Interacting with smart contracts on the command line
Solang Aqd (عَقد, meaning “contract” in Arabic), is a Command-Line Interface (CLI) tool designed for easy interaction with smart contracts on Solana and Polkadot blockchains. It simplifies the process of deploying smart contracts and executing specific functions on these contracts.
Solang Aqd distinguishes itself by offering seamless integration with Solang-compiled contracts and is actively maintained by the Solang team. When it comes to Polkadot, Solang Aqd focuses specifically on essential commands for node interactions with on-chain contracts. In the case of Solana, Solang Aqd fills a notable gap as there currently isn’t a dedicated tool for calling specific functions on deployed Solana contracts.
Installation
As of now, the only available method to install solang-aqd is via Cargo. Run the following command:
cargo install --force --locked aqd
To update to the latest version, use the same command.
Note
If you’re interested in a specific target, you can use feature flags. For example, to install with only the Solana target, use:
cargo install --force --locked aqd --no-default-features --features solana
Submitting extrinsics to Polkadot on-chain
The command line syntax for interacting with a program deployed on Polkadot is as follows:
aqd polkadot [SUBCOMMAND] [OPTIONS]… [FILE]
The command line is aqd polkadot followed by a subcommand followed by any options described below,
followed by the filename. The filename could be .wasm file, .contract bundle, or .json metadata file.
Note
Under the hood, Solang Aqd utilizes cargo-contract for submitting extrinsics to Polkadot on-chain.
For detailed documentation of specific parameters, please refer to
contract extrinsics documentation.
General Options (for all subcommands):
- --url url
The websockets URL for the substrate node. [default: ws://localhost:9944]
- --network network
Specify the network name to use. You can either specify a network name or a URL, but not both.
Network:
- rococo
Contracts (Rococo) (Equivalent to
--url wss://rococo-contracts-rpc.polkadot.io)- phala-po-c5
Phala PoC-5 (Equivalent to
--url wss://poc5.phala.network/ws)- astar-shiden
Astar Shiden (Kusama) (Equivalent to
--url wss://rpc.shiden.astar.network)- astar-shibuya
Astar Shibuya (Tokio) (Equivalent to
--url wss://rpc.shibuya.astar.network)- astar
Astar (Equivalent to
--url wss://rpc.astar.network)- aleph-zero-testnet
Aleph Zero Testnet (Equivalent to
--url wss://ws.test.azero.dev)- aleph-zero
Aleph Zero (Equivalent to
--url wss://ws.azero.dev)- t3rnt0rn
T3RN T0RN (Equivalent to
--url wss://ws.t0rn.io)- pendulum-testnet
Pendulum Testnet (Equivalent to
--url wss://rpc-foucoco.pendulumchain.tech)
- -s, --suri suri
- Specifies the secret key URI used for deploying the contract (must be specified). For example:
For a development account:
//AliceWith a password:
//Alice///SECRET_PASSWORD
- -x, --execute
Specifies whether to submit the extrinsic for on-chain execution; if not provided, it will perform a dry run and return the result.
- --storage-deposit-limit storage-deposit-limit
Specifies the maximum amount of balance that can be charged from the caller to pay for the storage consumed.
- --output-json
Specifies whether to export the call output in JSON format.
- --help, -h
This displays a short description of all the options
Subcommands:
Upload Subcommand
This subcommand enables the uploading of contracts onto the Polkadot blockchain.
aqd polkadot upload --suri //Alice -x flipper.contract --output-json
Instantiate Subcommand
This subcommand facilitates the instantiation of contracts on the Polkadot blockchain.
aqd polkadot instantiate --suri //Alice --args true -x --output-json --skip-confirm flipper.contract
Options specific to the instantiate subcommand:
- --constructor constructor
Specifies the name of the contract constructor to call. [default: new]
- --args <args>…
Accepts a space separated list of values, encoded in order as the arguments of the constructor to invoke.
- --value value
Specifies the value to be transferred as part of the call. [default: 0]
- --gas gas
Specifies the maximum amount of gas to be used for this command.
