Elixir Knowledge Patch (1.19–1.20, Phoenix 1.8, LiveView 1.0–1.1)
Baseline: Elixir 1.16, OTP 26, Phoenix 1.7, LiveView 0.x (pre-1.0), Ecto 3.11, GenServer, Supervisor, mix, ExUnit, dbg macro.
This patch covers Elixir 1.19–1.20-rc, Phoenix 1.8, and LiveView 1.0–1.1 (2024-12 to 2026-01).
Index
| Topic | File | Key Features |
|-------|------|--------------|
| Type System & Inference | references/elixir-type-system.md | Full expression inference, map key typing, struct update deprecation |
| APIs, Mix & Compilation | references/elixir-apis-and-mix.md | New stdlib APIs, mix commands, lazy module loading, deprecations |
| LiveView JS & Hooks | references/liveview-js-and-hooks.md | JS command targeting, colocated hooks, ViewHook class, programmable JS |
| LiveView Templates & Streams | references/liveview-templates-and-streams.md | Keyed comprehensions, portals, ignore_attributes, LazyHTML migration |
| Phoenix 1.8 | references/phoenix-1-8.md | Scopes, magic link auth, simplified layouts, security headers |
Quick Reference
Elixir 1.20 Type Inference
The compiler infers types from all expressions (not just patterns). Backward inference narrows argument types:
def sum_to_string(a, b), do: Integer.to_string(a + b)
# Infers a, b must be integer() (not float) because Integer.to_string requires integer
Cross-clause inference — later clauses know what previous clauses matched:
case System.get_env("VAR") do
nil -> :not_found
value -> String.upcase(value) # value is binary(), not nil
end
Map Key Typing (1.20)
Map.put(map, :key, 123) #=> %{..., key: integer()}
Map.delete(map, :key) #=> %{..., key: not_set()}
Map.replace(map, :key, 123) #=> %{..., key: if_set(integer())}
Struct Update Deprecation (1.19)
# Deprecated — requires prior pattern match:
def update(uri), do: %URI{uri | path: "/foo"}
# Correct:
def update(%URI{} = uri), do: %{uri | path: "/foo"}
New APIs at a Glance
| API | Version | Purpose |
|-----|---------|---------|
| Access.values/0 | 1.19 | Traverse all values in maps/keyword lists |
| String.count/2 | 1.19 | Count pattern occurrences in string |
| min/2, max/2 in guards | 1.19 | Guard-compatible min/max |
| Integer.ceil_div/2 | 1.20 | Ceiling division |
| Integer.popcount/1 | 1.20 | Count set bits |
| IO.iodata_empty?/1 | 1.20 | Check if iodata is empty |
| List.first!/1, List.last!/1 | 1.20 | Raise on empty list |
Breaking Changes (1.20)
# map.foo() with parens now RAISES (not warns) — use map.foo
# mod.foo without parens now RAISES — use mod.foo()
# File.stream! arg order swapped:
File.stream!(path, lines_or_bytes, modes) # NEW order
# Bitstring size requires pin:
<<data::size(^size)>> # was <<data::size(size)>>
LiveView Colocated Hooks (1.1)
<div id="sortable" phx-hook=".Sortable">...</div>
<script :type={Phoenix.LiveView.ColocatedHook} name=".Sortable">
export default {
mounted() { /* JS code here */ }
}
</script>
Setup: add :phoenix_live_view to compilers: in mix.exs, import in app.js:
import {hooks as colocatedHooks} from "phoenix-colocated/my_app"
const liveSocket = new LiveSocket("/live", Socket, {hooks: {...colocatedHooks}})
LiveView Portals (1.1)
<.portal id="my-tooltip" target="body">
<div class="tooltip">Content here</div>
</.portal>
Phoenix 1.8 Scopes
# Generated context functions take scope as first arg
def list_posts(%Scope{} = scope) do
Repo.all(from p in Post, where: p.user_id == ^scope.user.id)
end
# LiveViews use socket.assigns.current_scope
def mount(_params, _session, socket) do
Blog.subscribe_posts(socket.assigns.current_scope)
{:ok, stream(socket, :posts, Blog.list_posts(socket.assigns.current_scope))}
end
Phoenix 1.8 Simplified Layouts
<Layouts.app flash={@flash}>
<:breadcrumb><.link navigate={~p"/posts"}>Posts</.link></:breadcrumb>
<p>My content</p>
</Layouts.app>
Single root.html.heex layout. Multiple app layouts: <Layouts.admin>, <Layouts.cart>, etc.
JS Command Targeting (LiveView 1.0)
<button phx-click={JS.add_class("highlight", to: {:closest, "tr"})}>Select</button>
<div phx-click={JS.show(to: {:inner, ".details"})}>Expand</div>
Keyed Comprehensions (LiveView 1.1)
<li :for={item <- @items} :key={item.id}>{item.name}</li>