# Commands

# Creating accounts

These commands create Ethereum accounts.

# account

Creates a new encrypted JSON-storage account.

Arguments:

name Name of the file to save the account to, .json will be added automatically.

Example:

./bw account myaccount

# Account usage

To use an account created this way with bw, you need to temporarily save the password you set into a file, and then provide the account file and password file to bw. For example, if the account file is myaccount.json and the password file is mypassword, run:

./bw -a myaccount.json -p mypassword ...

# private-key

Generates an unsecured private key for a new account.

WARNING

Accounts saved as plain private keys are not secure if someone gains access to your computer, so only use these for testing and low-value scenarios.

Example:

./bw private-key

Save the private key to a file:

./bw private-key --plain > myaccount.key

# Account usage

To use an account created this way with bw, save it to a file with the --plain output like above, and then provide it with the -f option:

./bw -f myaccount.key ...

You can also provide the private key directly to the command without saving to a file using the -k option:

./bw -k 0xc5f4a5c228f422a52532b69bb2d89f464bbc283580dfd3e9752e306b15b02107 ...

# vanity

Generates an account with a customized address. For example, you could create an account that begins with 0xface.

Note that the more characters you include, the longer it takes to find an address that matches. Even on a high-end computer it can take days just to find 6-7 characters.

The account itself is output the same way as with private-key.

Arguments:

type The type of search. Can be left (beginning), right (end) or any.
text The text to search for. This can only contain numbers (0-9) and letters up to f (a-f).

Options:

--contract or -c Finds a contract address instead of an account address. It will also display the nonce you need to use to get the found contract address.
--sensitive or -s Makes the text search case-sensitive.

WARNING

Accounts saved as plain private keys are not secure if someone gains access to your computer, so only use these for testing and low-value scenarios.

Example:

Create an account that begins with 0xface:

./bw vanity left face

Same as the first example, but save it to a file instead of displaying it:

./bw vanity left face --plain > 0xface.key

# Account usage

To use an account created this way with bw, save it to a file with the --plain output like above, and then provide it with the -f option:

./bw -f 0xface.key ...

# Transaction commands

These are commands that perform a transaction on the blockchain.

With all of these commands, you must provide exactly one of:

--account
--privatekey
--keyfile

# send

Sends ERC-20 tokens from the configured account to the given address.

Arguments:

recipient Address of the recipient
amount Token amount to send, in whole units. The number of decimals is calculated and applied automatically.

Example:

./bw -f keyfile send 0x632777aeb73f955a660817d5f1ab1a36365485aa 1.2

# ether

Sends Ether to another address.

Arguments:

recipient Address of the recipient
amount Amount of ETH to send, in whole units.

Example:

./bw -f keyfile ether 0x632777aeb73f955a660817d5f1ab1a36365485aa 5

# contract-deploy

Deploys a smart contract on the blockchain.

Arguments:

build-file A Truffle-style build file of the contract.
arguments... The remaining arguments will all be given to the smart contract's constructor as arguments. Supports Argument Formats.

WARNING

At this time all arguments to this command must be provided in their raw form. For example, if you're specifying a token amount with 18 decimals and want to specify 5 tokens, you would enter 5000000000000000000.

Options:

--dry Prepares the deployment and calculates gas limit, but does not submit the transaction.

Example:

./bw -f keyfile contract-deploy MyContract.json "First argument" 123

# contract-send

Send a transaction with a smart contract function call.

Arguments:

method The name of the method (aka. function) to be called with the transaction.
arguments... The remaining arguments will all be given to the function as its arguments. Supports Argument Formats.

WARNING

Options:

--ether <value> Send ETH with the transaction. Enter in whole ETH, not Wei.
--dry Shows the function and arguments, but doesn't send the transaction.

Examples:

./bw -f keyfile contract-send addAdmin 0x632777aeb73f955a660817d5f1ab1a36365485aa

You can always specify a different contract address using --address:

./bw -f keyfile --address 0xe8340FdfE79851e9E117b3033E147a654dbDb0Ae \
    contract-send addAdmin 0x632777aeb73f955a660817d5f1ab1a36365485aa

# Reading contracts

These commands read data from the blockchain related to contracts.

# contract-call

Makes a view (read-only) function call on a smart contract.

Arguments:

method The name of the method (aka. function) to be called.
arguments... The remaining arguments will all be given to the function as its arguments. Supports Argument Formats.

