01-simple-modules

Simple Elixir Module Examples

This directory demonstrates the most basic usage of Haxe→Elixir compilation, focusing on creating simple Elixir modules using the @:module syntax.

Learning Objectives

• Understand @:module annotation for clean syntax
• Learn pipe operator (|>) usage in Haxe
• Master public and private function patterns
• See the compilation output compared to hand-written Elixir

Examples Overview

1. BasicModule.hx

Demonstrates: Core @:module syntax, basic functions Compiles to: BasicModule.ex

2. MathHelper.hx

Demonstrates: Pipe operators, functional composition Compiles to: MathHelper.ex

3. UserUtil.hx

Demonstrates: Public/private functions, @:private annotation Compiles to: UserUtil.ex

Running the Examples

Compile All Examples

cd examples/01-simple-modules
haxe compile-all.hxml

Compile Individual Examples

# Basic module
haxe BasicModule.hxml

# Math helper with pipes
haxe MathHelper.hxml  

# User utilities with private functions
haxe UserUtil.hxml

Compare Output

Each example includes:

• .hx source file (Haxe)
• .hxml compilation config
• expected/ directory with hand-written Elixir equivalent
• output/ directory with compiled result

# Compare compiled vs expected
diff output/BasicModule.ex expected/BasicModule.ex

Key Concepts Demonstrated

@:module Annotation

Eliminates the need to write public static on every function:

@:module
class BasicModule {
    // Automatically becomes "def hello() do"
    function hello(): String {
        return "world";
    }
}

Pipe Operators

Native Elixir-style functional composition:

function calculate(x: Float): Float {
    return x
           |> multiplyByTwo()
           |> addTen()
           |> Math.round();
}

Private Functions

Use @:private for defp generation:

@:private
function validateInput(data: String): Bool {
    return data != null && data.length > 0;
}

Next Steps

After mastering simple modules, continue to:

• 02-mix-project - Integration with Mix build system
• 03-phoenix-app - Minimal Phoenix web app authored in Haxe
• todo-app - Full Phoenix LiveView + Ecto reference app

Troubleshooting

Compilation errors?

• Ensure Haxe 4.3.7+ is installed
• Check that reflaxe_runtime flag is set in .hxml files
• Verify src/ directory is in classpath

Output doesn't match expected?

• This is normal as compiler output may include additional metadata
• Focus on the core function definitions and module structure