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Zotonic Overview

Zotonic is an open-source web development framework written in Erlang.

It is designed to simplify the process of building scalable and real-time web applications.

In this tutorial, we will explore the history of Zotonic, its key features, and provide several examples to demonstrate its capabilities.

History of Zotonic​

Zotonic was initially developed by Marc Worrell, an experienced Erlang developer, in 2009. The framework was created to address the need for a robust, efficient, and flexible web development solution using the power of Erlang.

Over the years, Zotonic has gained popularity among developers for its ability to handle high traffic, real-time applications, and its modular architecture. It has been widely adopted in various industries, including e-commerce, social networking, and content management systems.

Key Features of Zotonic​

  1. Real-time capabilities: Zotonic is designed to handle real-time updates efficiently. It leverages the power of Erlang's lightweight processes and message passing to provide instant updates to connected clients.

  2. Modular architecture: The framework follows a modular approach, allowing developers to easily extend and customize functionality. It provides a set of predefined modules for common web development tasks, such as user authentication, content management, and search.

  3. Scalability: Zotonic is built on top of the Erlang/OTP platform, which is known for its scalability and fault-tolerance. It can handle thousands of concurrent connections without compromising performance.

  4. Built-in CMS: Zotonic includes a powerful content management system (CMS) that allows developers to create and manage dynamic content easily. It provides features like versioning, permissions, and multi-language support.

  5. SEO-friendly URLs: Zotonic automatically generates search engine friendly URLs for content pages. It uses a hierarchical structure based on the site's content organization, improving the visibility of the website in search engine results.

Now, let's dive into some code examples to see how Zotonic works.

Example 1: Creating a Simple Page​

To create a simple page in Zotonic, we need to define a module and a template.

  1. Create a new module called my_page by creating a file named my_page.erl in the Zotonic modules directory.
-module(mod_my_page).
-behaviour(zotonic_resource).

-export([init/1]).

init(Args) ->
    {ok, Args}.
  1. Create a template file named my_page.tpl in the Zotonic templates directory.
<h1>Welcome to my page!</h1>
<p>This is a simple example page created using Zotonic.</p>

Now, when you visit the URL associated with this page, you will see the content defined in the template.

Example 2: Handling Real-time Updates​

Zotonic provides an easy way to handle real-time updates using the built-in event system. Here's an example of how to implement real-time chat functionality.

  1. Define a module called my_chat and a template called my_chat.tpl.
-module(mod_my_chat).
-behaviour(zotonic_resource).

-export([init/1, handle_event/2]).

init(Args) ->
    {ok, Args}.

handle_event({chat_message, Message}, Context) ->
    z_event:send_to_subscribers(chat, [{message, Message}]),
    {ok, Context}.
<div id="chat">
</div>

<script>
    z_event.subscribe("chat", function(event) {
        var message = event.data.message;
        var chatDiv = document.getElementById("chat");
        var messageDiv = document.createElement("div");
        messageDiv.innerHTML = message;
        chatDiv.appendChild(messageDiv);
    });
</script>

In this example, whenever a new chat message is received, the handle_event function is triggered. It sends the message to all subscribers of the "chat" event. The JavaScript code subscribes to the "chat" event and appends the new message to the chat div.

These examples demonstrate just a fraction of what Zotonic can do. To explore more features and capabilities, refer to the official Zotonic website.

In conclusion, Zotonic is a powerful Erlang framework designed for building scalable and real-time web applications. Its modular architecture, real-time capabilities, and built-in CMS make it a popular choice among developers.