Transferring ERC20 tokens from account using web3 over Ropsten

[greggmojica]

I created a contract token using the sample solidity code tutorial. It has a function called transfer to send tokens between accounts:

function transfer(address _to, uint256 _value)

I need to now connect to this contract using web3, and then send a certain number of tokens generated to another account. I've been struggling with how to do this for quite some time and hoping this community could help. Here is what I have thus far, using web3 version 0.20.0:

```const Web3 = require("web3");
const web3 = new Web3();
web3.setProvider(new 
web3.providers.HttpProvider("https://ropsten.infura.io/XXXXXX"));
var abi = [ {} ] // redacted on purpose
var count = web3.eth.getTransactionCount("0x9...");
var abiArray = abi;
var contractAddress = "0x2...";
var contract =  web3.eth.contract(abiArray).at(contractAddress);

var data = contract.transfer.getData("0x2...", 10000, {from: "0x9..."});
var gasPrice = web3.eth.gasPrice;
var gasLimit = 90000;

var rawTransaction = {
  "from": "0x9...",
  "nonce": web3.toHex(count),
  "gasPrice": web3.toHex(gasPrice),
  "gasLimit": web3.toHex(gasLimit),
  "to": "0x2...",
  "value": "0x1",
  "data": data,
  "chainId": 0x03
};

var privKey = new Buffer('XXXXXXXXXXXXXX', 'hex');
var tx = new Tx(rawTransaction);

tx.sign(privKey);
var serializedTx = tx.serialize();

web3.eth.sendRawTransaction('0x' + serializedTx.toString('hex'), function(err, hash) {
  if (!err)
      console.log(hash);
  else
      console.log(err);
});```

This transaction works but it's sending ether as opposed to the actual ERC20 token. I'm really at a loss for why this is the case and would appreciate any help whatsoever.

[jdkanani]

Use following -

rawTransaction.from = "0x9..."; // as you have set in example
rawTransaction.value = 0; // as you don't want to send ether with transaction
rawTransaction.to = tokenAddress;
rawTransaction.data = contract.transfer.getData(userAddress, tokenValues); // user's address is the address you want to send tokens to.

[Nishchit14]

a new version of web3 1.x

 tx = {
  value: '0x0', 
  from: from,
  to: Contract._address,
  data: Contract.methods.transfer(to, 1000).encodeABI(),  
}

[sherhan361]

Hello! Give me, please, an example of the working code for sending tokens for the version of web3@1.0.0-beta.27. I'm trying to write code for these examples. But there are a lot of mistakes related to the irrelevance of the data. I think that it will be useful to many. Thank you!

[FradSer]

Single-address allocation of MineFIL Token (MFIL) code which was written and tested using web3 version 1.0.0-beta.29.

Check the MFIL Ethereum Smart Contract Scripts for more.

// Dotenv javascript libraries needed
require('dotenv').config();
// Ethereum javascript libraries needed
var Web3 = require('web3');
var Tx = require('ethereumjs-tx');
// Rather than using a local copy of geth, interact with the ethereum blockchain via infura.io
// The key for infura.io is in .env
const web3 = new Web3(Web3.givenProvider || "https://ropsten.infura.io/" + process.env["INFURA_KEY"])
// Fixed-point notation for number of MFIL which is divisible to 3 decimal places
function financialMfil(numMfil) {
    return Number.parseFloat(numMfil / 1e3).toFixed(3);
}
// Create an async function so I can use the "await" keyword to wait for things to finish
const main = async () => {
    // This code was written and tested using web3 version 1.0.0-beta.29
    console.log(`web3 version: ${web3.version}`)
    // Who holds the token now?
    var myAddress = "0x644dE7C3f6425D8920332FC6C97Fbf7e04445C74";
    // Who are we trying to send this token to?
