code(3erl)


NAME

   code - Erlang code server.

DESCRIPTION

   This  module  contains  the  interface to the Erlang code server, which
   deals with the loading of compiled code into a running  Erlang  runtime
   system.

   The  runtime  system  can  be  started in embedded or interactive mode.
   Which one is decided by command-line flag -mode:

   % erl -mode interactive

   The modes are as follows:

     * In  embedded  mode,  all  code  is  loaded  during  system  startup
       according  to  the  boot  script. (Code can also be loaded later by
       explicitly ordering the code server to do so).

     * In interactive mode, which is default, only  some  code  is  loaded
       during  system startup, basically the modules needed by the runtime
       system. Other code is dynamically  loaded  when  first  referenced.
       When  a  call  to  a  function in a certain module is made, and the
       module is not loaded, the code server searches  for  and  tries  to
       load the module.

   To  prevent  accidentally  reloading  of  modules  affecting the Erlang
   runtime system, directories kernel, stdlib, and compiler are considered
   sticky.  This  means  that  the system issues a warning and rejects the
   request if a user tries to reload a module residing in any of them. The
   feature can be disabled by using command-line flag -nostick.

CODE PATH

   In  interactive  mode, the code server maintains a search path, usually
   called the code path, consisting of a list  of  directories,  which  it
   searches sequentially when trying to load a module.

   Initially,  the code path consists of the current working directory and
   all  Erlang   object   code   directories   under   library   directory
   $OTPROOT/lib,   where   $OTPROOT   is  the  installation  directory  of
   Erlang/OTP, code:root_dir(). Directories can be  named  Name[-Vsn]  and
   the  code  server,  by  default, chooses the directory with the highest
   version number among  those  having  the  same  Name.  Suffix  -Vsn  is
   optional.  If an ebin directory exists under Name[-Vsn], this directory
   is added to the code path.

   Environment variable ERL_LIBS (defined in the operating system) can  be
   used  to  define more library directories to be handled in the same way
   as the standard OTP library  directory  described  above,  except  that
   directories without an ebin directory are ignored.

   All application directories found in the additional directories appears
   before the standard OTP applications, except for the Kernel and  STDLIB
   applications,  which  are placed before any additional applications. In
   other words, modules found in any of the additional library directories
   override  modules  with  the  same  name  in OTP, except for modules in
   Kernel and STDLIB.

   Environment variable ERL_LIBS (if  defined)  is  to  contain  a  colon-
   separated  (for Unix-like systems) or semicolon-separated (for Windows)
   list of additional libraries.

   Example:

   On a Unix-like system, ERL_LIBS can be set to the following

   /usr/local/jungerl:/home/some_user/my_erlang_lib

   On Windows, use semi-colon as separator.

LOADING OF CODE FROM ARCHIVE FILES

   Warning:
   The support for loading code from archive files  is  experimental.  The
   purpose of releasing it before it is ready is to obtain early feedback.
   The file format, semantics, interfaces, and so on, can be changed in  a
   future  release.  The function lib_dir/2 and flag -code_path_choice are
   also experimental.

   The Erlang archives are ZIP files with extension .ez.  Erlang  archives
   can  also  be  enclosed  in  escript  files  whose  file  extension  is
   arbitrary.

   Erlang archive files can contain entire Erlang applications or parts of
   applications.  The  structure  in  an  archive  file is the same as the
   directory structure for an application. If you, for example, create  an
   archive of mnesia-4.4.7, the archive file must be named mnesia-4.4.7.ez
   and it must contain a top directory named mnesia-4.4.7. If the  version
   part  of  the  name is omitted, it must also be omitted in the archive.
   That is, a mnesia.ez archive must contain a mnesia top directory.

   An archive file for an application can, for example,  be  created  like
   this:

   zip:create("mnesia-4.4.7.ez",
        ["mnesia-4.4.7"],
        [{cwd, code:lib_dir()},
         {compress, all},
         {uncompress,[".beam",".app"]}]).

   Any  file  in the archive can be compressed, but to speed up the access
   of frequently read files, it can be a good idea to store beam  and  app
   files uncompressed in the archive.

