Cyclic module usage error

The problem is that to compile Cycle, you need Cycle.Handle.
Cycle.Handle does not really depends on Cycle. However, since both are in the same file, it still ‘sort of’ depends on it.
And as a result, the compiler is unable to continue.

The solution is to move the nested module to a separate file.

Cycle depends on Cycle.Handle at compile time (struct usage requires keys to be known), but Cycle.Handle cannot be compliled without Cycle being compiled. So you’re in a cyclic dependency. You’ll either need to use different files or put Cycle.Handle’s definition before and outside of Cycle’s definition.

We don’t need to be that drastic in fact, we can just move the Handle definition higher up in the file. This will work:

defmodule Cycle do
  defmodule Handle do
    defstruct resource: nil, reference: nil

    def wrap_resource(resource) do
      %__MODULE__{
        resource: resource,
        reference: make_ref()
      }
    end
  end

  def hello(%Handle{resource: _resource}) do
    :world
  end
end

Note that the alias is also not needed.

I use this style quite often with my GenServers to define Options and State structs, like this example: lib/geo_therminator/pump_api/device/server.ex · 8fa72cbfa5b0402c46c53e13e5e994bf5a390f89 · Mikko Ahlroth / GeoTherminator · GitLab

I thank all of you @Qqwy, @LostKobrakai and @Nicd.