Use an Erlang shell safely
Distinguish a practice Erlang VM from a remote Zotonic shell.
Use Erlang/OTP 28 for development. Start a standalone practice VM with erl. Expressions end with a period:
2 + 3.
Name = <<"Garden">>.
#{name => Name, count => 5}.
f(Name).
erlang:system_time(second).
Variables can be bound once; f(Name). forgets a shell binding. help(). lists shell commands. Use erlang:monotonic_time/0 and erlang:convert_time_unit/3 for elapsed durations; system time can change when the clock is corrected.
Connect to Zotonic
From the installation directory, use bin/zotonic shell. Select a site with C = z:c(garden). before calling its models. This shell has administrative capabilities. Do not paste commands from an untrusted source.
Press Ctrl-C twice to exit the remote shell. Do not use q()., halt()., or init:stop(). to disconnect: they stop the connected runtime. q(). is appropriate only when you intend to stop a standalone practice VM.