   Normally  the  top  directory  of  an application is located in library
   directory $OTPROOT/lib or in a directory  referred  to  by  environment
   variable  ERL_LIBS. At startup, when the initial code path is computed,
   the code server also looks for archive files in these  directories  and
   possibly  adds  ebin directories in archives to the code path. The code
   path   then   contains   paths   to   directories   that   look    like
   $OTPROOT/lib/mnesia.ez/mnesia/ebin                                   or
   $OTPROOT/lib/mnesia-4.4.7.ez/mnesia-4.4.7/ebin.

   The code server uses module erl_prim_loader in ERTS  (possibly  through
   erl_boot_server)  to  read  code  files  from  archives.  However,  the
   functions in erl_prim_loader can also be used by other applications  to
   read     files     from     archives.    For    example,    the    call
   erl_prim_loader:list_dir(
   "/otp/root/lib/mnesia-4.4.7.ez/mnesia-4.4.7/examples/bench)" would list
   the   contents   of   a    directory    inside    an    archive.    See
   erl_prim_loader(3erl).

   An  application  archive  file  and a regular application directory can
   coexist. This can be useful when it is needed  to  have  parts  of  the
   application  as  regular  files.  A typical case is the priv directory,
   which must reside as a regular directory to link in drivers dynamically
   and  start port programs. For other applications that do not need this,
   directory priv can reside in  the  archive  and  the  files  under  the
   directory priv can be read through erl_prim_loader.

   When  a  directory  is  added to the code path and when the entire code
   path is (re)set, the code server decides  which  subdirectories  in  an
   application  that are to be read from the archive and which that are to
   be  read  as  regular  files.  If  directories  are  added  or  removed
   afterwards,  the  file  access can fail if the code path is not updated
   (possibly to  the  same  path  as  before,  to  trigger  the  directory
   resolution update).

   For  each  directory  on  the  second  level in the application archive
   (ebin, priv, src, and so on), the code server first chooses the regular
   directory   if   it  exists  and  second  from  the  archive.  Function
   code:lib_dir/2 returns the  path  to  the  subdirectory.  For  example,
   code:lib_dir(megaco,ebin)                   can                  return
   /otp/root/lib/megaco-3.9.1.1.ez/megaco-3.9.1.1/ebin               while
   code:lib_dir(megaco,priv) can return /otp/root/lib/megaco-3.9.1.1/priv.

   When  an escript file contains an archive, there are no restrictions on
   the name of the escript and no restrictions on  how  many  applications
   that  can be stored in the embedded archive. Single Beam files can also
   reside on the top level in the archive. At startup, the  top  directory
   in  the embedded archive and all (second level) ebin directories in the
   embedded archive are added to the code path. See erts:escript(1).

   When the choice  of  directories  in  the  code  path  is  strict,  the
   directory that ends up in the code path is exactly the stated one. This
   means      that      if,      for      example,      the      directory
   $OTPROOT/lib/mnesia-4.4.7/ebin  is  explicitly  added to the code path,
   the     code     server     does     not      load      files      from
   $OTPROOT/lib/mnesia-4.4.7.ez/mnesia-4.4.7/ebin.

   This   behavior   can   be   controlled   through   command-line   flag
   -code_path_choice Choice. If the flag  is  set  to  relaxed,  the  code
   server  instead  chooses  a  suitable directory depending on the actual
   file structure. If a regular application ebin directory exists,  it  is
   chosen.  Otherwise,  the  directory ebin in the archive is chosen if it
   exists. If neither of them exists, the original directory is chosen.

   Command-line flag -code_path_choice Choice also affects how module init
   interprets  the  boot  script.  The interpretation of the explicit code
   paths in the boot script can be strict or relaxed. It  is  particularly
   useful  to  set  the flag to relaxed when elaborating with code loading
   from archives without editing the boot script. The default is  relaxed.
   See erts:init(3erl).

CURRENT AND OLD CODE

   The  code  for  a module can exist in two variants in a system: current
   code and old code. When a module is loaded  into  the  system  for  the
   first  time,  the  module  code becomes 'current' and the global export
   table is updated with references to all  functions  exported  from  the
   module.

   If then a new instance of the module is loaded (for example, because of
   error correction), the code of the previous instance becomes 'old', and
   all  export  entries  referring  to  the previous instance are removed.
   After that, the new instance is loaded  as  for  the  first  time,  and
   becomes 'current'.