Examples:

./bw contract-call balanceOf 0x632777aeb73f955a660817d5f1ab1a36365485aa

You can always specify a different contract address using --address:

./bw --address 0xe8340FdfE79851e9E117b3033E147a654dbDb0Ae \
    contract-call balanceOf 0x632777aeb73f955a660817d5f1ab1a36365485aa

# balance

A command to call balanceOf on an ERC-20 contract to get an account's balance of tokens.

This is basically the same as using contract-call balanceOf, except it performs decimal conversion automatically.

Arguments:

account Account address to get balance for

Examples:

./bw balance 0x632777aeb73f955a660817d5f1ab1a36365485aa

# multi-call

A special multi-version of contract-call that calls the same function multiple times with different arguments.

Arguments:

method The name of the method (aka. function) to be called for each set of arguments.
arguments... The arguments to be passed to the function. Different function arguments should be separated by spaces, and multiple values separated by commas. Supports Argument Formats.

Options:

--decimals <value> Converts output with a given number of decimals.

Examples:

Call balanceOf for both of the two addresses:

./bw multi-call balanceOf \
    0x5027C909AAa8672B26AD50DefCfd32Db5A0639E5,0x00Aa9F6706Cb0fD34bF4833daf723987E6B249F5

If you're calling a function with multiple arguments, just separate the arguments by spaces. Here's calling allowance both ways for two addresses:

./bw multi-call allowance \
    0x5027C909AAa8672B26AD50DefCfd32Db5A0639E5,0x5e3A41Ea023F84F6A75C2b2Db9eE3440c9B81d9F \
    0x00Aa9F6706Cb0fD34bF4833daf723987E6B249F5,0x612d80530A47086e349F4A28CF48C38aC8BfCF35

This will first call:

allowance(0x5027C909AAa8672B26AD50DefCfd32Db5A0639E5, 0x00Aa9F6706Cb0fD34bF4833daf723987E6B249F5)

And then:

allowance(0x5e3A41Ea023F84F6A75C2b2Db9eE3440c9B81d9F, 0x612d80530A47086e349F4A28CF48C38aC8BfCF35)

# transfers

Reads all token transfers from a contract and outputs them in CSV format.

This command uses the contract address from config.yaml, which you can override with --address

Arguments:

to Optional. Only output transfers to this address.

Examples:

./bw transfers

Read transfers for the contract 0xe8340FdfE79851e9E117b3033E147a654dbDb0Ae:

./bw --address 0xe8340FdfE79851e9E117b3033E147a654dbDb0Ae transfers

Only read transfers to the address 0xAaf70e052b76C9Bd177e24A0E249f17CC3486eA0:

./bw transfers 0xAaf70e052b76C9Bd177e24A0E249f17CC3486eA0

Put the output into a file called transfers.csv:

./bw transfers --quiet > transfers.csv

# token-balances

Reads all token transfers from a contract and calculates the token balance of every account that holds any of the tokens.

The default output is a spreadsheet in CSV format. You can optionally get JSON output using the --json flag.

Arguments:

address Token contract address to calculate for.

Examples:

./bw token-balances 0xe8340FdfE79851e9E117b3033E147a654dbDb0Ae

Put the output into a file called balances.csv:

./bw token-balances 0xe8340FdfE79851e9E117b3033E147a654dbDb0Ae --quiet > balances.csv

# logs

Reads event logs from a smart contract and outputs them in JSON format.

Arguments:

address Token contract address to read logs from.
topic0 Optional. Only show logs with this topic0 value. You can use the topic0 command to get the correct value.

Examples:

./bw logs 0xe8340FdfE79851e9E117b3033E147a654dbDb0Ae

Only get logs for the AdminAdded event:

./bw logs 0xe8340FdfE79851e9E117b3033E147a654dbDb0Ae 0x44d6d25963f097ad14f29f06854a01f575648a1ef82f30e562ccd3889717e339

The topic0 value was calculated for AdminAdded with the following command:

./bw topic0 "AdminAdded(address)"

These commands deal with smart contracts, but don't read the contract directly.

# get-bytecode

Reads the raw bytecode of a contract from the blockchain.

Arguments:

address Contract address to get the bytecode for.

