Currently we use the `dot-iex` file to configure an iex shell. The
`dot-iex` file that gets loaded is the first of these three things that is
found
• --dot-iex PATH command line argument supplied to the iex command
• '.iex.exs' file in the directory that iex is run from
• '.iex.exs' file in directory found in the env var "IEX_HOME" OR the users
home directory
The issue I am facing currently is that project level shell configuration
is hard to manage in a way that achieves these goals
• will apply configuration when running a shell in the context of a
particular (mix) project
• will allow for a developer to apply their own particular customization
• does not require any additional scripts / arguments to start the project
Existing partial solutions for a project level iex configuration
• create and commit a `.iex.exs` file for the project
-- PROS:
• the file will be loaded when `iex -S mix` is run
• configuration can be specific to the project as it is part of the
source code written for the project and tracked through whatever svc is used
-- CONS:
• does not allow for an individual developer to include their own
configuration as expected (you could add an
`import_if_avaiable(".dev.iex.exs")` line to the project level `.iex.exs`
file to allow for this extension, but it makes the file name arbitrary and
could cause some confusion)
• will be used when `iex` is run from that directory not in the context
of that mix project
• create a project specific configuration file and use the --dot-iex
command line arg
-- PROS:
• does not interfere with running `iex` outside of the context of the
mix project
• can load additional configuration files by include
`import_if_avaiable` statements
-- CONS:
• Requires including the --dot-iex arg when running the `iex -S mix`
command, which is prone to being forgotten, this could be wrapped in a very
simple start script, but you would still need to remember to run that (I
work with a largish number of elixir services and having individual start
scripts or args per project can be cumbersome to remember)
I think an ideal solution would be a way to configure a mix project to load
a particular configuration file that will be loaded when the IEx.Evaluator
starts IN ADDITION to the existing `dot-iex` file options. I believe this
would allow for maintainers of a project to normalize some shell
configuration while still allowing developers the full ability to add their
own configuration while also keeping the workflow of starting the shell
more standardized across projects.
A secondary goal might be that this could be incorporated into releases as
well so that the `./bin/project remote` and similar commands could also
load some particular configuration
Thanks in advance for any thoughts you had, and if I missed any existing
options for this type of configuration, let me know!
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