   Both  old  and  current  code  for  a module are valid, and can even be
   evaluated concurrently. The difference is that  exported  functions  in
   old  code  are  unavailable.  Hence, a global call cannot be made to an
   exported function in old code, but old  code  can  still  be  evaluated
   because of processes lingering in it.

   If  a  third  instance of the module is loaded, the code server removes
   (purges) the old code and any processes lingering in it are terminated.
   Then  the  third  instance becomes 'current' and the previously current
   code becomes 'old'.

   For more information about old and current code,  and  how  to  make  a
   process  switch  from  old to current code, see section Compilation and
   Code Loading in the Erlang Reference Manual.

ARGUMENT TYPES AND INVALID ARGUMENTS

   Module and application names are atoms, while file and directory  names
   are  strings. For backward compatibility reasons, some functions accept
   both strings and atoms, but a future release will probably  only  allow
   the arguments that are documented.

   As  from  Erlang/OTP R12B, functions in this module generally fail with
   an exception if they are passed an  incorrect  type  (for  example,  an
   integer  or  a  tuple  where  an  atom  is expected). An error tuple is
   returned if the argument type is correct,  but  there  are  some  other
   errors   (for   example,  a  non-existing  directory  is  specified  to
   set_path/1).

ERROR REASONS FOR CODE-LOADING FUNCTIONS

   Functions  that  load  code   (such   as   load_file/1)   will   return
   {error,Reason}  if the load operation fails. Here follows a description
   of the common reasons.

     badfile:
       The object code has an incorrect format or the module name  in  the
       object code is not the expected module name.

     nofile:
       No file with object code was found.

     not_purged:
       The  object  code could not be loaded because an old version of the
       code already existed.

     on_load_failure:
       The module has an -on_load function that failed when it was called.

     sticky_directory:
       The object code resides in a sticky directory.

DATA TYPES

   load_ret() =
       {error, What :: load_error_rsn()} |
       {module, Module :: module()}

   load_error_rsn() =
       badfile |
       nofile |
       not_purged |
       on_load_failure |
       sticky_directory

   prepared_code()

          An opaque term holding prepared code.

EXPORTS

   set_path(Path) -> true | {error, What}

          Types:

             Path = [Dir :: file:filename()]
             What = bad_directory

          Sets the code path to the list of directories Path.

          Returns:

            true:
              If successful

            {error, bad_directory}:
              If any Dir is not a directory name

   get_path() -> Path

          Types:

             Path = [Dir :: file:filename()]

          Returns the code path.

   add_path(Dir) -> add_path_ret()

   add_pathz(Dir) -> add_path_ret()

          Types:

             Dir = file:filename()
             add_path_ret() = true | {error, bad_directory}

          Adds Dir to the code path. The directory is added  as  the  last
          directory in the new path. If Dir already exists in the path, it
          is not added.

          Returns true if successful, or {error, bad_directory} if Dir  is
          not the name of a directory.

   add_patha(Dir) -> add_path_ret()

          Types:

             Dir = file:filename()
             add_path_ret() = true | {error, bad_directory}

          Adds Dir to the beginning of the code path. If Dir exists, it is
          removed from the old position in the code path.

          Returns true if successful, or {error, bad_directory} if Dir  is
          not the name of a directory.

   add_paths(Dirs) -> ok

   add_pathsz(Dirs) -> ok

          Types:

             Dirs = [Dir :: file:filename()]

          Adds  the  directories in Dirs to the end of the code path. If a
          Dir exists, it is not added.

          Always returns ok, regardless of the validity of each individual
          Dir.

   add_pathsa(Dirs) -> ok

          Types:

             Dirs = [Dir :: file:filename()]

          Adds  the directories in Dirs to the beginning of the code path.
          If a Dir exists, it is removed from the old position in the code
          path.

          Always returns ok, regardless of the validity of each individual
          Dir.

   del_path(NameOrDir) -> boolean() | {error, What}

          Types:

             NameOrDir = Name | Dir
             Name = atom()
             Dir = file:filename()
             What = bad_name

          Deletes a directory from the code path. The argument can  be  an
          atom   Name,   in   which  case  the  directory  with  the  name
          .../Name[-Vsn][/ebin] is deleted from the code path.  Also,  the
          complete directory name Dir can be specified as argument.