Example:

./bw get-bytecode 0xe8340FdfE79851e9E117b3033E147a654dbDb0Ae

# is-contract

Checks if the given addresses are smart contracts

Arguments:

addresses... One or more addresses separated by spaces

Example:

./bw is-contract 0xe8340FdfE79851e9E117b3033E147a654dbDb0Ae

Multiple addresses at once:

./bw is-contract 0xe8340FdfE79851e9E117b3033E147a654dbDb0Ae 0xAaf70e052b76C9Bd177e24A0E249f17CC3486eA0

# has-functions

Attempts to detect if a contract implements certain functions by analyzing the bytecode.

WARNING

There is a small chance for false positives with the bytecode analysis. They should be very rare, but due to the nature of how functions are stored in the bytecode it is practically impossible to have 100% certainty.

Arguments:

address Address of the contract to analyze.
functions... List of functions, separated by spaces, to look for. Each function can be specified using its signature or 4 byte hash.

Alternatively, you can omit functions... and specify a contract ABI instead with --abi instead, in which case all functions from the ABI will be looked for.

Examples:

Functions can be specified using their signature:

./bw has-functions 0xe8340FdfE79851e9E117b3033E147a654dbDb0Ae \
    'transfer(address,uint256)' \
    'approve(address,uint256)'

Or using the function's 4 byte hash (opens new window)

./bw has-functions 0xe8340FdfE79851e9E117b3033E147a654dbDb0Ae \
    0xa9059cbb \
    0x095ea7b3

Using an ABI:

./bw has-functions --abi erc20.abi 0x212D95FcCdF0366343350f486bda1ceAfC0C2d63

# contract-bytecode

Encodes a contract for deployment and then outputs the data to be deployed.

This can be useful if you want to deploy a contract using an account that normally doesn't support deploying contracts.

Arguments:

build-file A Truffle-style build file of the contract.
arguments... The remaining arguments will all be given to the smart contract's constructor as arguments.

WARNING

Example:

./bw -f keyfile contract-bytecode MyContract.json "First argument" 123

# functions

Displays all functions found in the given ABI file with the 4 byte hash for each function.

Arguments:

abi-file The ABI file for the contract.

Example:

./bw functions lib/erc20.abi

# events

Displays all events found in the given ABI file.

Arguments:

abi-file The ABI file for the contract.

Example:

./bw events lib/erc20.abi

# function-signature

Calculates the 4 byte hash of a function given its signature.

Arguments:

function-signature The full signature of the function, including the name and each argument type.

Example:

./bw function-signature "transfer(address,uint256)"

# topic0

Calculates the topic0 value for a smart contract event.

Arguments:

event-signature The full signature of the event, including the name and each argument type.

Example:

./bw topic0 "AdminAdded(address)"

# decode-input

Decodes the input data of a contract calling transaction.

Arguments:

data The input data from the transaction.

Example:

./bw decode-input 0xa9059cbb0000000000000000000000001344de20465e0d04ec3a6dfd80c6e02e40c3c5600000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000056bc75e2d63100000

# Other commands

# balance-eth

Gets the ETH balance of an account.

Arguments:

address Account address to get balance for.

Options:

--wei or -w Outputs balance in Wei instead of whole ETH.

# receipt

Reads and outputs a transaction receipt from the blockchain.

Arguments:

hash Transaction hash to get a receipt for.

Example:

./bw receipt 0x84fffafbd68c42fc281cf1bb1ecef5460554b0d6b7a2734a2737f418a21bec70

# gas

Gets the current gas price from ETH Gas Station (opens new window).

Arguments:

type Optional. Type of gas price from ETH Gas Station (opens new window).

type can be one of:

block_time Average block time
blockNum Block number
speed Speed
safeLow Safe low gas price
average Average gas price
fast Fast gas price
fastest Fastest gas price
default Calculates the average of average and safeLow, and then adds 2 gwei

If no type is provided, default is used.

Options:

--wei or -w Output in Wei instead of Gwei.
--raw or -r Output ETH Gas Station's raw format.

Examples:

Get the default gas price:

./bw gas

Get the safeLow gas price in Wei:

./bw gas -w safeLow

# wei

Convert Ether to Wei.

Arguments:

value The ETH amount to convert to Wei.

Options:

--decimals or -d The number of decimals to use instead of Ether's 18.

Examples:

Convert 5 ETH to Wei:

./bw wei 5

Convert 5 tokens to its Wei equivalent when the token has 6 decimals:

./bw wei -d 6 5

# from-wei

Convert Wei to Ether.

Arguments:

value The Wei amount to convert to ETH.

Options:

--decimals or -d The number of decimals to use instead of Ether's 18.

