Just wanted to say that this year is going to be the one I learn Elixir more than a hello world app.
I discovered Elixir a few months back and have been really inspired watching all the different conference talks, listening to podcasts, and reading blog posts. I learned to program a decade ago writing WordPress themes and PHP. Now I’m half and half between custom WP work for F500’s and bespoke web apps with Laravel (Rails-like for PHP).
My first project is to build a little general purpose tracking app for some other new year’s resolutions, but I’m curious what you would build as a learning project if you were starting today? What are some things I could add to a run of the mill CRUD app to add that bit of Elixir flare?
Do you think it’s worth it to start with Phoenix Liveview as a total noob to the framework, or is there more practical utility in traditional HTTP requests?
PS I’m looking to change jobs. If you’re interested in teaching me Eliixir on the job, DMs are open @daronspence
Start with Elixir the language. Once you wield the language with some fluency, either liveview or static view will do; the choice only depends on your problem space.
Although it’s not CRUD, one project that could be interesting (i.e. I wish someone would build it) is a cross-project hexdocs search. You’d start by reading in a mix.lock file (or maybe mix.exs), then download/build all the docs for all the dependencies. Then expose a LiveView interface to search through all the docs (but you could display the docs via ex_doc).
Similarly to derek-zhou I’d recommend starting with plain elixir. In particular I’d recommend the official getting started guide followed by Exercism Elixir track. Once you’re a decent way through the Exercism track then I’d start on a phoenix application/project.
I’ve definitely been going through quite a few of those tutorials and read most of Elixir in Action. I think I’ve put off jumping into Phoenix because I’m nervous. I know I’m going to make a lot of mistakes on my first attempt at anything and sometimes that “failure” can be challenging to face if I’m not in the mood after a tough week at work.
Start with something you would use everyday. It is called dog-fooding. Ever wonder why there is so many note taking apps or static site generators on github?