          Returns:

            true:
              If successful

            false:
              If the directory is not found

            {error, bad_name}:
              If the argument is invalid

   replace_path(Name, Dir) -> true | {error, What}

          Types:

             Name = atom()
             Dir = file:filename()
             What = bad_directory | bad_name | {badarg, term()}

          Replaces    an    old    occurrence   of   a   directory   named
          .../Name[-Vsn][/ebin] in the code path, with Dir. If  Name  does
          not  exist, it adds the new directory Dir last in the code path.
          The new directory must also be named .../Name[-Vsn][/ebin]. This
          function  is  to  be  used  if  a  new  version of the directory
          (library) is added to a running system.

          Returns:

            true:
              If successful

            {error, bad_name}:
              If Name is not found

            {error, bad_directory}:
              If Dir does not exist

            {error, {badarg, [Name, Dir]}}:
              If Name or Dir is invalid

   load_file(Module) -> load_ret()

          Types:

             Module = module()
             load_ret() =
                 {error, What :: load_error_rsn()} |
                 {module, Module :: module()}

          Tries to load the Erlang module Module, using the code path.  It
          looks  for  the object code file with an extension corresponding
          to the  Erlang  machine  used,  for  example,  Module.beam.  The
          loading  fails  if  the  module  name  found  in the object code
          differs from the name Module. load_binary/3 must be used to load
          object  code  with a module name that is different from the file
          name.

          Returns {module, Module} if successful, or  {error,  Reason}  if
          loading  fails. See Error Reasons for Code-Loading Functions for
          a description of the possible error reasons.

   load_abs(Filename) -> load_ret()

          Types:

             Filename = file:filename()
             load_ret() =
                 {error, What :: load_error_rsn()} |
                 {module, Module :: module()}
             loaded_filename() =
                 (Filename :: file:filename()) | loaded_ret_atoms()
             loaded_ret_atoms() = cover_compiled | preloaded

          Same as  load_file(Module),  but  Filename  is  an  absolute  or
          relative  filename.  The code path is not searched. It returns a
          value in the same way as load_file/1. Notice that Filename  must
          not   contain   the   extension  (for  example,  .beam)  because
          load_abs/1 adds the correct extension.

   ensure_loaded(Module) -> {module, Module} | {error, What}

          Types:

             Module = module()
             What = embedded | badfile | nofile | on_load_failure

          Tries to load a module in the same way  as  load_file/1,  unless
          the  module is already loaded. However, in embedded mode it does
          not load a module  that  is  not  already  loaded,  but  returns
          {error,  embedded}  instead.  See Error Reasons for Code-Loading
          Functions for a description of other possible error reasons.

   load_binary(Module, Filename, Binary) ->
                  {module, Module} | {error, What}

          Types:

             Module = module()
             Filename = loaded_filename()
             Binary = binary()
             What = badarg | load_error_rsn()
             loaded_filename() =
                 (Filename :: file:filename()) | loaded_ret_atoms()
             loaded_ret_atoms() = cover_compiled | preloaded

          This function can be used to load object code on  remote  Erlang
          nodes.  Argument  Binary  must  contain  object code for Module.
          Filename is only used by the code server to  keep  a  record  of
          from which file the object code for Module comes. Thus, Filename
          is not opened and read by the code server.

          Returns {module, Module} if successful, or  {error,  Reason}  if
          loading  fails. See Error Reasons for Code-Loading Functions for
          a description of the possible error reasons.

   atomic_load(Modules) -> ok | {error, [{Module, What}]}

          Types:

             Modules = [Module | {Module, Filename, Binary}]
             Module = module()
             Filename = file:filename()
             Binary = binary()
             What =
                 badfile |
                 nofile |
                 on_load_not_allowed |
                 duplicated |
                 not_purged |
                 sticky_directory |
                 pending_on_load

          Tries to load all of the modules in the list Modules atomically.
          That  means that either all modules are loaded at the same time,
          or none of the modules are loaded if there is a problem with any
          of the modules.

          Loading can fail for one the following reasons:

            badfile:
              The  object  code has an incorrect format or the module name
              in the object code is not the expected module name.

            nofile:
              No file with object code exists.

            on_load_not_allowed:
              A module contains an -on_load function.

            duplicated:
              A module is included more than once in Modules.

            not_purged:
              The object code can not be loaded because an old version  of
              the code already exists.

            sticky_directory:
              The object code resides in a sticky directory.

            pending_on_load:
              A  previously  loaded  module  contains an -on_load function
              that never finished.

