[plainOldText]

Okay. Read it now! :-)

I think one reasonable strategy of learning how some piece of software works or is meant to be used – especially when documentation is poor – is to just look at the source code (tests included).

I'm just getting started with the Phoenix framework, and I'm learning Elixir at the same time and reading through the source code helps me a lot, because:

    1. I can check out how things are implemented
    2. I get to read some idiomatic Elixir which helps me learn the language better

One can get reasonable understanding of software at the interplay between reading the docs and reading the source code.

[simoncion]

I generally agree that -in the absence of sufficient documentation- reading the tests and source for the project is generally the best way to learn how to use a project.

However. If the language the project is written in is wildly unfamiliar to you, and you've never had experience with a similar language, then this technique is often... less than satisfying.

From your comments, it appears that you have more than a passing familiarity with Erlang/OTP. You have to admit that it would be substantially harder to understand both Elixir and Phoenix without your understanding of Erlang. :)