- --proof-size proof-size
Specifies the maximum proof size for this instantiation.
- --salt salt
Specifies a salt used in the address derivation of the new contract.
- -y, --skip-confirm
When set, skips the interactive confirmation prompt.
Call Subcommand
This subcommand enables the calling of contracts on the Polkadot blockchain.
aqd polkadot call --contract 5EFYe3hkH2wFK1mLxD5VSqD88hfPZWihXAKeqozZELsL4Ueq --message get --suri //Alice flipper.contract --output-json --skip-confirm
Options specific to the call subcommand:
- --contract contract
Specifies the address of the contract to call.
- -m, --message message
Specifies the name of the contract message to call.
- --args <args>…
Accepts a space separated list of values, encoded in order as the arguments of the message to invoke.
- --value value
Specifies the value to be transferred as part of the call. [default: 0]
- --gas gas
Specifies the maximum amount of gas to be used for this command.
- --proof-size proof-size
Specifies the maximum proof size for this call.
- -y, --skip-confirm
When set, skips the interactive confirmation prompt.
Remove Subcommand
This subcommand allows for the removal of contracts from the Polkadot blockchain.
aqd polkadot remove --suri //Alice --output-json --code-hash 0x94e67200d3d8f0f420873f8d1b426fdf5eb87f208c6e5d061822e017ffaef2a8 flipper.contract
Options specific to the remove subcommand:
- --code-hash code_hash
Specifies the code hash to remove.
Interacting with Solana running programs on-chain
The command line syntax for interacting with a program deployed on Solana is as follows:
aqd solana [SUBCOMMAND] [OPTIONS]…
It consists of a subcommand followed by its options, both of which are described below.
Note
Solang Aqd relies on the local default Solana configuration file to obtain information for transaction submissions. For comprehensive management of this configuration file, you can refer to Solana’s CLI command documentation.
General Options (for all subcommands):
- --output-json
Specifies whether to export the call output in JSON format.
- --help, -h
This displays a short description of all the options.
Subcommands:
Deploy Subcommand
Allows you to deploy Solana compiled programs to Solana.
aqd solana deploy flipper.so
Show Subcommand
Show information about a Solana program’s instructions given an IDL JSON file.
aqd solana show --idl flipper.json --instruction new
Options specific to the show subcommand:
- --idl idl-json-file-path
Specifies the path of the IDL JSON file.
- --instruction instruction-name
Specifies the name of the instruction to show information about. If not specified, information about all instructions is shown.
Call Subcommand
Allows you to send a custom transaction to a Solana program, enabling the execution of specific functions within the deployed smart contract.
aqd solana call --idl flipper.json --program G2eBnLvwPCGCFVywrUT2LtKCCYFkGetAVXJfW82UXmPe --instruction new --data true --accounts new self system
To interact with a function on a Solana-deployed smart contract, you’ll need to specify key details like the program’s address, data arguments, necessary accounts, and signatories. Solang Aqd simplifies this process by accepting these parameters as command-line arguments. Additionally, it ensures the submitted transaction aligns with the expected values in the Interface Description Language (IDL).
Note
If unsure, you can always check the expected arguments and accounts for a specific function by using the show subcommand.
Options specific to the call subcommand:
- --idl idl-json-file-path
Specifies the path of the IDL JSON file.
- --program program
Specifies the program ID of the deployed program.
- --instruction instruction-name
Specifies the name of the instruction to show information about. If not specified, information about all instructions is shown.
- --program program
Specifies the program ID of the deployed program.
- --data <data-arguments>…
Specifies the data arguments to pass to the instruction. For arrays and vectors, pass a comma-separated list of values. (e.g. 1,2,3,4). For structs, pass a JSON string of the struct. (can be a path to a JSON file).
- --accounts <account-arguments>…
Specifies the accounts arguments to pass to the instruction
Keywords:
- new
Creates a new solana account and saves it locally.
- self
Reads the default keypair from the local configuration file.
- system
Uses the system program ID as the account.
- --payer payer
Specifies the payer keypair to use for the transaction. [default: local default keypair]