    var destAddress = "0xE3A029F6cA0C32a9E6c9a2154790Ea0A92cb2621";
    // MineFIL Token (MFIL) is divisible to 3 decimal places, 1 = 0.001 of MFIL
    var transferAmount = 1;
    // Determine the nonce
    var count = await web3.eth.getTransactionCount(myAddress);
    console.log(`num transactions so far: ${count}`);
    // MineFILToekn contract ABI Array
    var abiArray = [{
        "constant": true,
        "inputs": [],
        "name": "name",
        "outputs": [{
            "name": "",
            "type": "string"
        }],
        "payable": false,
        "stateMutability": "view",
        "type": "function"
    }, {
        "constant": false,
        "inputs": [{
            "name": "_spender",
            "type": "address"
        }, {
            "name": "_value",
            "type": "uint256"
        }],
        "name": "approve",
        "outputs": [{
            "name": "",
            "type": "bool"
        }],
        "payable": false,
        "stateMutability": "nonpayable",
        "type": "function"
    }, {
        "constant": true,
        "inputs": [],
        "name": "totalSupply",
        "outputs": [{
            "name": "",
            "type": "uint256"
        }],
        "payable": false,
        "stateMutability": "view",
        "type": "function"
    }, {
        "constant": false,
        "inputs": [{
            "name": "_from",
            "type": "address"
        }, {
            "name": "_to",
            "type": "address"
        }, {
            "name": "_value",
            "type": "uint256"
        }],
        "name": "transferFrom",
        "outputs": [{
            "name": "",
            "type": "bool"
        }],
        "payable": false,
        "stateMutability": "nonpayable",
        "type": "function"
    }, {
        "constant": true,
        "inputs": [],
        "name": "INITIAL_SUPPLY",
        "outputs": [{
            "name": "",
            "type": "uint256"
        }],
        "payable": false,
        "stateMutability": "view",
        "type": "function"
    }, {
        "constant": true,
        "inputs": [],
        "name": "decimals",
        "outputs": [{
            "name": "",
            "type": "uint8"
        }],
        "payable": false,
        "stateMutability": "view",
        "type": "function"
    }, {
        "constant": false,
        "inputs": [{
            "name": "_spender",
            "type": "address"
        }, {
            "name": "_subtractedValue",
            "type": "uint256"
        }],
        "name": "decreaseApproval",
        "outputs": [{
            "name": "",
            "type": "bool"
        }],
        "payable": false,
        "stateMutability": "nonpayable",
        "type": "function"
    }, {
        "constant": true,
        "inputs": [{
            "name": "_owner",
            "type": "address"
        }],
        "name": "balanceOf",
        "outputs": [{
            "name": "balance",
            "type": "uint256"
        }],
        "payable": false,
        "stateMutability": "view",
        "type": "function"
    }, {
        "constant": true,
        "inputs": [],
        "name": "symbol",
        "outputs": [{
            "name": "",
            "type": "string"
        }],
        "payable": false,
        "stateMutability": "view",
        "type": "function"
    }, {
        "constant": false,
        "inputs": [{
            "name": "_to",
            "type": "address"
        }, {
            "name": "_value",
            "type": "uint256"
        }],
        "name": "transfer",
        "outputs": [{
            "name": "",
            "type": "bool"
        }],
        "payable": false,
        "stateMutability": "nonpayable",
        "type": "function"
    }, {
        "constant": false,
        "inputs": [{
            "name": "_spender",
            "type": "address"
        }, {
            "name": "_addedValue",
            "type": "uint256"
        }],
        "name": "increaseApproval",
        "outputs": [{
            "name": "",
            "type": "bool"
        }],
        "payable": false,
        "stateMutability": "nonpayable",
        "type": "function"
    }, {
        "constant": true,
        "inputs": [{
            "name": "_owner",
            "type": "address"
        }, {
            "name": "_spender",
            "type": "address"
        }],
        "name": "allowance",
        "outputs": [{
            "name": "",
            "type": "uint256"
        }],
        "payable": false,
        "stateMutability": "view",
        "type": "function"
    }, {
        "inputs": [],
        "payable": false,
        "stateMutability": "nonpayable",
        "type": "constructor"
    }, {
        "anonymous": false,
        "inputs": [{
            "indexed": true,
            "name": "owner",
            "type": "address"
        }, {
            "indexed": true,
            "name": "spender",
            "type": "address"
        }, {
            "indexed": false,
            "name": "value",
            "type": "uint256"
        }],
        "name": "Approval",
        "type": "event"
    }, {
        "anonymous": false,
        "inputs": [{
            "indexed": true,
            "name": "from",
            "type": "address"
        }, {
            "indexed": true,
            "name": "to",
            "type": "address"
        }, {
            "indexed": false,
            "name": "value",
            "type": "uint256"
        }],
        "name": "Transfer",
        "type": "event"
    }]
    // The address of the contract which created MFIL
    var contractAddress = "0x1564A92a0870aF0eBf1F015f5FD223abaA3505CA";
    var contract = new web3.eth.Contract(abiArray, contractAddress, {
        from: myAddress
    });
    // How many tokens do I have before sending?
    var balance = await contract.methods.balanceOf(myAddress).call();
    console.log(`Balance before send: ${financialMfil(balance)} MFIL\n------------------------`);
    // I chose gas price and gas limit based on what ethereum wallet was recommending for a similar transaction. You may need to change the gas price!
