Conversion utility methods for Neo-cli

[meevee98]

It's an update from #455.

This pull request has only the conversion utility methods because I'm still unable to connect to Neo 3 testnet to test some of show methods.

parse <value>

[shargon]

What do you think about tool parse, and accept all: address, pubkey or scripthash, and show all that it can resolve at same time?

[erikzhang]

I prefer to add these functions to GUI.

[superboyiii]

@meevee98 @shargon @erikzhang I've already made a simple tool to support most of conversion method. https://github.com/neo-ngd/Neo3-Tool. If you'd like, could adjust and merge it into your code.

[meevee98]

What do you think about tool parse, and accept all: address, pubkey or scripthash, and show all that it can resolve at same time?

I agree that it's better than having a different command for each conversion. I will modify the code in this way.

@meevee98 @shargon @erikzhang I've already made a simple tool to support most of conversion method. https://github.com/neo-ngd/Neo3-Tool. If you'd like, could adjust and merge it into your code.

Nice. If I may, I will include the other conversions to this implementation.

I prefer to add these functions to GUI.

I think that these commands are also useful in neo-cli.
When we deploy a invoke a smart contract using the neo-cli, the return result is showed encoded in Base64, so a converting tool is needed anyway. If it's in the same application, the work gets faster, doesn't it?

[melanke]

I would love to have this commands on Neo-Cli, thank you Meevee

[meevee98]

I've updated this pull request with @shargon's suggestion of tool parse command.
I've also included the other conversion methods from @superboyiii's tool.

It's a unique command now that accepts any value and returns the possible conversions

[shargon]

We should have only one, the official one.

[erikzhang]

Agree.

[meevee98]

I've changed to convert only to big end script hash because that's the script hash that is shown with transactions and blocks.
What do you think? Is it okay or should I change it to little end?

[shargon]

I prefer to use single line summary when it's not a multiline comment, but it's something personal.

[nicolegys]

Tested.

Do we still need to support converting a little end script hash to address?
There is only the big end script hash in your comment, but, in your code, the little one is also included.
If we support both of them, users must pay close attention to the format. 0x61ce772f7a725f93d8311dba9994dd8c50e3e64b and 61ce772f7a725f93d8311dba9994dd8c50e3e64b are quite different.

[meevee98]

It's no problem for me @shargon

[shargon]

Maybe the file it's better to be more generic like .Tools

[shargon]

Maybe we should filter in base64ToString to only ASCII chars. And HexString to String to "non-empty"

Also it's not possible to be Hex if there odd letters

[vncoelho]

Nice job, this will be useful in some cases.
It is good to have these utility methods on neo-cli as well.

Perhaps @shargon last comment shall be applied.

[shargon]

@meevee98 I am not sure if it's my computer, but it spend a lot of time in something trivial, could you check it?

[meevee98]

Maybe we should filter in base64ToString to only ASCII chars. And HexString to String to "non-empty"
Also it's not possible to be Hex if there odd letters

@shargon I agree with the empty strings, but I think that the conversions to a string with non-ascii characters should be kept.
I've seen in many smart contracts the concatenation between a string prefix and a bytearray been used and the result usually can't be converted to a string with only ascii characters, so it is possible to be a valid hex string even if there are some odd letters.

For example, this hex string is converted to a string with many non-ascii characters

But that is because part of the hex string is the scripthash of an address

@meevee98 I am not sure if it's my computer, but it spend a lot of time in something trivial, could you check it?

I'm not having this delay 🤔

[shargon]

but I think that the conversions to a string with non-ascii characters should be kept.

Ok :)

[shargon]

I think that 0.2 seconds in your computer it's a lot of time.... we need to find the issue

[meevee98]

@shargon I was able to reduce the time to 0.1 seconds by removing the exception throwing in the conversion methods and replacing them with return null.

Could you check if the time is reduced on your computer as well?

[superboyiii]

@meevee98 It's out of date, could you update it to the latest?

[vncoelho]

I think it is good to have these features.
On NeoCompiler many people replies to us that they use the website to use such features online.