joey_the_snake
Setting a module attribute from a function in a different module
I have 2 modules, one of them has a function that returns a list and the other one is using that function to create a module attribute.
Is this a safe operation in Elixir? I’m not sure if it’s guaranteed that the first module will be compiled before the second one. Also, does it matter if the modules are in the same file/different files?
e.g:
defmodule Producer do
def special_list do
[1,2,3]
end
end
defmodule Consumer do
@special_attribute Producer.special_list()
end
Most Liked
kip
Welcome to the forum!
The compiler will detect that you are calling a remote function on the Producer module and will compile the Producer module if it needs to. So yes, it’s a safe thing to do and quite a common pattern.
szajbus
Calling a function from another module at compile-time creates a compile-time dependency to that module.
If a Producer also had compile-time dependency to Consumer (direct or indirect), compiler would run in a deadlock.
So, it’s possible, but beware 
Popular in Questions
Other popular topics
Latest on Elixir Forum
Sponsor Spotlight
Courses that'll move you from confusion to "Aha, now I get it!"
Categories:
Sub Categories:
Forums
Our Sponsors
Build Elixir applications with speed and confidence.
Supporting innovation across the BEAM ecosystem.
We build reliable cloud platforms for business-critical systems.
Catch errors, track performance, monitor hosts and more.
Practical resources that improve the lives of professional developers.
Producing high quality Elixir screencasts since 2017.
The deployment platform built for Elixir: PaaS ease, VPS control.
Courses that'll move you from confusion to "Aha, now I get it!"