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Specification of Modules

This file intends to outline the common structure for specifications within this directory.

Tense​

For consistency, specs should be written in passive present tense.

Pseudo-Code​

Generally, pseudo-code should be minimized throughout the spec. Often, simple bulleted-lists which describe a function's operations are sufficient and should be considered preferable. In certain instances, due to the complex nature of the functionality being described pseudo-code may the most suitable form of specification. In these cases use of pseudo-code is permissible, but should be presented in a concise manner, ideally restricted to only the complex element as a part of a larger description.

Common Layout​

The following generalized README structure should be used to breakdown specifications for modules. The following list is nonbinding and all sections are optional.

  • # {Module Name} - overview of the module
  • ## Concepts - describe specialized concepts and definitions used throughout the spec
  • ## State - specify and describe structures expected to be marshalled into the store, and their keys
  • ## State Transitions - standard state transition operations triggered by hooks, messages, etc.
  • ## Messages - specify message structure(s) and expected state machine behaviour(s)
  • ## Begin Block - specify any begin-block operations
  • ## End Block - specify any end-block operations
  • ## Hooks - describe available hooks to be called by/from this module
  • ## Events - list and describe event tags used
  • ## Client - list and describe CLI commands and gRPC and REST endpoints
  • ## Params - list all module parameters, their types (in JSON) and examples
  • ## Future Improvements - describe future improvements of this module
  • ## Tests - acceptance tests
  • ## Appendix - supplementary details referenced elsewhere within the spec

Notation for key-value mapping​

Within ## State the following notation -> should be used to describe key to value mapping:

key -> value

to represent byte concatenation the | may be used. In addition, encoding type may be specified, for example:

0x00 | addressBytes | address2Bytes -> amino(value_object)

Additionally, index mappings may be specified by mapping to the nil value, for example:

0x01 | address2Bytes | addressBytes -> nil