Comet 4.3 and Block DX 1.8.0 have been released
Blocknet Comet 4.3 and Block DX version 1.8.0 have been released with improvements and new features. Full details on these updates can be seen below.
Note: This wallet release contains a new XBridge protocol version. As a result, it is mandatory for Service Nodes and Block DX users to update. XBridge/Block DX users also need to update configs (Menu > Add/Update Wallets > Update Wallets).
Blocknet Comet 4.3
Wallet
As Blocknet upgraded to Comet with a new chain, the governance system was also overhauled. One of the changes made to the governance system was on-chain voting. One downside of this is that when the wallet loads the votes need to be read from the chain. This leads to an undesirably longer load times. To address this, we added a governance database that records the votes so they don’t need to be read from scratch on every startup. This has dramatically improved the time it takes for the wallet to load.
Loading time was improved on the Proposals screen as well. Where selecting the Proposals tab the wallet would have a noticeable delay before changing to the Proposals screen. Now the Proposals screen loads much fast with less of a delay.
Switching to staking, sometimes users will be staking while having no outgoing connections and wonder why stakes were disappearing. With this release, the wallet now requires valid outgoing connections in order to stake. If none exist then staking will be inactive.
On the developer side, the XBridge and XRouter help messages have all been updated with descriptions and examples to be aligned with the information available on the API docs. The dxLoadXBridgeConf call has also received an update to resolve a hang that has been reported.
XBridge
This release includes an XBridge protocol upgrade with a number of new calls available. For starters, there’s dxMakePartialOrder, which allows you to create orders that can be partially taken as opposed to dxMakeOrder that requires the order to be taken for its full amount.
To help explain how partial orders work, let’s use an example where the Maker is creating an order selling 10 BLOCK for 1 LTC. With partial orders, the Maker sets the minimum amount they want to allow to be taken. In this example, let’s say the minimum is 1 BLOCK. When the order is made, the wallet will automatically generate an optimal input set to be used with this order during the posting creation process. For the sake of the example, let’s say the order has 10 inputs of 1 BLOCK each. After the inputs have 1 confirmation the order goes live. When a Taker partially takes the order, let’s say for 2.5 BLOCK (for 0.25 LTC), a new order will be automatically created for the remaining 7 BLOCK whole inputs.
Once the trade is complete, the 0.5 change is returned back to your wallet instead of being included in the reposted order. This allows the remaining unused order inputs to be reposted immediately instead of being on hold until the required confirmations are met. The remaining 7 BLOCK order can again be partially taken. In future upgrades to dxMakePartialOrder, we plan to allow the user to specify which inputs they would like to use in the order. This would allow for users and bot traders to create their own strategy with input sizes as well as create pre-staged inputs for orders so they don’t need to be generated at the time the order is created.
In anticipation of this future upgrade, a few supplementary calls have also been made. For splitting inputs there’s dxSplitInputs and dxSplitAddress. dxSplitInputs allows you to split a specified set of inputs into a specified output size and dxSplitAddress allows you to split all inputs within a specified address into a specified output size. For viewing inputs there is dxGetUtxos, which will return all your compatible inputs with an optional parameter to only return inputs not currently tied up in orders. For additional details of these new API calls, see the API documentation.
In addition to the new API calls, this upgrade also introduces an orders database for order persistence. This means that non-canceled orders and completed orders will be visible after restarting the client. This also means that if the wallet or computer crashes during a pending order the client will be able to pick up where it left off and help prevent having to redeem manually assuming that you restart the wallet as soon as possible after this situation.
There have been changes to the XBridge order relay and fee handling as well. Takers are now required to submit fees up front before an order is processed to prove they have the means to pay the fee. This also provides the network with additional DoS protection, preventing Takers from abusing the order system.
For XBridge integrations, we are happy to announce a number of new additions, including Bitcoin Cash (BCH), Bitcoin Gold (BTG), Bitcoin Diamond (BCD), and Verge (XVG) among a few others mentioned in the Block DX overview below.
XRouter
This release includes a change to how consensus replies are reported. Rather than including allreplies in the query response, just the consensus response is returned. To view the allreplies responses, you will now need to use the xrGetReply command with the respective uuid. This will return the allreplies array, a mostcommon consensus value, and mostcommoncount with the number of nodes that replied with the mostcommon response.
Service Nodes can now also specify a help= setting in their plugin config that contains information on how to use the service or provide a link to documentation that does.
Block DX 1.8.0
This Block DX release includes various user experience improvements and bug fixes, which can be viewed below.
