crispinb
I want to use a recent fix in Mix (specifically Another attempt at fixing opening in browser on Windows · hexpm/hex@dd9c62b · GitHub) before the next elixir release arrives. I’ve looked through my installation directories (.asdf/installs/elixir/current/ on linux and ~\scoop\apps\elixir\current\ on windows) and have confused myself. I’ve browsed and ripgrepped and can’t find the relevant source. I realise I don’t have a good handle on how the default packages work so wouldn’t be sure what to do even if I do find it. So some questions from the general to the specific:
- is there a good general doc or description somewhere of how elixir packages relate to modules, and how module discovery and loading works? (in which case I might be able to answer the below questions myself).
- what are the source files (in
[installdir]/lib) used for? I’m guessing they’re not locally compiled, given the presence of the presumably preinstalled *.beam files in[installdir]/lib/**/ebin? - either way, can a preinstalled package be overriden locally? (eg. is there an equivalent of the order in a java classpath I can rely on, or can I edit and recompile one of the preinstalled modules in place?)
- how would I do this (whatever ‘this’ may turn out to be) for the Mix.Tasks.Hex.Docs in the quoted commit?
Answers to any or all alike much appreciated!
Where Next?
Trending in Questions
Other Trending Topics
Latest on Elixir Forum
Sponsor Spotlight
Master modern tools, write cleaner code, and tackle real-world challenges with Manning books, videos, and courses. Start building today.
Categories:
Sub Categories:
Forums
Popular Tags
- #ecto
- #liveview
- #troubleshooting
- #learning-elixir
- #library
- #deployment
- #erlang
- #testing
- #genserver
- #mix
- #absinthe
- #remote-other
- #otp
- #plug
- #how-to-question
- #macros
- #postgres
- #elixirconf
- #channels
- #exunit
- #discussion
- #code-sync
- #podcasts
- #javascript
- #onsite
- #dialyzer
- #docker
- #authentication
- #umbrella
- #full-time-contract
- #podcasts-by-brainlid
- #ecto-query
- #elixirconf-us
- #ai
- #blog-post
- #elixir-ls
- #phoenix_html
- #iex
- #graphql
- #genstage
- #websockets
- #supervisor
- #advent-of-code
- #distillery
- #processes
- #api
- #forms
- #hex
- #security
- #metaprogramming
Our Sponsors
Build Elixir applications with speed and confidence.
Supporting innovation across the BEAM ecosystem.
Catch errors, track performance, monitor hosts and more.
Error tracking, logs, uptime, and Just Enough APM. Built for developers.
Elixir, Erlang & BEAM conferences from Code Sync - join us in 2026!
Practical resources that improve the lives of professional developers.
Bringing learning, work and compliance together since 1987.
**Building the future of software with AI, trust, and human connection.**
The team behind Membrane, Popcorn, LiveDebugger. Available for hire.
Courses that'll move you from confusion to "Aha, now I get it!"
Showing Posts 1 to 3- Show Best Posts
- Show All (oldest first)
- Show All (newest first)
eksperimental
Create a simbolic link in the install folder , that points to the git repo, I call mine “main” which is the name of the Elixir branch it is running on.
crispinb
After a bit of digging, the TLDR is just to delete my ~/.mix folder, and then reinstall the mix archive from HEAD with
mix install github hexpm/hex. I hadn’t entirely grokked that theMix.Tasks.Hex.Docspackage isn’t part of the Elixir installation, but comes with Hex.In case anyone else comes across this and wonders, here are my rube-ish answers to those of my own questions I’ve managed to answer myself (corrections/additions very welcome):
I haven’t found a single comprehensive source, but reading this Erlang doc (code — OTP 29.0.2 (kernel 11.0.2)), and playing around in
iexwith the:codefunctions was pretty enlightening.Perhaps but I haven’t tried it as it turned out not to be relevant to my situation after all. There is of course a code path from which BEAM files are loaded, and you can add to it
:code.add_paths/1or via an$ERL_LIBSenv var. In Erlang you can override anything other than the Kernel and StdLib modules, but I’m not sure about Elixir.Remove the hex-installed archives from
~/.mix, and reinstall from the hexpm/hex github repo HEAD withmix archive.install.crispinb
Thanks @eksperimental - it turns out I misdirected you, & the changes I wanted to bring in weren’t from the base Elixir installation.