Today we code!

As the Treasures of Shimmer campaign progresses, we have decided to gift NFTs to our participants. To automate this process, we created a script that scans the Zealy API and mints and distributes NFTs directly to the participants.

GitHub - antonionardella/shimmer-zealy-nft-dropper: Tool to monitor quests on Zealy and mint/drop NFTs to eligible accounts

Tool to monitor quests on Zealy and mint/drop NFTs to eligible accounts - GitHub - antonionardella/shimmer-zealy-nft-dropper: Tool to monitor quests on Zealy and mint/drop NFTs to eligible accounts

GitHubantonionardella

However, we needed to extend the tool to manually distribute NFTs to a CSV list, and I wanted to understand how building for Shimmer is on a Chromebook and Chrome OS.

Shown in this post the Linux developer environment is setup and so is Visual Studio Code. Which means we can get started right away.

I encountered an issue when using Shimmer libraries. The wheel did not work with Python 3.9 due to an incompatible abitag.

I had to seek help from my colleagues on the IOTA & Shimmer Discord to figure out the problem.

Fortunately, they informed me that the issue would be fixed in the next release. In the meantime, we downloaded the iota-client wheel from Thoralf's repo and continued the work.

After resolving the issue, we successfully minted an NFT to the testnet and sent it to the address

https://explorer.shimmer.network/testnet/addr/rms1zp489egrre33n0a6spgt8yvr65msq7ppg8p5uur0w7em6jrkex93ut7qzge

Now let's start testing the NFT distribution script with 2000 Shimmer testnet addresses. This required generating a large number of addresses, writing them to a CSV file, and thoroughly testing the script's functionality. With the assistance of ChatGPT, the example was successfully adapted to generate the desired number of addresses.

# Sync account with the node
response = account.sync()
print(f'Synced: {response}')
wallet.set_stronghold_password(stronghold_password)

addresses = account.generate_addresses(2000)

with open('data.csv', mode='w', newline='') as file:
    writer = csv.writer(file)
    for address in addresses:
        writer.writerow([address])

However, an obstacle was encounteres when attempting to retrieve the NFTs' quantities from the addresses. The wallet.rs implementation encountered error messages during the synchronization process.
To find a solution, I had to turn to the vibrant community on Discord, where after posting my question I received a helpful response. You can find the question and answer here:
https://iota.stackexchange.com/questions/2937/iota-wallet-common-iotawalleterror-while-synchronizing-the-account/2938#2938

After overcoming this hurdle, I triumphantly sent out 2000 NFTs to the corresponding addresses. It was a resounding success! Despite minor issues with PIP packages not installing immediately, I am relieved to know that a fix is already underway.

Reflecting on the experience, I rate it 7 out of 10.

A few learnings for our DevRel path:

• PIP Package Support: the importance of broader support for PIP packages. Fortunately, the upcoming release addresses this issue, ensuring a smoother experience for developers
• wallet.rs Error Handling: While working with wallet.rs, the need for improved error messages and handling is clear. Recognizing that wallet.rs may be approaching its end-of-life phase, and the team has transitioned to the more advanced iota-sdk, which offers enhanced capabilities and developer-friendly features
• Troubleshooting the Issue: When faced with challenges, the importance of determining whether the issue lies within the library, the node, or both is clear. I forwarded this matter to our team, who are dedicated to finding a comprehensive explanation for developers and providing effective solutions

These learnings serve as valuable insights for our DevRel path, guiding the team in creating a more seamless and empowering experience for developers.

Stay tuned for more updates as we continue our exploration of the exciting world of Shimmer.