[Ride v5] dApp-to-App Invocation

A dApp callable function can invoke a callable function of another dApp, or another callable function of the same dApp, or even itself. The invocation is synchronous. The invoked function returns a value that the invoking function can use.

dApp-to-dApp invocation is processed as follows:

1. A user sends an Invoke Script transaction that invokes the callable function 1.
2. The callable function 1 invokes the callable function 2 via a strict variable initialized by the invoke or reentrantInvoke function.
3. The callable function 2 is executed; the script actions and return value are calculated.
4. The return value is assigned to the strict variable. The subsequent operations of callable function 1 are executed, taking into account script actions of callable function 2 (as if the actions were applied to the blockchain state).
5. Finally, the script actions of callable functions 2 and 1 are applied to the blockchain state.

Features:

• dApp-to-dApp invocations can be nested.
• All invoked callable functions are executed within a single Invoke Script transaction.
• A dApp-to-dApp invocation can contain payments that are transferred from the balance of the parent dApp to the balance of the invoked dApp.
• Payments attached to a callable function invocation can be used in script actions and in payments attached to nested invocations.

Conditions

• dApp-to-dApp invocations are added in node version 1.3.0 and enabled with feature #16 “Ride V5, dApp-to-dApp invocations”.
• Both the parent and invoked dApp scripts use Standard library version 5.
• If the dApp invokes itself, the invocation must not contain payments.
• The number of the invoke or reentrantInvoke function calls is up to 100 within a single Invoke Script transaction.
• The maximum total number of Issue, Reissue, Burn, SponsorFee, ScriptTransfer, Lease, LeaseCancel script actions executed by all callable functions in a single transaction is 30.
• The maximum total number of BinaryEntry, BooleanEntry, IntegerEntry, StringEntry, DeleteEntry script actions executed by all callable functions in a single transaction is 100.
• The total complexity is limited by 26,000 for all callable functions and asset scripts of involved smart assets. The sender's account script complexity is not included in that limit.

Strict Variable

strict keyword defines a variable with eager evaluation. Unlike lazy variables defined with let, a strict variable is evaluated immediately when script execution reaches it, that is, before the next expression.

Invoke and reentrantInvoke Functions

invoke(dApp: Address|Alias, function: String, arguments: List[Any], payments: List[AttachedPayments]): Any
reentrantInvoke(dApp: Address|Alias, function: String, arguments: List[Any], payments: List[AttachedPayments]): Any

Parameters:

Parameter	Description
dApp: Address|Alias	Address or alias of a dApp to invoke
function: String|Unit	Name of a callable function. unit for a default function invocation
arguments: List[Any]	Parameters of a callable function. unit for a default function invocation
payments: List[AttachedPayment]	Payments to transfer from the parent dApp to the invoked dApp, up to 10

strict z = invoke(dapp,foo,args,[AttachedPayment(unit,100000000)])

The invoke and reentrantInvoke functions differ only in the reentrancy restriction.

For details, see the dApp-to-dApp Invocation Function article.

Invocation Fields

For dApp-to-dApp invocation, the fields of Invocation structure used by the invoked function are filled with the following values:

#	Name	Data type	Description
1	caller	Address	Address of the dApp that invokes the callable function
2	callerPublicKey	ByteVector	Public key of the dApp that invokes the callable function
3	originCaller	Address	Address of the account that sent the Invoke Script transaction
4	originCallerPublicKey	ByteVector	Public key of the account that sent the Invoke Script transaction
5	payments	List[AttachedPayment]	Payments indicated in the invoke or reentrantInvoke function
6	transactionId	ByteVector	ID of the Invoke Script transaction
7	fee	Int	Transaction fee
8	feeAssetId	ByteVector|Unit	ID of the fee token

Callable Function Result

In Standard library version 5, a callable function result is a Tuple of two elements:

1. List of script actions.
2. Return value that is passed to the invoking function.

Example:

(
   [
      ScriptTransfer(i.caller,100,unit)
   ],
   42
)

In Standard library version 4 or 3, there is no return value, so unit is implied.

For details, see the Callable Function article.

Updating Balance and Account Data Storage Entries

If the callable function invoked by the invoke or reentrantInvoke function performs script actions, the results of those actions are available to the invoking function:

• If the invoked function adds an entry to the account's data storage, the invoking function can obtain the entry after the invocation.
• If the invoked function deletes an entry from the account's data storage, the invoking function cannot obtain the entry after the invocation.
• If the invoked function performs actions with tokens (transfer, issue/reissue/burn, and others) and the invoking function obtains balances after the invocation, it receives the updated balances.

Transaction Fail

If the callable function's execution fails or throws an exception, the Invoke Script transaction could be rejected or saved on the blockchain as failed. This depends on whether the complexity of performed computations has exceeded the threshold for saving a failed transaction (currently 1000). The complexity is summed up for all invocations.

Consider the example: callable function 1 performs computations of 800 complexity, then invokes callable function 2 which performs computations of 300 complexity and then fails. The complexity 800 + 300 has exceeded the threshold, so the transaction is saved as failed, and the sender is charged a fee.

If the total complexity of executed callable functions and asset scripts exceeds the limit of 26,000, the transaction is saved as failed as well. For example, if the complexity of executed callable functions is 25,000 in total, and there is a smart asset in script action whose script's complexity is 1500.

In case of failure, no payments and script actions are applied to the blockchain state, even if some of the invoked functions are executed completely. The only state change the failed transaction entails is charging the fee.