IBM Blockchain Platform Extension for VSCode

The IBM Blockchain Platform extension has been created to assist users in developing, testing, and deploying smart contracts; including connecting to Hyperledger Fabric environments.

⚠ Please note: this extension is available for early experimentation. There are many features and improvements to come before the v1.0 release. Please bear this in mind, and if you find something you'd like to see added, let the team know by raising a GitHub issue or suggestion (see "Contact Us" below).

Contact Us

If you have find any problems or want to make suggestions for future features please create issues and suggestions on Github

Installation

Install the IBM Blockchain Platform extension here

Or visit the Visual Studio Code Marketplace for more details

Requirements

You will need the following installed in order to use the extension:

If you are using Windows, you must also ensure the following:

Your version of Windows supports Hyper-V and Docker:
- Windows 10 Enterprise, Pro, or Education with 1607 Anniversary Update or later
Docker for Windows is configured to use Linux containers (this is the default)
You have installed the C++ Build Tools for Windows from windows-build-tools
You have installed OpenSSL v1.0.2 from Win32 OpenSSL
- Install the normal version, not the version marked as "light"
- Install the Win32 version into C:\OpenSSL-Win32 on 32-bit systems
- Install the Win64 version into C:\OpenSSL-Win64 on 64-bit systems

You can check your installed versions by running the following commands from a terminal:

node --version
npm --version
yo --version
docker --version
docker-compose --version

Features

The IBM Blockchain Platform extension provides an explorer and commands accessible from the Command Palette, for developing smart contracts quickly:

Command	Description
Add Connection	Add a Hyperledger Fabric instance connection
Add Identity To Connection	Add an identity to be used when connecting to a Hyperledger Fabric instance
Connect To Blockchain	Connect to a Hyperledger Fabric blockchain using a blockchain connection
Create Smart Contract Project	Create a new JavaScript or TypeScript smart contract project
Debug	Debug a Smart Contract
Delete Connection	Delete a Hyperledger Fabric instance connection
Delete Package	Delete a smart contract package
Disconnect From Blockchain	Disconnect from the blockchain you're currently connected to
Edit Connection	Edit connection to a blockchain
Export Package	Export an already-packaged smart contract package to use outside VSCode
Generate Smart Contract Tests	Create a functional level test file for instantiated smart contracts
Install Smart Contract	Install a smart contract package onto a peer
Instantiate Smart Contract	Instantiate an installed smart contract package onto a channel *Note: This currently doesn't work with IBM Blockchain Platform Enterprise plan - Coming soon!
Open Fabric Runtime Terminal	Open a terminal with access to the Fabric runtime (peer CLI)
Package a Smart Contract Project	Create a new smart contract package from a project in the Explorer
Refresh Blockchain Connections	Refresh the Blockchain Connections view
Refresh Smart Contract Packages	Refresh the Smart Contract Packages view
Restart Fabric Runtime	Restart a Hyperledger Fabric instance
Start Fabric Runtime	Start a Hyperledger Fabric instance
Submit Transaction	Submit a transaction to a smart contract
Teardown Fabric Runtime	Teardown the local_fabric runtime (hard reset)
Toggle Development Mode	Toggle the Hyperledger Fabric instance development mode
Upgrade Smart Contract	Upgrade an instantiated smart contract

Smart Contract Development Lifecycle

Please note that all operations shown are also possible using the commands in the table above, issued at the VSCode command-prompt.

Create a Fabric smart contract project

Use the Create Smart Contract Project command to start a new project. Select from the available smart contract programming languages. Choose a directory to store the project (or create a new one). A skeleton project will be generated with a very basic smart contract, unit tests, a package.json and other useful files.

Edit / write smart contract files

You'll find the smart contract file in the lib directory of a newly generated project.

Package a smart contract project

To package a project you have open in your workspace, run the Package a Smart Contract Package command. Packages will be added to the Smart Contract Packages panel in the explorer view.

