Interactive Erlang Notebook

IErlang is an Erlang language kernel for IPython. It allows users to use IPython's Notebook frontend, except where IPython executes python code, IErlang can execute erlang code and compile and execute erlang modules.

This is on top of all of IPython's other frontend features like Markdown rendering, HTML rendering, saving notebooks for later use and even the ability to view IErlang Notebooks in IPython's NBViewer

Requirements:

• Python 2.7 in your $PATH
• Erlang installed with erl and escript in your $PATH
• virtualenv installed
• rebar installed
• curl installed

Installation

You need only do the following to get started:

For Python 2.7.*

$ make demo

For Python 3.4.*

$ make demo3

This will do the following:

• Get all Python deps and patch IPython for IErlang support
• Get all Erlang deps and compile them
• Compile IErlang
• Start up an IErlang Notebook, loading a demo in your browser

Usage

Other make targets are also provided. Some notes about these:

• make clean will remove the Python virtual environment as well as the compiled Erlang modules (ebin/*.beam).
• If you just want to clean the Erlang files and leave the Python virtual environment in place, you may use make erlclean (or rebar clean, of course).
• You don't have to start with the demo; you can be placed into the IPython web view of the notebooks directory where you can create new notebooks easily. Just use the make py2notebook target.
• If you would like to run the demo again, but don't want to recompile everything, you may use the make demo-no-deps target.

Notes

Disclaimer

The development of this language kernel for IPython is at it's very early stages. This is Alpha. Take with a large pinch of salt. No sugar necessary, because it's pretty damn sweet! :)

IPython Workaround

Please note: in order to use IErlang, it is required to patch one of IPython's files. In IPython 2.0.0, this does not affect the usage of the original IPython.

Feedback

I am eager to receive feedback from anyone who has attempted to use IErlang. I would love to hear some thoughts on how to improve IErlang.

Resources

• Demo
• IErlang Wiki