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Explain why functions returns extra information with tuples #12824

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Jul 28, 2023
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Explain why functions returns extra information with tuples #12824

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Explain why functions returns extra information with tuples
Florent2 Jul 28, 2023
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Update lib/elixir/pages/getting-started/lists-and-tuples.md
josevalim Jul 28, 2023
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2 changes: 2 additions & 0 deletions lib/elixir/pages/getting-started/lists-and-tuples.md
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Expand Up @@ -152,6 +152,8 @@ iex> File.read("path/to/unknown/file")

If the path given to `File.read/1` exists, it returns a tuple with the atom `:ok` as the first element and the file contents as the second. Otherwise, it returns a tuple with `:error` and the error description.

`File.read/1` returns a tuple, not a list, because there it contains always two values and there is no need to update the returned result. Returning a list instead would not bring any advantages.
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Most of the time, Elixir is going to guide you to do the right thing. For example, there is an `elem/2` function to access a tuple item but there is no built-in equivalent for lists:

```elixir
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