          If it is important to minimize the time that an  application  is
          inactive   while   changing   code,  use  prepare_loading/1  and
          finish_loading/1 instead of atomic_load/1. Here is an example:

          {ok,Prepared} = code:prepare_loading(Modules),
          %% Put the application into an inactive state or do any
          %% other preparation needed before changing the code.
          ok = code:finish_loading(Prepared),
          %% Resume the application.

   prepare_loading(Modules) ->
                      {ok, Prepared} | {error, [{Module, What}]}

          Types:

             Modules = [Module | {Module, Filename, Binary}]
             Module = module()
             Filename = file:filename()
             Binary = binary()
             Prepared = prepared_code()
             What = badfile | nofile | on_load_not_allowed | duplicated

          Prepares to load the modules in the  list  Modules.  Finish  the
          loading by calling finish_loading(Prepared).

          This function can fail with one of the following error reasons:

            badfile:
              The  object  code has an incorrect format or the module name
              in the object code is not the expected module name.

            nofile:
              No file with object code exists.

            on_load_not_allowed:
              A module contains an -on_load function.

            duplicated:
              A module is included more than once in Modules.

   finish_loading(Prepared) -> ok | {error, [{Module, What}]}

          Types:

             Prepared = prepared_code()
             Module = module()
             What = not_purged | sticky_directory | pending_on_load

          Tries to load code for all modules  that  have  been  previously
          prepared  by  prepare_loading/1.  The loading occurs atomically,
          meaning that either all modules are loaded at the same time,  or
          none of the modules are loaded.

          This function can fail with one of the following error reasons:

            not_purged:
              The  object code can not be loaded because an old version of
              the code already exists.

            sticky_directory:
              The object code resides in a sticky directory.

            pending_on_load:
              A previously loaded module  contains  an  -on_load  function
              that never finished.

   ensure_modules_loaded(Modules :: [Module]) ->
                            ok | {error, [{Module, What}]}

          Types:

             Module = module()
             What = badfile | nofile | on_load_failure

          Tries to load any modules not already loaded in the list Modules
          in the same way as load_file/1.

          Returns  ok  if  successful,  or  {error,[{Module,Reason}]}   if
          loading  of  some  modules  fails.  See  Error Reasons for Code-
          Loading Functions for a  description  of  other  possible  error
          reasons.

   delete(Module) -> boolean()

          Types:

             Module = module()

          Removes  the  current code for Module, that is, the current code
          for Module is made old. This means that processes  can  continue
          to  execute  the  code  in  the module, but no external function
          calls can be made to it.

          Returns true if successful, or false if there is  old  code  for
          Module that must be purged first, or if Module is not a (loaded)
          module.

   purge(Module) -> boolean()

          Types:

             Module = module()

          Purges the code for Module, that is, removes code marked as old.
          If  some processes still linger in the old code, these processes
          are killed before the code is removed.

      Note:
          As of ERTS version 9.0, a  process  is  only  considered  to  be
          lingering  in  the code if it has direct references to the code.
          For     more     information      see      documentation      of
          erlang:check_process_code/3, which is used in order to determine
          this.

          Returns true if successful and  any  process  is  needed  to  be
          killed, otherwise false.

   soft_purge(Module) -> boolean()

          Types:

             Module = module()

          Purges the code for Module, that is, removes code marked as old,
          but only if no processes linger in it.

      Note:
          As of ERTS version 9.0, a  process  is  only  considered  to  be
          lingering  in  the code if it has direct references to the code.
          For     more     information      see      documentation      of
          erlang:check_process_code/3, which is used in order to determine
          this.

          Returns  false  if  the  module  cannot  be  purged  because  of
          processes lingering in old code, otherwise true.

   is_loaded(Module) -> {file, Loaded} | false

          Types:

             Module = module()
             Loaded = loaded_filename()
             loaded_filename() =
                 (Filename :: file:filename()) | loaded_ret_atoms()
               Filename is an absolute filename.
             loaded_ret_atoms() = cover_compiled | preloaded

          Checks  if  Module  is  loaded.  If  it  is,  {file,  Loaded} is
          returned, otherwise false.

