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Lab in SORA ​

The Lab feature in SORA provides a powerful interface for working with Stellar's XDR (External Data Representation) format. It allows you to encode, decode, and manipulate XDR data, which is crucial for advanced Stellar development.

SHOWCASE CLIP

New to SORA? Check out our Lab showcase clip to see how to work with XDR data in SORA!

XDR Commands ​

The Lab feature supports various XDR-related commands:

  1. Decode: Convert XDR to JSON format.
  2. Encode: Convert JSON to XDR format.
  3. Guess: Attempt to determine the XDR type of given data.
  4. Valid: Check if given XDR data is valid.
  5. Types List: List of all XDR types.

Lab Dashboard

To use these commands:

  1. Select the desired command from the dropdown menu.
  2. Fill in the required arguments and options.
  3. Click "Run Command" to execute.

Command Output ​

After executing any Lab command, SORA provides detailed output:

Command Output

The output is color-coded and structured to provide clear information about the execution results.

Best Practices ​

  1. Data Validation: Always use the "valid" command to check your XDR data before encoding or decoding.
  2. Type Checking: When unsure about the XDR type, use the "guess" command before attempting to decode.
  3. Error Handling: Pay attention to error messages in the command output. They often provide valuable information for troubleshooting.
  4. Regular Updates: Keep your SORA installation up to date to ensure you have the latest XDR capabilities.

Behind the Scenes ​

While SORA provides a user-friendly interface for XDR operations, it's powered by Soroban's CLI tools under the hood. The app handles the complex command-line operations for you, making XDR manipulation more accessible.

When you use the Lab feature in SORA, the application is constructing and executing Soroban CLI commands. For example:

  • stellar lab xdr decode: Decodes XDR data to JSON format.
  • stellar lab xdr encode: Encodes JSON data to XDR format.
  • stellar lab xdr guess: Attempts to determine the XDR type of given data.
  • stellar lab xdr valid: Checks if given XDR data is valid.
  • stellar lab xdr types list: List of all XDR types.