smon
Is it possible to include resource files when packaging my project using Mix/escript?
Hi everyone,
I was thinking of resources like images, XML files or documents in other text formats. Is there something similar to the resources folder in Java (“src/main/resources”)? The goal would be to add files to my package that can be accessed from code on runtime.
Or is this somehow a very un-Elixir-y way of thinking? Elixir is my first functional language - so what would be the “right” way to do it?
Cheers,
smon
Marked As Solved
josevalim
To confirm: although priv is the appropriate place, we can’t load files from priv inside escripts. What I usually do is to load the file at compilation time and store it as a module attribute:
@external_resource "priv/foo/bar"
@bar_contents File.read! "priv/foo/bar"
def bar_contents, do: @bar_contentsAlso Liked
benwilson512
Hey!
That is precisely what the /priv folder is for in your project root. It’ll get packaged up along with your application when you build a release. If you have a data.xml file in your /priv directory you can get to it in your code by doing
Path.join(:code.priv_dir(:my_app), "data.xml")
david
Erlang OTP Design Principles User’s Guide at Directory Structure
priv - Used for application specific files. For example, C executables are placed here. The function code:priv_dir/1 should be used to access this directory.
Per Jose:
“priv” is like “OTP” where its name made sense at the beginning but today it has grown beyond that. All it matters now is that we put in the “priv” directory any artifact that you need in production alongside your code.
smon
Awesome!
Thank you very much. priv is an abbreviation of what exactly? “private”? Or am I missing some more obvious term it stands for?
Cheers,
smon
sentient-wendy
Thanks for the replies @smon and @josevalim! 
NobbZ
It will only affect release size. The Priv folder is only included there, not in individual modules.
Also it won’t increase module load time as it’s not included in modules as I said.
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