Step 1 - Get e2

$ git clone git://github.com/gar1t/e2.git

Step 2 - Build e2

$ cd e2
$ make

Step 3 - Create a test project

$ make new-project appid=test appdir=~/e2-quick-start

Step 4 - Create hello.erl

$ cd ~/e2-quick-start
$ emacs src/hello.erl

Of course, you're free to use any editor in place of emacs :)

~/e2-quick-start/src/hello.erl should look like this:

-module(hello).

-behavior(e2_task).

-export([start_link/0, handle_task/1]).

start_link() ->
    e2_task:start_link(?MODULE, "Hello e2!~n").

handle_task(Msg) ->
    e2_log:info(Msg),
    {repeat, Msg, 5000}.

Step 5 - Register hello with your application

Modify ~/e2-quick-start/src/test_app.erl to look like this:

-module(test_app).

-behavior(e2_application).

-export([init/0]).

init() ->
    {ok, [hello]}.

Step 6 - Run your application in the Erlang shell

Start the Erlang shell:

$ make shell

In the Erlang shell:

1> test:start().

You should see your hello task repeat every 5 seconds!

Stop the shell by typing CTRL-C twice (i.e. hold the control key down and press C twice).

Step 7 - Use the control scripts to run your app

To start your application:

$ ./start

To check its status:

$ ./status
Application is running

To view its log:

$ tail log/erlang.log.1

To stop it:

$ ./stop

Step 8 - Take a moment

• You just built and ran an Erlang application
• Erlang is different from any other language environment you've used before
• Erlang applications are systems of small, independent components
• The hello module is an example of a small, independent component
• You can build incredibly complex, robust systems using small, independent components!

Next Steps

.. toctree::
   :maxdepth: 1

   tutorial