Data Expressions

This guide covers how to work with expressions in Tx3.

Overview

Expressions in Tx3 are used to:

• Compute values
• Access properties
• Perform operations
• Construct data

Data Expressions

Literals

// Integer literals
123
-456
0

// Boolean literals
true
false

// String literals
"hello"
"world"

// Bytes literals
0xDEADBEEF
0x1234

Constructors

// Record construction
State {
    field1: value1,
    field2: value2,
}

// Variant construction
Result::Success(42)
Result::Error("failed")

Binary Operations

// Arithmetic
a + b
a - b

// Comparison
a == b
a != b
a < b
a > b
a <= b
a >= b

// Logical
a && b
a || b
!a

Property Access

// Record field access
record.field

// Variant field access
variant.field

Asset Expressions

Asset Constructors

// ADA constructor
Ada(1000000)

// Custom asset constructor
MyToken(100)

// NFT constructor
AnyAsset(policy_id, asset_name, 1)

Asset Operations

// Addition
asset1 + asset2

// Subtraction
asset1 - asset2

// Property access
asset.amount

Common Patterns

Value Computation

tx transfer(amount: Int) {
    input source {
        from: Sender,
        min_amount: Ada(amount),
    }

    output {
        to: Receiver,
        amount: Ada(amount),
    }

    output {
        to: Sender,
        amount: source - Ada(amount) - fees,
    }
}

State Updates

tx update_state(new_value: Int) {
    input current {
        from: Contract,
        datum_is: State,
    }

    output {
        to: Contract,
        amount: current.amount,
        datum: State {
            version: current.version + 1,
            value: new_value,
            timestamp: current.timestamp,
        }
    }
}

Conditional Logic

tx conditional_transfer(
    amount: Int,
    should_lock: Bool
) {
    input source {
        from: Sender,
        min_amount: Ada(amount),
    }

    output {
        to: should_lock ? TimeLock : Receiver,
        amount: Ada(amount),
        datum: should_lock ? LockData { amount } : None,
    }
}

Expression Evaluation

Order of Operations

1. Parentheses
2. Property access
3. Unary operations
4. Binary operations
5. Constructors

Examples

// Complex expression
(a + b) * (c - d)

// Property access with operation
record.field + value

// Nested construction
State {
    value: (a + b) * c,
    timestamp: current.timestamp + 1,
}

Best Practices

1. Expression Clarity

   • Use parentheses for clarity
   • Break complex expressions
   • Document assumptions

2. Type Safety

   • Check operand types
   • Handle edge cases
   • Validate results

3. Performance

   • Minimize computation
   • Cache repeated values
   • Optimize expressions

4. Error Prevention

   • Check for null/undefined
   • Validate ranges
   • Handle edge cases

Common Use Cases

Fee Calculation

tx transfer_with_fee(
    amount: Int,
    fee_rate: Int
) {
    input source {
        from: Sender,
        min_amount: Ada(amount + (amount * fee_rate / 100)),
    }

    output {
        to: Receiver,
        amount: Ada(amount),
    }

    output {
        to: FeeCollector,
        amount: Ada(amount * fee_rate / 100),
    }
}

State Transitions

tx transition(
    new_state: State
) {
    input current {
        from: Contract,
        datum_is: State,
    }

    output {
        to: Contract,
        amount: current.amount,
        datum: State {
            version: current.version + 1,
            state: new_state,
            timestamp: current.timestamp + 1,
        }
    }
}

Asset Management

tx manage_assets(
    amounts: [Int]
) {
    input source {
        from: Manager,
        min_amount: amounts.fold(Ada(0), |acc, x| acc + Ada(x)),
    }

    output {
        to: Pool,
        amount: amounts.fold(Ada(0), |acc, x| acc + Ada(x)),
    }
}