### README.md Template for ContextID

# ContextID

## Introduction
ContextID is an Elixir package that provides a simple yet flexible way to generate custom, context-rich identifiers. It allows users to specify a custom prefix for IDs, enhancing readability and making them more meaningful in various applications, you get similar uniqueness to a uuidv4 but now with an element of context at the front given your prefix.


## Examples
Here are some sample IDs that your package could generate with various prefixes and lengths:

1. With prefix `acct` and a length of 8 bytes: `acct_9b545ad85399e20e`
2. With prefix `id` and a length of 16 bytes: `id_a53eb7a0ccfda31b1df4776ba1b11124`
3. With prefix `acct_number` and a length of 4 bytes: `acct_number_3b63b3bc`

These examples are simply meant to illustrate the flexibility and utility of the `ContextID` package in generating readable, context-specific identifiers.

## Features

- **Custom Prefixes for IDs**: Generate IDs with user-defined prefixes, enhancing readability and context awareness.
- **Configurable ID Length**: Tailor the length of your generated IDs to suit your specific requirements.
- **Streamlined Usage**: Offers a straightforward and user-friendly interface, making it easy to integrate and use in any Elixir project.
- **No External Dependencies**: Built exclusively using Elixir's standard library, ensuring a lightweight and efficient solution without the need for additional dependencies.


## Installation
Add `contextual_id` to your list of dependencies in `mix.exs`:

```elixir
def deps do
  [
    {:contextual_id, "~> 0.1.0"}
  ]
end
```

## Usage
Generating a custom ID is straightforward:

```elixir
# Using the main module
id = ContextID.generate_id("prefix", 16)

# Using the shortcut alias
id = Cid.generate_id("prefix", 16)
```

## Examples
Generate an ID with a custom prefix:

```elixir
ContextID.generate_id("user", 10)
# => "user_18165fe7c154341e861c"
```

Generate an ID with the default settings:

```elixir
Cid.generate_id()
# => "id_a53eb7a0ccfda31b1df4776ba1b11124"
```

## Configuration

`ContextID` allows for global configuration of default prefix and ID length, which can be set for your entire Elixir application. This means you can specify default values for these parameters, and `ContextID` will use them whenever you generate an ID without explicitly providing these arguments.

To set up global configuration, add the following lines to your application's configuration file (typically found at `config/config.exs`):

```elixir
# In config/config.exs
config :contextual_id, :default_prefix, "your_default_prefix"
config :contextual_id, :default_length, your_default_length
```

Replace `"your_default_prefix"` with the default prefix string you wish to use, and `your_default_length` with the default length (as an integer) for the IDs.

For example, setting:

```elixir
config :contextual_id, :default_prefix, "acct"
config :contextual_id, :default_length, 12
```

means that `ContextID.generate_id()` will produce IDs like `"acct_1a2b3c4d5e6f7a8b9c0d"` by default, unless you specify different arguments when calling the function.

This feature adds a layer of convenience and customization, allowing you to set and forget these defaults as per your application's needs.

## Contributing
Contributions are welcome! Please read our [Contributing Guidelines](CONTRIBUTING.md) for details on how to submit pull requests, file issues, and so on.

## Testing
Run the test suite with:

```shell
mix test
```

## License
ContextID is released under the [MIT License](LICENSE).

## Acknowledgments
- None yet

## Contact
For any questions or suggestions, please open an issue in the GitHub repository.