          Normally, Loaded is the absolute filename  Filename  from  which
          the   code   is  obtained.  If  the  module  is  preloaded  (see
          script(5)), Loaded==preloaded. If the module  is  Cover-compiled
          (see cover(3erl)), Loaded==cover_compiled.

   all_loaded() -> [{Module, Loaded}]

          Types:

             Module = module()
             Loaded = loaded_filename()
             loaded_filename() =
                 (Filename :: file:filename()) | loaded_ret_atoms()
               Filename is an absolute filename.
             loaded_ret_atoms() = cover_compiled | preloaded

          Returns  a  list  of  tuples  {Module,  Loaded}  for  all loaded
          modules. Loaded is normally the absolute filename, as  described
          for is_loaded/1.

   which(Module) -> Which

          Types:

             Module = module()
             Which = file:filename() | loaded_ret_atoms() | non_existing
             loaded_ret_atoms() = cover_compiled | preloaded

          If  the  module  is  not loaded, this function searches the code
          path for the first file containing object code  for  Module  and
          returns the absolute filename.

          If  the  module  is  loaded,  it  returns  the  name of the file
          containing the loaded object code.

          If the module is preloaded, preloaded is returned.

          If the module is Cover-compiled, cover_compiled is returned.

          If the module cannot be found, non_existing is returned.

   get_object_code(Module) -> {Module, Binary, Filename} | error

          Types:

             Module = module()
             Binary = binary()
             Filename = file:filename()

          Searches the code path for the object  code  of  module  Module.
          Returns  {Module,  Binary,  Filename}  if  successful, otherwise
          error. Binary is a binary data object, which contains the object
          code  for the module. This can be useful if code is to be loaded
          on a remote node in a distributed system. For  example,  loading
          module Module on a node Node is done as follows:

          ...
          {_Module, Binary, Filename} = code:get_object_code(Module),
          rpc:call(Node, code, load_binary, [Module, Filename, Binary]),
          ...

   root_dir() -> file:filename()

          Returns the root directory of Erlang/OTP, which is the directory
          where it is installed.

          Example:

          > code:root_dir().
          "/usr/local/otp"

   lib_dir() -> file:filename()

          Returns the library directory, $OTPROOT/lib, where  $OTPROOT  is
          the root directory of Erlang/OTP.

          Example:

          > code:lib_dir().
          "/usr/local/otp/lib"

   lib_dir(Name) -> file:filename() | {error, bad_name}

          Types:

             Name = atom()

          Returns the path for the "library directory", the top directory,
          for an application Name  located  under  $OTPROOT/lib  or  on  a
          directory referred to with environment variable ERL_LIBS.

          If  a  regular  directory  called Name or Name-Vsn exists in the
          code path with an ebin subdirectory, the path to this  directory
          is returned (not the ebin directory).

          If  the  directory  refers  to  a  directory  in an archive, the
          archive name is stripped away before the path is  returned.  For
          example,                       if                      directory
          /usr/local/otp/lib/mnesia-4.2.2.ez/mnesia-4.2.2/ebin is  in  the
          path,  /usr/local/otp/lib/mnesia-4.2.2/ebin  is  returned.  This
          means that the library directory for an application is the same,
          regardless if the application resides in an archive or not.

          Example:

          > code:lib_dir(mnesia).
          "/usr/local/otp/lib/mnesia-4.2.2"

          Returns  {error,  bad_name}  if  Name  is  not  the  name  of an
          application under $OTPROOT/lib or on  a  directory  referred  to
          through  environment  variable ERL_LIBS. Fails with an exception
          if Name has the wrong type.

      Warning:
          For backward compatibility, Name is also allowed to be a string.
          That will probably change in a future release.

   lib_dir(Name, SubDir) -> file:filename() | {error, bad_name}

          Types:

             Name = SubDir = atom()

          Returns  the  path  to  a  subdirectory  directly  under the top
          directory of an application. Normally the subdirectories  reside
          under   the   top   directory  for  the  application,  but  when
          applications  at  least  partly  resides  in  an  archive,   the
          situation is different. Some of the subdirectories can reside as
          regular directories while other reside in an archive file. It is
          not checked whether this directory exists.

