View Source Funx
Funx is a functional programming library for Elixir providing protocols and combinators for equality, ordering, monoids, monads, and other core abstractions.
Elixir doesn’t have a static type system, so it can’t enforce functional patterns through the compiler. Instead, it uses pattern matching, protocols, and structs to model abstractions at runtime.
Funx brings functional programming patterns into Elixir using the language’s own tools—without sacrificing its dynamic nature.
Equality
The Eq
protocol defines how two values are compared, making equality explicit and adaptable to your domain.
- Define what “equal” means—compare by ID, name, or any derived attribute.
- Compose multiple comparisons—require all to match or just one.
- Implement for structs, built-in types, or custom comparators.
Ordering
The Ord
protocol defines ordering relationships in a structured way, without relying on Elixir’s built-in comparison operators.
- Define comparisons based on properties like size, age, or priority.
- Chain orderings to create fallback tiebreakers.
- Implement for any type, including custom structs.
Monads
Monads encapsulate computations, allowing operations to be chained while handling concerns like optional values, failures, dependencies, or deferred effects.
Identity
: Wraps a value with no additional behavior—useful for organizing transformations.Maybe
: Represents optional data usingJust
for presence andNothing
for absence.Either
: Models computations with two possibilities—Left
andRight
.Effect
: Encapsulates deferred execution with error handling, similar toTask
.Reader
: Passes an immutable environment through a computation for dependency injection or configuration.
Monoids
Monoids combine values using an associative operation and an identity element. They are useful for accumulation, selection, and combining logic.
Sum
: Adds numbers (0
is the identity).Product
: Multiplies numbers (1
is the identity).Eq.All
: Values are equal only if all comparators agree.Eq.Any
: Values are equal if any comparator agrees.Predicate.All
: All predicates must hold.Predicate.Any
: At least one predicate must hold.Ord
: Defines ordering compositionally.Max
andMin
: Select the largest or smallest value by custom ordering.
Predicates
Predicates are functions that return true
or false
. Funx provides combinators for composing them cleanly.
p_and
: Returnstrue
if both predicates pass.p_or
: Returnstrue
if either predicate passes.p_not
: Negates a predicate.p_all
: Returnstrue
if all predicates in a list pass.p_any
: Returnstrue
if any predicate in a list passes.p_none
: Returnstrue
if none pass.
Folding
The Foldable
protocol defines how to reduce a structure to a single result.
fold_l
: Reduces from the left, applying functions in order.fold_r
: Reduces from the right, applying functions in reverse.
Useful for accumulating values, transforming collections, or extracting data.
Filtering
The Filterable
protocol defines how to conditionally retain values within a context.
guard
: Keeps a value if a condition is met; otherwise returns an empty context.filter
: Retains values that satisfy a predicate.filter_map
: Applies a transformation and keeps results only when the transformed value is present.
Sequencing
Sequencing runs a series of monadic operations in order, combining the results.
concat/1
: Removes empty values and unwraps the present results from a list.concat_map/2
: Applies a function to each element and collects only the present results.sequence/1
: Converts a list of monadic values into a single monadic value containing a list. Short-circuits on the first failure or absence.traverse/2
: Applies a function to each element and sequences the resulting monadic values.
Lifting
Lifting functions promote ordinary logic into a monadic or contextual form.
lift_predicate/3
: Wraps a value in a monad if a condition holds; returns an empty or failed context otherwise.lift_eq/1
: Adapts anEq
comparator to work within a monadic context.lift_ord/1
: Adapts anOrd
comparator to work within a monadic context.
Interop
Funx integrates with common Elixir patterns like {:ok, value}
and {:error, reason}
.
from_result/1
: Converts a result tuple into a monadic context that distinguishes success from failure.to_result/1
: Converts a monadic value back into a result tuple.from_try/1
: Wraps a function call in a monad, capturing exceptions as failures.to_try!/1
: Extracts the value from a monad or raises if it represents a failure.
Installation
To use Funx, add it to the list of dependencies in mix.exs
:
def deps do
[
{:funx, "~> 0.1.0"}
]
end
Then, run the following command to fetch the dependencies:
mix deps.get
Documentation
Full documentation is available on GitHub Pages.
Contributing
- Fork the repository.
- Create a new branch for the feature or bugfix (
git checkout -b feature-branch
). - Commit changes (
git commit -am 'Add new feature'
). - Push the branch (
git push origin feature-branch
). - Create a pull request.
License
This project is licensed under the MIT License.