Is it possible to define a recursive function within Erlang shell?

Question

I am reading Programming Erlang, when I type these into erlang REPL:

perms([]) -> [[]];
perms(L) -> [[H|T] || H <- L, T <- perms(L--[H])].
* 1: syntax error before: '->'

I know I cannot define functions this way in shell, so I change it to:

2> Perms = fun([]) -> [[]];(L) -> [[H|T] || H <- L, T <- Perms(L--[H])] end.
* 1: variable 'Perms' is unbound

Does this mean I cannot define a recursive function within shell?

Answer 1

Since OTP 17.0 there are named funs:

• Funs can now be given names

More details in README:

OTP-11537  Funs can now be a given a name. Thanks to to Richard O'Keefe
           for the idea (EEP37) and to Anthony Ramine for the
           implementation.

1> Perms = fun F([]) -> [[]];
               F(L) -> [[H|T] || H <- L, T <- F(L--[H])]
           end.    
#Fun<erl_eval.30.54118792>
2> Perms([a,b,c]).
[[a,b,c],[a,c,b],[b,a,c],[b,c,a],[c,a,b],[c,b,a]]

In older releases, you have to be a little bit more clever but once you get it:

1> Perms = fun(List) ->
               G = fun(_, []) -> [[]];
                      (F, L) -> [[H|T] || H <- L, T <- F(F, L--[H])]
                   end,
               G(G, List)
           end.    
#Fun<erl_eval.30.54118792>
2> Perms([a,b,c]).
[[a,b,c],[a,c,b],[b,a,c],[b,c,a],[c,a,b],[c,b,a]]