Skip to main content

How to run operations

Operations are transactions that modify blockchain state by creating, updating, or deleting data. This guide shows you how to use operations during development and testing.

Prerequisites​

Basic operation workflow​

Step 1: Verify your node is running​

# Check if local node is responding
curl http://localhost:7740

Step 2: Generate a key pair (if you haven't already)​

# Generate a new key pair
chr keygen

# This creates .chromia/chromia_key and .chromia/chromia_key.pubkey
# The default key ID is 'chromia_key'

Step 3: Run a simple operation​

# Test a basic operation (--local is the default)
chr tx --secret .chromia/chromia_key create_book "ISBN001" "Chromia 101" "Alice Johnson"

Expected output:

Transaction submitted successfully
Transaction hash: 0x1234567890abcdef...

Note: You can also use the Blockchain RID explicitly:

chr tx --blockchain-rid <BlockchainRID> --secret .chromia/chromia_key create_book "ISBN001" "Chromia 101" "Alice Johnson"

Replace <BlockchainRID> with the actual Blockchain RID from your node output. You can find this in the node startup output as: Blockchain RID: FC17B67D66F6F35A5D8B75ED3F83AE222FB8C8FCA241624F06285150F10C6BAC

Operation methods overview​

Local operations (development)​

# Default local operation
chr tx --secret .chromia/chromia_key create_house "123 Main St" 4 200

# Explicit blockchain RID (equivalent to --local for development)
chr tx --blockchain-rid <BlockchainRID> --secret .chromia/chromia_key create_house "123 Main St" 4 200

# Wait for transaction confirmation
chr tx --secret .chromia/chromia_key --await create_house "123 Main St" 4 200

Remote operations (deployed dapps)​

# Operation on deployed dapp using network and blockchain name
chr tx --network testnet --blockchain my_rell_dapp --secret .chromia/chromia_key create_company "TechCorp" "456 Business Ave"

Operation parameters​

When you create operations that accept parameters, use this syntax based on the official CLI documentation:

Basic parameter types​

# String parameters (quoting optional for simple strings)
chr tx --secret .chromia/chromia_key create_book "ISBN001" "Chromia 101" "Alice Johnson"

# Strings with spaces (require quotes)
chr tx --secret .chromia/chromia_key create_company "TechCorp Inc"

# Integer parameters
chr tx --secret .chromia/chromia_key create_house "123 Main St" 4 200

# Multiple parameters example
chr tx --secret .chromia/chromia_key create_library "Central Library" "Downtown" 1000

Advanced parameter types​

# Byte array parameters (public keys, hashes, etc.)
chr tx --secret .chromia/chromia_key transfer_tokens 'x"0373599a61cc6b3bc02a78c34313e1737ae9cfd56b9bb24360b437d469efdf3b15"' 'x"0373599a61cc6b3bc02a78c34313e1737ae9cfd56b9bb24360b437d469efdf3b15"' 100

# Dictionary/map parameters
chr tx --secret .chromia/chromia_key update_user_metadata '["key1": "value1", "key2": "value2"]'

# Array parameters
chr tx --secret .chromia/chromia_key batch_create_users '["Alice", "Bob", "Charlie"]'

Transaction options​

Awaiting confirmation​

# Wait for transaction to be confirmed (recommended for important operations)
chr tx --secret .chromia/chromia_key --await create_book "ISBN001" "Chromia 101" "Alice Johnson"

Making transactions unique​

# Add a NOP to make transaction hash unique (useful for repeated operations)
chr tx --secret .chromia/chromia_key --nop create_book "ISBN001" "Chromia 101" "Alice Johnson"

Using different key files​

# Use a specific key file
chr tx --secret /path/to/my_key create_book "ISBN001" "Chromia 101" "Alice Johnson"

# Use key by ID (if configured in .chromia/config)
chr tx --secret my_custom_key create_book "ISBN001" "Chromia 101" "Alice Johnson"

Testing against deployed dapps​

Testnet operations​

# Basic operation on deployed dapp
chr tx --network testnet --blockchain my_rell_dapp --secret .chromia/chromia_key create_company "TechCorp" "456 Business Ave"

# Operation with parameters on deployed dapp
chr tx --network testnet --blockchain my_rell_dapp --secret .chromia/chromia_key create_house "123 Main St" 4 200

Common operation patterns​

Book management​

# Create a new book
chr tx --secret .chromia/chromia_key create_book "ISBN001" "Chromia 101" "Alice Johnson"

# Update book information
chr tx --secret .chromia/chromia_key update_book "ISBN001" "Chromia 101: Updated Edition"

# Delete book record
chr tx --secret .chromia/chromia_key delete_book "ISBN001"

House management​

# Create a new house
chr tx --secret .chromia/chromia_key create_house "123 Main St" 4 200

# Update house details
chr tx --secret .chromia/chromia_key update_house "123 Main St" 5

# Register house ownership
chr tx --secret .chromia/chromia_key register_house_owner "123 Main St" "Bob Smith"

Company management​

# Create a new company
chr tx --secret .chromia/chromia_key create_company "TechCorp" "456 Business Ave"

# Update company information
chr tx --secret .chromia/chromia_key update_company "TechCorp" "789 Innovation Blvd"

# Add employee to company
chr tx --secret .chromia/chromia_key add_employee "TechCorp" "Carol Davis"

Library management​

# Create a new library
chr tx --secret .chromia/chromia_key create_library "Central Library" "Downtown"

# Add book to library
chr tx --secret .chromia/chromia_key add_book_to_library "Central Library" "ISBN001" 3

# Check out book
chr tx --secret .chromia/chromia_key checkout_book "ISBN001" "David Wilson"

Error handling​

Common error scenarios​

# Operation fails due to insufficient permissions
chr tx --secret .chromia/chromia_key admin_only_operation
# Error: Operation requires admin privileges

# Operation fails due to invalid parameters
chr tx --secret .chromia/chromia_key create_book "" "Chromia 101" "Alice Johnson"
# Error: ISBN cannot be empty

# Operation fails due to duplicate key
chr tx --secret .chromia/chromia_key create_book "ISBN001" "Chromia 101" "Alice Johnson"
chr tx --secret .chromia/chromia_key create_book "ISBN001" "Another Book" "Bob Smith"
# Error: Book with ISBN 'ISBN001' already exists

Debugging operations​

# Use --await to see detailed error messages
chr tx --secret .chromia/chromia_key --await problematic_operation

# Check transaction status
chr query get_transaction_status "string:tx_hash->0x1234567890abcdef..."

Next steps​

After mastering operations:

  1. Run queries to verify your operations worked correctly
  2. Run tests to automate operation testing
  3. Deploy your dapp to make operations available publicly
  4. Use multi-signature transactions for advanced security requirements