canonical method of calling programs functions in script format

Question

I have a couple deployed programs on Devnet. Is there a standard way of calling functions on a deployed program, assuming I have the IDL?

Obviously I could write a test but a test typically deploys a new program instance.

In ETH, the equivalent is creating a new contract instance with an address + ABI.

Curious if there is an equivalent in anchor that I can theoretically call via some command...

Answer 1

If you want to use anchor test but want to skip the deploy process, you can add the flag --skip-deploy to the command.

Additionally, if you want to use a script or a frontend to call your program, you'll want to follow a few steps:

Import Anchor:

import * as anchor from "@coral-xyz/anchor";

Initialize a connection:

const connection = new anchor.web3.Connection("<your RPC endpoint>", 'confirmed');

Initialize the anchor provider:

const opts = {
  preflightCommitment: 'processed' as anchor.web3.ConfirmOptions,
};

const provider = new anchor.AnchorProvider(
  connection,
  wallet as anchor.Wallet, //if using typescript
  opts.preflightCommitment
);

Import your IDL from "/target/types/<program_name>.ts":

import { StockpileV2 } from "../idl/idl";
import { IDL } from "../idl/idl";

Reference your program:

const idl = IDL as anchor.Idl;
const program = new anchor.Program(
   idl,
   new PublicKey("<programId>"),
   provider
) as unknown as anchor.Program<ProgramNamespace>;

Now you can call instructions from your program:

let tx = await program.methods
   .someInstruction(<some args...>)
   .accounts({
      // some accounts...
}).rpc();

Or:

// make sure @solana/web.js is installed
let tx = new Transaction();

let instruction = await program.methods
   .someInstruction(<some args...>)
   .accounts({
      // some accounts...
}).instruction();

tx.add(instruction);

Writing anchor tests will look somewhat similar to this, and implementation will vary.

Quick note: A good practice I've benefitted from is exporting the connection instance, and creating reusable functions for initializing your provider & program. This helps keep your code brief and readable (can add an edit showing this if needed)