Alternatively, navigate to the explorer view (click the IBM Blockchain Platform icon in the left-navigation) then click the add icon (this will again package up the project you have open in your workspace).

Export a smart contract package

Right-click a package and select the Export Package option. You can select where the package is exported to. Use this to take the packages you have made and deploy them somewhere else.

Connect to local_fabric runtime

The local_fabric runtime can be enabled by left-clicking it in the Blockchain Connections panel. The first time you enable it, Fabric images will be installed.
Left-click to connect to local_fabric when it is enabled. Right-click the connection for management options (including start/stop, teardown and toggle dev mode).

Teardown the local_fabric runtime

When you start/stop the local_fabric, all data will be maintained. To completely teardown the runtime and start over, right-click local_fabric in the Blockchain Connections view and choose Teardown Fabric Runtime (you must then confirm this action).

Connect to a specified (remote) Fabric runtime and discover the existing resources

Left-click a connection to activate connect to the blockchain runtime it represents. Expand the sections in the navigation tree to explore its resources. When you're done, use the "back" icon in the section's header-bar to disconnect.

Install smart contract package

Smart contract packages are installed on Fabric peers. Find a peer by connecting to a blockchain network, then right-click and select Install Smart Contract.

Instantiate smart contract package

Smart contract packages are instantiated on Fabric channels. Find a channel by connecting to a blockchain network, then right-click and select Instantiate / Upgrade Smart Contract. You will be offered a list of the smart contracts that are installed on peers in the channel.

It is useful to think of installing on peers as the first step and instantiating on a channel as the second step of deploying a smart contract package.

Submit transaction

Right click a transaction and click Submit transaction. This will submit a transaction to a smart contract.

Edit an existing blockchain connection

Connections can be edited by right-clicking and selecting Edit Connection. This will open User Settings, with the connection available for editing.

Debugging a smart contract

Debugging your smart contract allows you to run through the smart contract transactions with breakpoints and output, to ensure your transaction works as intended. To debug your smart contract follow these steps:

Open your smart contract project, ensure you are connected to the local_fabric connection and the local_fabric is in development mode.
Open the debug view in Visual Studio Code using the left-hand navigation bar.
Select the Debug Smart Contract configuration by using the dropdown in the upper-left.
Package and install the smart contract by clicking the play button.
Add breakpoints to the smart contract by clicking on the relevant line numbers in your smart contract files.
Right-click on the installed smart contract and click Instantiate. You can now right click on transactions to submit them, execution will be paused on any breakpoints you've defined.

To make iterative changes to your smart contract while debugging, after making your changes click the restart button. Restarting debugging means you don't need to instantiate the contract again. Please note, as this stores the smart contract in local memory, for many changes to large smart contracts, you may need to reinstantiate the smart contract.

Connecting to your own Hyperledger Fabric instance

Using this extension, you can connect to a pre-configured local instance of Hyperledger Fabric named local_fabric, or you can connect to your own Hyperledger Fabric instance. If you choose to connect to your own Hyperledger Fabric instance, it must be running Hyperledger Fabric v1.3.0 or later.

When using the pre-configured local instance of Hyperledger Fabric named local_fabric, the extension will automatically pull and use the correct Docker images.

If you want to start and connect to your own Hyperledger Fabric instance, ensure that you are using Hyperledger Fabric v1.3.0 or later by following the Fabric documentation here:

https://hyperledger-fabric.readthedocs.io/en/release-1.3/install.html

Supported Operating Systems

Linux, Mac OS, and Windows are currently the only supported operating systems for use with the extension.

Telemetry Reporting

The extension uses telemetry reporting to track usage data and help improve future extension versions.

For instructions on how to disable telemetry reporting, please visit the visit the Visual Studio Code FAQ.

Future Additions

To track the projects future features, visit GitHub Issues.

License

The source code files are made available under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (Apache-2.0), located in the LICENSE file.

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