Lua Messages API

[TillaTheHun0]

We'd like to provide an API for Lua SmartWeaveContracts to:

• send messages to another contract (by way of returning a properly formatted results output)
• receive messages from other contracts (by way of returning a properly formatted results output)
• spawn new contract instances (not sure on this mechanism yet. Maybe expose on results?)

We need to decide on what inputs are required, validate those inputs, and then determine a way to expose to the contract.

• send
• receive
• spawn
• mechanism to expose AoMessages and show that it works as part of a contract invocation

[TillaTheHun0]

I had to switch focus to the AO js SDK, so wasn't able to dive much into this. I'll un-assign for now, until we know who's working on it.

[twilson63]

Before anyone works on how this library will be published we need to discuss and determine the strategy.

1. We do not have luaRocks available for 0.1 release. So it just does not make sense to publish this library using luaRocks

This library will only be used for ao-sdk, it is not a general library and will not have any utility outside of the SDK.

So what is the best approach?

1. Add to the SmartWeave Global Table via DI?

{
  contract: ...,
  block: ...,
  transaction: ...,
  ao: {
    send: ...,
    receive: ...,
    spawn: ...
  }
}

2. Implicitly make it available like a global module

For example, NodeJS provides implicit modules for standard library like fs

We could do the same,

local ao = require "ao"

...

and bundle it during the compile step.

3. Include or Exclude via a compile flag via the build process and bundle it via the compile step

ao build -r ao-lib

Happy to entertain more options, but if we can't come to agreement for 0.1, I recommend we embed/bundle the library like we do the json lua lib in the docker container src.

https://github.com/permaweb/ao/tree/main/dev-cli/container/src

[jshaw-decides]

This Dockerfile has luarocks: https://github.com/permaweb/ao/blob/main/dev-cli/container/Dockerfile

It can install the ao-lib from the permaweb with configuration, though fwiw I was just messing around with luarocks in it's own repo so I could play around with the tool. My intention was to move it into the monorepo once I have it running the "lua documented way", but wanted to get it working without uploading the whole repo so I could work quickly (luarocks tries uploading the entire repo for some reason when using luarocks upload and it was taking forever):

I would also build this lib in it's own repo now that I have played with luarocks (and setup a job that uploads the .rock / .rockspec to the permaweb), then pull it in from the permaweb and into the container using the luarocks instance you're already installing on this Dockerfile. Or you could not use the luarocks tool and just curl or something but youre already installing luarocks on the Dockerfile so the tools are there. That would be like not using npm/yarn and just using curl and unziping a zip.

I'd probably go with this option: local ao = require "ao"

Anyways, are there any docs on the receive / spawn / send inputs and outputs?

[twilson63]

We are not using luaRocks in 0.1 it is not on the table

[jshaw-decides]

Tom, do you understand what I mean when I say "i was just using luarocks to test out lua?"

I feel like we're talking past each other.

[TillaTheHun0]

Sorry for the delay on this.

I lean towards option 2. It is the simplest to implement given the current toolchain, we know how to do it already (we do it with json.lua, and doesn't add additional tooling, while also allowing for extensibility later.

[twilson63]

ao-lib - specs

https://g8way.io/ay2Q_xfgO1HO5YkIKTgS5XdNPrw1UxM5z414b5sxRaA

[TillaTheHun0]

This is effectively done, just existing in aos right now