Solana RPC versioned transaction

Question

The library docs say that the function

sendTransaction(transaction: Transaction, signers: Signer[], options?: SendOptions): Promise<string>

has been deprecated. Instead, one should call sendTransaction with a VersionedTransaction i.e.

sendTransaction(transaction: VersionedTransaction, options?: SendOptions): Promise<string>

The constructor of a VersionedTransaction requires a VersionedMessage, but I couldn't find any information on how to generate a VersionedMessage.

Is there an example on how to use the sendTransaction() function call?

Answer 1

Since VersionedTransaction are a fairly new, the docs and content for them is still in the works of being created. But, here is a snippet from an upcoming doc that explains how to create a VersionedTransaction with web3.js:

const web3 = require("@solana/web3.js");

// connect to the cluster and get the minimum rent for rent exempt status
const connection = new web3.Connection(web3.clusterApiUrl("devnet"));
let minRent = await connection.getMinimumBalanceForRentExemption(0);
let blockhash = await connection
  .getLatestBlockhash()
  .then((res) => res.blockhash);

Create an array of all the instructions you desire to send in your transaction. In this example below, we are creating a simple SOL transfer instruction:

// create an array with your desires `instructions`
const instructions = [
  web3.SystemProgram.transfer({
    fromPubkey: payer.publicKey,
    toPubkey: toAccount.publicKey,
    lamports: minRent,
  }),
];

Next, construct a MessageV0 formatted transaction message with your desired instructions:

// create v0 compatible message
const messageV0 = new web3.TransactionMessage({
  payerKey: payer.publicKey,
  recentBlockhash: blockhash,
  instructions,
}).compileToV0Message();

Then, create a new VersionedTransaction, passing in our v0 compatible message:

const transaction = new web3.VersionedTransaction(messageV0);

// sign your transaction with the required `Signers`
transaction.sign([payer]);

You can sign the transaction by either:

• passing an array of signatures into the VersionedTransaction method, or
• call the transaction.sign() method, passing an array of the required Signers

NOTE: After calling the transaction.sign() method, all the previous transaction signatures will be fully replaced by new signatures created from the provided in Signers.

After your VersionedTransaction has been signed by all required accounts, you can send it to the cluster and await the response.

// send our v0 transaction to the cluster
const txid = await connection.sendTransaction(transaction);
console.log(`https://explorer.solana.com/tx/${txid}?cluster=devnet`);

NOTE: Unlike legacy transactions, sending a VersionedTransaction via sendTransaction does NOT support transaction signing via passing in an array of Signers as the second parameter. You will need to sign the transaction before calling connection.sendTransaction().

Answer 2

As the code states, a VersionedMessageis either a Message or a MessageV0, so you can create either of those types and use it as a VersionedMessage when creating your VersionedTransaction.