Examples:

Convert Wei to ETH:

./bw from-wei 5000000000000000000

Convert 5 tokens with 6 decimals in its Wei format to whole tokens:

./bw from-wei -d 6 5000000

# Options For All Commands

Below is a list of options that apply to all the tool's commands.

# `--account <account file>`

shortcut -a <account file>

Specifies an encrypted JSON store file to use as the Ethereum account to send transactions with.

This option must always be accompanied by --password.

# `--password <password file>`

shortcut -p <password file>

Specifies a text file with the password to the encrypted account specified with --account.

It is recommended that this file be protected with restricted file permissions and only created while you're using bw. Delete the file afterwards to help keep the password safe.

# `--privatekey <key>`

shortcut -k <key>

Use the given private key directly as the account to send transactions with.

Note! This is highly insecure, so it should only be used for testing and low-value situations.

# `--keyfile <file>`

shortcut -f <file>

Reads the account private key from the given file. This private key is then used as the account to send transactions with.

Note! This is highly insecure, so it should only be used for testing and low-value situations.

# `--network <name>`

shortcut -n <name>

example -n rinkeby

Use the given network, or chain, instead of the default one in config.yaml.

# `--address <address>`

example --address 0xe8340FdfE79851e9E117b3033E147a654dbDb0Ae

Sets the contract address to use with contract interactions, overriding the default from config.yaml.

# `--quiet`

shortcut -q

Suppresses all logging information from the output.

# `--plain`

Makes all output plain without special formatting, and without coloring.

Also sets --quiet.

# `--json`

Specifies that data output should be in JSON format. This does not work with all commands.

Also sets --quiet.

# `--abi`

example --abi MyContract.abi

Sets the ABI file to use for contract interactions, overriding the default from config.yaml.

This can be an ABI file directly, or a Truffle-style build file that's a JSON object with the key abi containing the ABI.

# `--abiraw`

example --abiraw '[{"constant":true,"inputs":[],"name":"name","outputs":[{"name":"","type":"string"}],"payable":false,"type":"function"}]'

Sets the ABI to be used directly from the given value.

# `--gasprice <price>`

example --gasprice 4

Sets a specific gas price to be used instead of an automatic price.

The value given should be in gwei.

# `--gaslimit <limit>`

example --gaslimit 200000

Sets a specific gas limit for transactions instead of an automatically calculated one.

# `--nonce <nonce>`

example --nonce 132
example --nonce -0
example --nonce +2

Sets the contract address to use with contract interactions, overriding the default from config.yaml.

This can also be given with a preceding plus (+) or minus (-), in which case the value will be added to or subtracted from the last nonce.

In other words, you can use --nonce -0 to tell bw to use a nonce that's 0 less than the last nonce. In practice this means the new transaction will overwrite your last one.

If you provide --nonce +1, that would set it to the automatically calculated nonce, which is your last nonce plus 1.

# `--noconfirm`

If specified, bw will not wait for transactions to be included in a block. Instead, after the transaction is sent and is pending on the node, bw will exit immediately.

# `--fromblock <block>`

example --fromblock 5000000

Sets the lower-bound block when using commands that search the blockchain. For example, if used with the transfers command, it would only find transfers from that block onwards.

# Commands

# Creating accounts

# account

# Account usage

# private-key

# Account usage

# vanity

# Account usage

# Transaction commands

# send

# ether

# contract-deploy

# contract-send

# Reading contracts

# contract-call

# balance

# multi-call

# transfers

# token-balances

# logs

# Other contract-related commands

# get-bytecode

# is-contract

# has-functions

# contract-bytecode

# functions

# events

# function-signature

# topic0

# decode-input

# Other commands

# balance-eth

# receipt

# gas

# wei

# from-wei

# Options For All Commands

# --account <account file>

# --password <password file>

# --privatekey <key>

# --keyfile <file>

# --network <name>

# --address <address>

# --quiet

# --plain

# --json

# --abi

# --abiraw

# --gasprice <price>

# --gaslimit <limit>

# --nonce <nonce>

# --noconfirm

# --fromblock <block>

# `--account <account file>`

# `--password <password file>`

# `--privatekey <key>`

# `--keyfile <file>`

# `--network <name>`

# `--address <address>`

# `--quiet`

# `--plain`

# `--json`

# `--abi`

# `--abiraw`

# `--gasprice <price>`

# `--gaslimit <limit>`

# `--nonce <nonce>`

# `--noconfirm`

# `--fromblock <block>`