[johnisgood]

I am talking about the typical / usual case. In fact, you typically use "mix phx.new" for projects using Phoenix in Elixir, and it creates lots of files, as opposed to "import ..." in a single Go file. I never said that it is impossible to do in Elixir (or Java), but it is not the typical case.

[prophesi]

That's the typical use case if you want a web server. If you're writing for low-level devices, you'd use `mix nerves.new project_name`. If you're writing an Elixir app that won't be a web server, you'd use `mix new project_name`. If you're writing an elixir script, you'd use `touch script_name.exs`

[johnisgood]

Yes, of course. You are right.

[cess11]

I tend to build my prototypes as single file Elixir scripts. These are sometimes rather bulky with a bunch of logic and IO modules with some helper modules on the side. It's only when I believe in the idea that I reach for phx_new and start writing tests and copying in code into a full Phoenix project.

When I started out with Phoenix I learned a lot from studying the boilerplate it can generate. If you just need a route and serve some JSON or a file on it you can turn off most of the code generation and do precisely that, in case you're sure that's what you want. I think the default being that you can immediately flesh out auth and CRUD for whatever tabular data model you want is rather sensible.

[johnisgood]

I typically use specific flags to "mix phx.new" that gets rid most of the files, especially JavaScript and whatnot. I am not at my PC right now and I forgot the flags, but I am sure you know what I am referring to.

I never tried starting with Elixir scripts, I will give that a try.

[cess11]

Someone linked the Plug docs elsewhere in this subthread, those show you how you can quickly launch a web server from a single file, including one with WebSocket capability.

In my opinion Elixir scripts punch way above their weight. It's trivial to pull in the same dependencies as you would in a full project and you can easily keep a set of five or ten template scripts just laying around and copy those when you want a quick start with some boilerplate for a set of dependencies that often comes in handy. You could do something similar with mix plugins but it requires a bit more effort.

[johnisgood]

Side-note: considering you like Prolog, how come you are not writing Erlang instead of Elixir?

[mustermannBB]

Are you comparing Elixir with a framework as extensive as Phoenix to Go and "just" its standard http library? If so I'm not sure that would be a good comparison then.

[johnisgood]

No, you could import a full-blown framework and have it set up within one single file, in fact, that is how you usually start, typically... Unless you like having lots of files, of course. I have used such Go libraries / frameworks before, and it all started out as a single file, but with Phoenix, you start with lots of files. I am not saying it is a bad thing, I am just expressing my preference to fewer files. Organization and modularity are great, but in the case of Go, I create the files myself (so I am more aware of everything that is going on). In case of Phoenix ("mix phx.new"), it is done for you. Again, not saying it is a bad thing. I am fine with it by now, but it was overwhelming and demotivating in the beginning, as opposed to, say, Go.

[victorbjorklund]

Typical no one writes a large web app in a single Go-file.

[johnisgood]

Well, that is unfair, because you added "large". If we compare large web apps between Elixir and Go, I am pretty sure Go would still have fewer files overall.

[victorbjorklund]

If you are just doing a script in Elixir it is just one file. You have no experience with Elixir so not sure why you keep arguing when people tell you that you are wrong.

[johnisgood]

I do have experience with Elixir though, I am not sure where you have gotten your conclusions from. What do you think are my claims? I know it is possible to do everything in a single file, but that is NOT the typical case, and you know it. Additionally, I really did not consider myself arguing.

I prefer fewer files, usually, especially when I am just trying to show something up as soon as possible. I do not mind having a serious project written in Elixir (which I have) that spans across multiple files, though.

At any rate, what am I wrong about? I expressed my preference. When I want to get things done ASAP, I stick to Go these days (one file). If I know it is going to be a serious project, I stick to Elixir (multiple files). There is not much to it really. I apologize if I came across as argumentative.

[victorbjorklund]

I thought you claimed that you just asked AI and you mistakenly thought elixir requires a lot of files (something that is 100% false). How many years jave you been an elixir developer if you claim to have experience?

[johnisgood]

I did not ask AI about this (not sure where you got this from, it was probably someone else), nor have I thought that Elixir technically requires a lot of files, but typically you do have more files, just like in Erlang, which is why I said I use Go for less serious projects. Challenge: find me any serious projects in Erlang or Elixir that consists of less than 4-6 files. And I mean, we are talking about web frameworks, so, "mix phx.new" alone creates a lot of files (100% true, even with specific CLI flags).

If you have experience with these languages yourself, then you know that separation of concerns is a core principle. Elixir (and Erlang) projects, especially those built with Phoenix or OTP principles involve a multitude of files, even for relatively small applications. This is not because the languages require them per se, but rather because the conventions and idioms of both languages, especially within the OTP framework encourage modular, isolated units of behavior spread across separate files, which I do not think is a bad thing in itself.

> If you are just doing a script in Elixir it is just one file.

I know! I already left a comment agreeing with someone else saying that, which I have known already anyways.

Again, I was voicing my frustration with keeping track of a lot of files, which is not what I want to do in the case of not-too-serious projects, which is why I use Go for less serious projects, as I have previously mentioned. I do not always mind having a lot of files, but there are cases when I do, just like how one may not prototype in a low-level language as opposed to a high-level one.

In any case, I hope I could clarify well enough for you. Do we still disagree?