The this.
call(); will return a boolean for its success.
If you don’t put it in a require(); and it fails, you will not know.
A side note, in 0.
5.
0 this.
call() returns a boolean and some data about the call, which will break your require()’s.
By using the this.
call() you pretty much hand over control of your contract, but you’d already know this if you’ve read the docs.
Executing can be done in a couple of ways, the first being with un-encoded parameters and an encoded function signature as shown below:The this.
call(); is a low-level call and Solidity will warn you that low-level calls should be avoided.
The reason for this is that if you don’t validate the encoded call you are receiving, this call could wreak havoc.
You are mildly protected by the fact that this in the this.
call(); makes the call seem like it’s coming from an external source, meaning that only public and external functions can be called.
Expect this call to be irrational, and not what you initially planned it to be used for, and you should be fine.
Another possibility for running an encoded function call is if the entire function call is encoded.
This is the same as when you would use the this.
call(); again.
Be warned: executing an encoded function like this could have some serious negative consequences.
For example, if you want to verify the function signature you now need to extract it.
Trust me when I say that it is not trivial and will involve assembly.
Finally, you can make an encoded function call in Solidity by encoding it directly in the this.
call and then adding in the parameters.
If you think about it in terms of security, you know with 100% certainty what function this will call irrespective of the parameters received.
See how the function signature is encoded in the same way as before, but this time we have instead encoded it directly at the time of calling it in the this.
call();.
You could also call the function directly, but I included this so you would know it’s in the realm of possibility.
You can even pass in the encoded function signature and encoded parameters separately.
This makes it easier to verify the function signature as shown below:Encoding in JavaScriptThere are many ways to ‘skin this cat’ when encoding a function in JS.
You can encode a function with its ABI array by using the web3-eth-abi.
Note that all the examples that are given here are written as Truffle tests with the actual testing parts excluded.
If you would like a link to the repo so that you can fiddle around with it yourself, just drop a comment at the end of this article.
To implement the web3-eth-abi library simply add const web3Abi = require(‘web3-eth-abi’); to the top of your JS.
To encode a function signature in JavaScript:There are multiple ways to encode a function signature.
You can use the functions ABI array as shown below.
Notice how we are using the web3Abi‘s encodeFunctionSignature function to do the encoding for us.
To find the ABI array of the function, go into your build directory to the specific contract and ctrl + f to search for your function name.
A heads up, if you change your function’s parameters you are going to have to get the new ABI, so this isn’t recommended for a function that might change.
Instead, use the method provided below.
You can also encode the string of the function like in Solidity.
Notice how we use the same encodeFunctionSignature function.
Much like the Solidity encoding of a function signature, there are no spaces between parameters.
To encode function parameters in JavaScript:Each parameter has to be encoded by itself and you would have to feed them into the function call separately.
There may be the ability to encode multiple parameters at once in a newer version of the web3-eth-abi, or in a newer version of Truffle.
To encode a function call in JavaScript:Here, we use the web3Abi‘s encodeFunctionCall to encode the entire function call.
To add the parameters, [‘a string’, ‘1234’], simply list them after the closing curly bracket of the function’s ABI array inside single quotes in the order that the function states.
Make sure your parameters are still within theweb3Abi.
encodeFunctionCall() function call bracket.
To execute an encoded function call in JavaScript:Obviously, this isn’t possible when you are trying to execute the call in the contracts, but I thought I would still leave this here to assure you that: it’s not possible.
In conclusionNo matter what you are using your encoded function call for, ensure that you do proper validation to prevent attack opportunities.
You should also read all the assorted documentation and be sure to keep up with breaking changes involving this.
call() in newer versions of Solidity, as most versions have different implementation details and nuances (0.
5.
0 has breaking changes).
Good luck with your encoding function call journey.
May it be secure and bug-free!.. More details