Exploring the Design of Ash Framework's Domain-Specific Language

The article explores how the author, Joseph Koski, is inspired by the Ash Framework's Domain-Specific Language (DSL) to improve the syntax and error handling in the Funx framework. Koski highlights the challenges faced while integrating Haskell-inspired constructs using macros and the desire to have a more elegant solution that matches Elixir's preference for pipeline syntax. He notes how the current use of Elixir pipes can fall short when dealing with functions that return multiple branches. The author introduces the 'Bang Approach,' which simplifies error handling through the use of the bang convention, and the 'Functional Approach' that wraps functions to handle branching logic appropriately. The article outlines a DSL solution that allows users to write code more declaratively, maintaining clarity and expressiveness without compromising safety. It introduces methods such as 'either' and 'bind' to manage control flow effectively. Koski demonstrates the improvement by refactoring an Elixir event handling function to leverage the Funx DSL, resulting in cleaner and safer code. Additionally, he illustrates how the DSL encourages modular design by allowing reusable operations to be extracted into separate modules. Ultimately, the article emphasizes the goal of surfacing intent in the code to enhance developer experience, showcasing the advantages of using Ash Framework's DSL principles in Funx.