for creating projects, managing dependencies, and running tasks.

Steps to Create a New Project:

1. Open your terminal or command prompt.

2. Run the following command to create a new Mix project:

mix new hello_elixir

1. This will create a directory named hello_elixir with the necessary project structure.

2. Navigate to the project directory:

cd hello_elixir

1. Run the project to ensure everything is set up correctly:

mix run

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3. Understanding Modules and Methods

Modules in Elixir are containers for related functions (methods). They help organize your code and make it reusable.

Example of a Simple Module:

1. Open the file lib/hello_elixir.ex in your project directory.

2. Replace its content with the following:

defmodule HelloElixir do
  # This is a simple method that greets a user
  def greet(name) do
    "Hello, #{name}!"
  end
end

1. Save the file.

Running the Code:

1. Open iex, Elixir's interactive shell, inside your project directory:

iex -S mix

// in windows use iex.bat -S mix

1. Call the method from your module:

HelloElixir.greet("World")

1. Output:

"Hello, World!"

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4. Summary

In this tutorial, you:

• Installed Elixir on your system.

• Created a new project using Mix.

• Learned about modules and defined your first method.

Elixir's simplicity and powerful features make it an excellent choice for building modern applications. Stay tuned for more tutorials as we dive deeper into Elixir's ecosystem, covering topics like pattern matching, processes, and OTP.