Note: Block DX 1.8.0 requires Blocknet Comet 4.3. Block DX users also need to update configs (Menu > Add/Update Wallets > Update Wallets).
Combined Price and Depth Chart Panel
As we continue to improve what Block DX has to offer, one of the items we’re looking forward to is TradingView integration. However, our price chart panel in previous releases had a very narrow aspect ratio while TradingView charts greatly benefit from a wider aspect ratio. To accommodate for the space needed by TradingView, the price chart and depth chart panels have been combined into a single panel. As seen in the image below, this panel now has tabs to switch between the price chart and depth chart view.
Order Persistence
Thanks to new XBridge updates in Comet 4.3, this release of Block DX now supports order persistence. In previous releases, when you shut down the Blocknet wallet you lose your personal trade history from memory. Now in Block DX 1.8.0 your trade history will remain and continue to be visible after restarting the Blocknet wallet.
Refund Notification
While most trades are successful, sometimes the trade is aborted during the swap process if security checks fail. In these situations the deposit locktime needs to expire before the funds can be refunded. To alleviate concern from the user mistakenly thinking they lost funds because they didn’t receive their refund immediately, we have created a notification prompt that informs them the refund may take a while. Typically refunds happen within 2 hours for Makers and within 30 minutes for Takers.
Custom 500 Errors
To improve user experience we updated the 500 error messages. Prior to this update, if the Blocknet wallet was closed or not fully synced the user will receive a 500 Internal Server Error or an ECONNREFUSED connection error. With this change, the error message now clearly states the issue and offers troubleshooting help.
Litewallet Preliminary Auto Setup
In preparation of the release of the litewallet we have added the ability to automatically setup the litewallet for use with Block DX. Although the litewallet is still only available as a command line program, this will make it much easier for community members to get setup to help testing. This auto setup feature will be undergoing another revision before the litewallet release to further simplify the process. If you would like to help with testing these features along with other updates, visit the #community-testing channel in Discord and view the pinned message or view the testing gist.
Listing Updates
A number of updates have been made to the listings including added and removed assets. Please review the changes below and if you are trading any of these assets, make sure you check the updated wallet version compatibility list, update to a supported version, and update your wallet setup (Menu > Add/Update Wallets > Update Wallets).
Support for new assets:
- Abosom (ABS)
- Altbet (ABET)
- Reecore (REEX)
- Verge (XVG)
- Bitcoin Cash (BCH)
- Bitcoin Diamond (BCD)
- Bitcoin Gold (BTG)
- DeVault (DVT)
- eXperience Points (XP)
Removed assets (no longer compatible at this time):
- Bulwark (BWK)
- CryptoCashBack (CCBC)
- Dinero (DIN)
- Light Pay Coin (LPC)
- LogisCoin (LGS)
- Magna Coin (MGN)
- Minexcoin (MNX)
- Syndicate (SYNX)
Updated support for existing assets:
- BITG, BLOCK, BTC, DIVI, DOGEC, ECA, FLO, HTML, INN, LTC, LUX, MAC, N8V, NMC, NOR, PIVX, QTUM, RVN, SEND, SIB, VITAE, XZC
- If you are trading any of these, make sure you run through the Block DX setup again as some of the configs have been changed. Also check the updated wallet version compatibility list and make sure to update to a supported version: https://blockdx.com/listings/
- Note: Block DX 1.8.0 requires Blocknet Comet 4.3 XBridge/Block DX configs will also need to be updated (Menu > Add/Update Wallets > Update Wallets).
Bug Fixes
- NaN Error — When using Block DX from a computer with a non-English locale the numbers will no longer display as NaN.
- Alert Popup Responsiveness — Alert popup windows are now more responsive so scroll windows won’t show unnecessarily.
- RPC Overload — RPC calls are now throttled to 10 simultaneous calls to prevent overload errors.
- Windows Freezing — Alert popups on Windows no longer cause the app to freeze.
Looking Forward
There are many exciting milestones still ahead including XRouter 1.0, market and limit order functionality on Block DX, various other Block DX improvements on UX, and integration of lite multiwallet being developed in partnership with CloudChains Inc, which is powered by the Blocknet Protocol. View the roadmap.
Blocknet will continue breaking new ground as we move through 2020. Be sure to keep up with the latest developments by joining the Blocknet community on Discord and subscribing to the biweekly newsletter.
Note: This wallet release contains a new XBridge protocol version. As a result, it is mandatory for Service Nodes and Block DX users to update.
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