# Briefly
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Simple, robust temporary file support for Elixir.
## Highlighted Features
* Create temporary files with prefix and extname options.
* Files are removed after the requesting process exits.
* File creation is based on [Plug.Upload](http://hexdocs.pm/plug/Plug.Upload.html)'s robust retry logic.
* Configurable; built-in support for system environment variables and fallbacks.
## Usage
The fastest way to use Briefly is with [`Mix.install/2`](https://hexdocs.pm/mix/Mix.html#install/2) (requires Elixir v1.12+):
```elixir
Mix.install([
{:briefly, "~> 0.4.0"}
])
{:ok, path} = Briefly.create()
File.write!(path, "My temp file contents")
File.read!(path)
# => "My temp file contents"
# When this process exits, the file at `path` is removed
```
If you want to use Briefly in a Mix project, you can add the above dependency to your list of dependencies in `mix.exs`.
Briefly can also create a temporary directory:
```elixir
{:ok, dir} = Briefly.create(directory: true)
File.write!(Path.join(dir, "test.txt"), "Some Text")
# When this process exits, the directory and file are removed
```
Refer to [the documentation](http://hexdocs.pm/briefly/Briefly.html#create/1) for a list of options that are available to `Briefly.create/1` and `Briefly.create!/1`.
## Configuration
The default, out-of-the-box settings for Briefly are equivalent to the
following Mix config:
```elixir
# config/config.exs
config :briefly,
directory: [{:system, "TMPDIR"}, {:system, "TMP"}, {:system, "TEMP"}, "/tmp"],
default_prefix: "briefly",
default_extname: ""
```
`directory` here declares an ordered list of possible directory definitions that Briefly will check in order.
The `{:system, env_var}` tuples point to system environment variables to be checked. If none of these are defined, Briefly will use the final entry: `/tmp`.
You can override the settings with your own candidates in your application Mix
config (and pass `prefix` and `extname` to `Briefly.create` to override
`default_prefix` and `default_extname` on a case-by-case basis).
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## License
Briefly source code is released under Apache License 2.0. Refer to the [LICENSE](./LICENSE) file for more information.