          Example:

          > code:lib_dir(megaco, priv).
          "/usr/local/otp/lib/megaco-3.9.1.1/priv"

          Fails with an exception if Name or SubDir has the wrong type.

   compiler_dir() -> file:filename()

          Returns   the   compiler   library   directory.   Equivalent  to
          code:lib_dir(compiler).

   priv_dir(Name) -> file:filename() | {error, bad_name}

          Types:

             Name = atom()

          Returns the path  to  the  priv  directory  in  an  application.
          Equivalent to code:lib_dir(Name, priv).

      Warning:
          For backward compatibility, Name is also allowed to be a string.
          That will probably change in a future release.

   objfile_extension() -> nonempty_string()

          Returns the object code  file  extension  corresponding  to  the
          Erlang machine used, namely .beam.

   stick_dir(Dir) -> ok | error

          Types:

             Dir = file:filename()

          Marks Dir as sticky.

          Returns ok if successful, otherwise error.

   unstick_dir(Dir) -> ok | error

          Types:

             Dir = file:filename()

          Unsticks a directory that is marked as sticky.

          Returns ok if successful, otherwise error.

   is_sticky(Module) -> boolean()

          Types:

             Module = module()

          Returns  true  if  Module  is the name of a module that has been
          loaded from a sticky directory (in other words:  an  attempt  to
          reload the module will fail), or false if Module is not a loaded
          module or is not sticky.

   where_is_file(Filename) -> non_existing | Absname

          Types:

             Filename = Absname = file:filename()

          Searches the code path for Filename, a file of  arbitrary  type.
          If found, the full name is returned. non_existing is returned if
          the file cannot be  found.  The  function  can  be  useful,  for
          example, to locate application resource files.

   clash() -> ok

          Searches  all directories in the code path for module names with
          identical names and writes a report to stdout.

   is_module_native(Module) -> true | false | undefined

          Types:

             Module = module()

          Returns:

            true:
              If Module is the name of a loaded  module  that  has  native
              code loaded

            false:
              If Module is loaded but does not have native code

            undefined:
              If Module is not loaded

   get_mode() -> embedded | interactive

          Returns  an  atom  describing  the  mode  of  the  code  server:
          interactive or embedded.

          This information is useful when an external entity (for example,
          an IDE) provides additional code for a running node. If the code
          server is in interactive mode, it only has to add  the  path  to
          the  code. If the code server is in embedded mode, the code must
          be loaded with load_binary/3.





Opportunity


Personal Opportunity - Free software gives you access to billions of dollars of software at no cost. Use this software for your business, personal use or to develop a profitable skill. Access to source code provides access to a level of capabilities/information that companies protect though copyrights. Open source is a core component of the Internet and it is available to you. Leverage the billions of dollars in resources and capabilities to build a career, establish a business or change the world. The potential is endless for those who understand the opportunity.

Business Opportunity - Goldman Sachs, IBM and countless large corporations are leveraging open source to reduce costs, develop products and increase their bottom lines. Learn what these companies know about open source and how open source can give you the advantage.





Free Software


Free Software provides computer programs and capabilities at no cost but more importantly, it provides the freedom to run, edit, contribute to, and share the software. The importance of free software is a matter of access, not price. Software at no cost is a benefit but ownership rights to the software and source code is far more significant.


Free Office Software - The Libre Office suite provides top desktop productivity tools for free. This includes, a word processor, spreadsheet, presentation engine, drawing and flowcharting, database and math applications. Libre Office is available for Linux or Windows.





Free Books


The Free Books Library is a collection of thousands of the most popular public domain books in an online readable format. The collection includes great classical literature and more recent works where the U.S. copyright has expired. These books are yours to read and use without restrictions.


Source Code - Want to change a program or know how it works? Open Source provides the source code for its programs so that anyone can use, modify or learn how to write those programs themselves. Visit the GNU source code repositories to download the source.





Education


Study at Harvard, Stanford or MIT - Open edX provides free online courses from Harvard, MIT, Columbia, UC Berkeley and other top Universities. Hundreds of courses for almost all major subjects and course levels. Open edx also offers some paid courses and selected certifications.


Linux Manual Pages - A man or manual page is a form of software documentation found on Linux/Unix operating systems. Topics covered include computer programs (including library and system calls), formal standards and conventions, and even abstract concepts.