Fl4m3Ph03n1x

Fl4m3Ph03n1x

Background

Let’s say I have a TypedStruct that has some common fields:

typedstruct do
    @typedoc "A product."

    field(:item_id, String.t())
    field(:name, String.t())
    field(:brand, String.t())
  end

This is a product and because products can go on sale, I have another TypedStruct:

typedstruct do
    @typedoc "A sale."

    field(:item_id, String.t())
    field(:name, String.t())
    field(:brand, String.t())
    field(:price, number)
    field(:discount, boolean)
  end

Issue

Now, you are probably seeing there is some duplication here. Since a sale is a product with extra info, some of the fields are replicated.

A first attempt at a solution could be something like this:

typedstruct do
    @typedoc "A sale."

    field(:product, Product.t())
    field(:price, number)
    field(:discount, boolean)
  end

However, my use case does not allow for this. I must have a struct with exactly the same fields as Product.t() and a few extra. I cannot simply smash a product field into my sales struct.

Question

  • Is there a way to compose types using TypedStruct (or normal structs?)
  • If not, what do you think would be the solution with the least amount of copy/pasting for this issue?

Showing Posts 1 to 6

tcoopman

tcoopman

Are you saying a sale contains a product (1)? Or is a sale something completely different from a product(2)?

If (2): They’re not the same so don’t try to do as if they’re the same.
In case of (1): I’m really interested as for why you can’t do what you proposed with product as part of sale?

Fl4m3Ph03n1x

Fl4m3Ph03n1x OP

I would go for (1). A sale is not a product, but contains one.
I can’t follow the proposed solution because the generated Json file would not be compatible with the API I am integrating with.

tcoopman

tcoopman

I think the cleanest solution would be to write a custom encoder for the product: Jason.Encoder — jason v1.4.5

Although I would not mind this kind of duplication either.

It really depends on the domain and what sale and products are exactly.

LostKobrakai

LostKobrakai

That sounds like you‘re missing a translation layer between your internal data model and the outside world.

Fl4m3Ph03n1x

Fl4m3Ph03n1x OP

Yes, that is the thing I am trying to build :smiley:
Would you go for duplication, for an implementation of the Jason encode protocol, or something else?

LostKobrakai

LostKobrakai

I’d go for the simplest to change option for things outside of your control, which would likely be duplication. Don’t try to abstract something other people are in charge off.

— All posts loaded —

Where Next? Top

Trending in Questions Top

katta
I having some trouble figuring out if I have set myself too strict of standards for my production server. Currently I can handle 75% of r...
New
nseaSeb
Hello, I know there is an approach for handling lists that allows for optimized traversal, but I can’t recall the specific method (somet...
New
brecabral
Documentation While reading the Scoped Routes section, I noticed that the documentation currently refers to a problem without explainin...
New
kpanic
Hi everyone, I am toying with the idea of building a “match maker” for giving personal help to people that wants to start coding. I sta...
New
velrest
So my question is quite simple and i have found no conclusive answer on forum, google or AI. Should we use :erlang.float for Integer to ...
New
asweet-confluent
I recently noticed that Elixir’s Logger defaults its primary log level to :debug when no :logger, :level application configuration is pre...
New
apz
I’m new to elixir and just tried to install the elixirLS extension for VScode(ium) and it is throwing some errors that I would like help ...
New

Other Trending Topics Top

GenericJam
Edit: 2026 May 15 - This post is archived. Mob is alive!! Main docs: mob v0.7.11 — Documentation A bit of explanation for the slightly c...
New
JesseHerrick
Hey, I’m Jesse and I’m the main contributor behind Dexter, a full-featured, lightning-fast Elixir LSP optimized for large codebases. It s...
New
mudasobwa
I am happy to introduce the very α version of the new programming language compiled to BEAM. Welcome Cure. It has literally three kille...
New
garrison
Hobbes is a low-level distributed database for the Elixir programming language. Hobbes provides a simple, safe, and scalable storage lay...
New
mhanberg
Hi everyone! The first release candidate for the Expert language server project is now available! We’ve published a press release detai...
New
budgie
A little off-topic, but I feel like people here have a good head on their shoulders. I used to be quite good at making software. Was luc...
New

We're in Beta

About us Mission Statement

Options

Thread Display Mode




Thread Preview

Skip Thread Previews