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Values and Matching
Integers floats and atoms Strings and charlists Tuples Lists Maps Keyword lists Pattern matching Pin operator Guard clauses Underscore ignored values
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Anonymous functions Named functions Default arguments Multiple function clauses Private functions Pipe operator Capture operator Recursion Tail recursion Higher-order Enum functions
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Errors and Control
If and unless Case Cond With Try rescue Catch and throw After cleanup Raise Custom exceptions Error tuples
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Spawning processes Sending messages Receive blocks Process links Process monitors Task.async Task.await Agent state GenServer calls GenServer casts
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Supervisor child specs One-for-one strategy DynamicSupervisor Registry Application module Process naming Timeout handling Terminate callbacks ETS tables Persistent term
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Elixir / Errors and Control

Error tuples

Learn Error tuples in Elixir through a focused explanation, a dedicated topic-specific example, an engineering boundary, and a mastery check.

12 min read • Intermediate

Error tuples is a focused Elixir lesson inside Errors and Control. The example uses the construct named in the lesson directly rather than reusing a generic placeholder.

Trace the example from its inputs through Error tuples and identify the behavior that would change if that construct were removed or replaced. Pay attention to the language-specific rules shown by the syntax, because neighboring lessons intentionally exercise different mechanisms.

Topic-specific example

elixir-0050-4a7c8056d7.exs
elixir Try It Live 
values = [51, 52, 53]
IO.inspect(Enum.sum(values)) # Error tuples
Edge case / engineering note

For Error tuples, test one realistic boundary: empty data, invalid input, unavailable resources, lifetime/cleanup, type constraints, or concurrency timing where applicable. A successful happy path is not enough to prove the construct is used correctly.

Content source & attribution
Original Syntaxis Content · Original Syntaxis Content

Lesson quizzes

Error tuples Mastery Check →
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