Functional Web Development with Elixir, OTP, and Phoenix (Pragprog)

Seems good so far (even if I mistyped a function name, got errors, and then submitted it as errata :blush:), nice work up from really basic Agent -> GenServer etc. Nicely paced, gives a pretty speedy run through. Just going onto the Phoenix bit, which is the main reason I got it (to practise splitting apps), so Iā€™ll see how that goes

2 Likes

How much Elixir and Phoenix do you think we need to know before getting started on this book?

Good to hear positive views so far!

1 Like

Thanks!

You will need to have some experience with Elixir. Reading through the docs on the Elixir site might be enough for some. Otherwise, there are a number of intro level Elixir books out there.

If you have experience with an MVC style web framework, you should be fine on the Phoenix front. If not, the fabulous Programming Phoenix book will more than fill in any gaps.

4 Likes

@lance

I havenā€™t read yet but with a quick scan I see you use Phoenix 1.2. Thatā€™s great since Phoenix 1.3 and itā€™s book arenā€™t out yet. Given the book is estimated to get out of beta in October, are there any plans to update to the never version of Phoenix?

3 Likes

For this book, I donā€™t currently foresee significant differences between Phoenix 1.2 and 1.3. Weā€™ll determine how much retrofitting to do as we progress toward completion.

3 Likes

This is definitely going on my reading list, especially with 1.3 around the corner.

2 Likes

Iā€™ve gone through the first 50 pages of your book and itā€™s been great! Keep up the good work :slight_smile:

7 Likes

Lance, thank you for your book. It is amazing, I am really enjoying it! Will there be something related on how to persist data? Thank you! :wave: :thumbsup:

6 Likes

Thanks @ryanswapp! So glad youā€™re enjoying the book!

3 Likes

Wow, I really enjoyed what Iā€™ve gone through so far! Was pleased to see a game as an example project, being a game developer myself it boosted my interest a lot :slight_smile: Thanks for your work!

4 Likes

Thanks for the kind words @kpanic. Glad you like the book!

I know we wonā€™t cover storing and retrieving application state the way we might with a standard MVC web app. Since the book isnā€™t in its final form yet, Iā€™m not sure whether we might touch on some form of persistence somewhere. Until itā€™s done, itā€™s not done. :grinning:

3 Likes

@lance, if you do decide to do a chapter on persistence can you use Mnesia or CouchDB?

2 Likes

This book sounds fantastic. Iā€™m gonna convince my boss to order me one :slight_smile:

2 Likes

Thanks! Glad youā€™re enjoying the book, @artvin.

2 Likes

@jeramyRR, I think itā€™s really unlikely that we would cover any specific technology for persistence.

2 Likes

I would personally stick to Phoenix defaults (Postgres) as I imagine thatā€™s what most will be using.

Also, re updating to Phoenix 1.3, I would definitely recommend doing so, particularly if thereā€™s not much in it - people love books that cover the latest most up-to-date versions (one of the reasons so many of us love Pragprog, they seem to continually update their books) :slight_smile:

10 Likes

I woke up early this morning and got a chance to read a few chapters already before work and after getting home.

Loving the book already lance.

A great perspective, technically and otherwise, (including the flower child version of a wwII era game).

4 Likes

I knew asking for CouchDB was a long shot, but Mnesia seems doable right?

2 Likes

Thanks @Cortrah! So glad you appreciate the book and the game!

2 Likes

This is an instant purchase because the first chapter is called ā€œBuild a Game Engine in Pure Elixirā€. I love books that start with non-trivial projects instead of ā€œletā€™s build a todo listā€.

5 Likes