    // Use Gwei for the unit of gas price
    var gasPriceGwei = 3;
    var gasLimit = 3000000;
    // Chain ID of Ropsten Test Net is 3, replace it to 1 for Main Net
    var chainId = 3;
    var rawTransaction = {
        "from": myAddress,
        "nonce": "0x" + count.toString(16),
        "gasPrice": web3.utils.toHex(gasPriceGwei * 1e9),
        "gasLimit": web3.utils.toHex(gasLimit),
        "to": contractAddress,
        "value": "0x0",
        "data": contract.methods.transfer(destAddress, transferAmount).encodeABI(),
        "chainId": chainId
    };
    console.log(`Raw of Transaction: \n${JSON.stringify(rawTransaction, null, '\t')}\n------------------------`);
    // The private key for myAddress in .env
    var privKey = new Buffer(process.env["PRIVATE_KEY"], 'hex');
    var tx = new Tx(rawTransaction);
    tx.sign(privKey);
    var serializedTx = tx.serialize();
    // Comment out these four lines if you don't really want to send the TX right now
    console.log(`Attempting to send signed tx:  ${serializedTx.toString('hex')}\n------------------------`);
    var receipt = await web3.eth.sendSignedTransaction('0x' + serializedTx.toString('hex'));
    // The receipt info of transaction, Uncomment for debug
    console.log(`Receipt info: \n${JSON.stringify(receipt, null, '\t')}\n------------------------`);
    // The balance may not be updated yet, but let's check
    balance = await contract.methods.balanceOf(myAddress).call();
    console.log(`Balance after send: ${financialMfil(balance)} MFIL`);
}
main();

[nickjuntilla]

@FradSer I get "SyntaxError: await is only valid in async function" when I run your code.

[nickjuntilla]

Not sure how people are using data: Contract.methods.transfer(to, 1000).encodeABI()

My web3 version is '0.20.4'

[nickjuntilla]

So apparently FradSer through in async in there and then everything has changed to promises in the current web3, which may or may not be people have. To anyone else trying to figure out everything posted online is different try starting with this web3 version: "^1.0.0-beta.29"

[neohq]

@nickjuntilla That piece of code you mentioned is from web3 1.0.0 (beta).

The code from @FradSer helped me finish mine, so big thanks!

[FradSer]

@nickjuntilla The code is written by 1.0.0-beta.29 , update your web3.

[ethan-deng]

The issue in the original question is that

var data = contract.transfer.getData("0x2...", 10000, {from: "0x9..."});

should be

var data = contract.transfer.getData("to_user_account_address_not_the_contract_address", 10000);

Use to user account address here but not the contract address. No need to use {from: "...} here.

Use the contract address in the raw transaction.

[sathyamlokare]

How do I deploy a contract by signing the transaction and unlocking the account using web3 ? Can anybody give a code snippet ? @FradSer please ?

[neohq]

@sathyamlokare You don't need to unlock the account if you are signing the transaction using a privateKey. Here is a 100% functional code, if you have questions please ask.

PS:
args is a JSON that is sent from the front-end UI. It's just how I did it on my dev code.

        // Get args from front-end
        const args = JSON.parse(req.body.data)

        const gasPrice = await eth.getGasPrice()
        const gasPriceHex = web3.utils.toHex(gasPrice)
        const nonce = await eth.getTransactionCount( args['account'] )
        const nonceHex = web3.utils.toHex(nonce)

        const privateKey = new Buffer( args['privateKey'], 'hex')

        // JsonInterface data
        const jsonInterface = fs.readFileSync("json/contract-jsonInterface.json", 'utf8');

        // Contract byteCode
        const contractByteCode = fs.readFileSync("json/contract-bytecode.txt", 'utf8');

        // Create contract
        let contract = new eth.Contract(JSON.parse( jsonInterface ), null, {
            data: contractByteCode,
        } );

        // Init contract deploy
        let contractDeploy = await contract.deploy({
            arguments: [ args['initialSupply'], args['tokenName'], args['tokenSymbol'] ]
        })

        // Get estimated gas
        const estimatedGas = await contractDeploy.estimateGas();

        const rawTx = {
            nonce: nonceHex,
            gasPrice: gasPriceHex,
            gasLimit: web3.utils.toHex( estimatedGas + 10000 ),
            data: contractDeploy.encodeABI()
        }

        let tx = new Tx(rawTx)
        tx.sign(privateKey)

        const serializedTx = tx.serialize()

        // Send signed transaction
        let receipt = await eth.sendSignedTransaction( '0x' + serializedTx.toString('hex'))
            .on('error', function(error){
                console.log("-> error")
                console.log(error.message)
            })
            .on('transactionHash', function(transactionHash){
                console.log("-> transactionHash")
                console.log(transactionHash)
            })
            .on('receipt', function(receipt){
                console.log("-> receipt")
                console.log(receipt.contractAddress) // contains the new contract address
            })
            .on('confirmation', function(confirmationNumber, receipt){
                console.log("-> confirmation " + confirmationNumber)
            })

[sathyamlokare]

@neohq can you help me with this , everything works fine here gets deployed. But it says TransactionReciept Status failed

var Web3 = require('web3');
var web3 = new Web3(new Web3.providers.HttpProvider("https://rinkeby.infura.io/022KbD1NPdb2YQ0Wi6vC"));

var Tx = require('ethereumjs-tx');
const testHashCoinAdvanced = require('./build/TokenERC20.json');

var privateKey = new Buffer('f6da78c45601d9ae02fcdb161e44a15a99e5e1fb1aa931dd95366add5dec367e', 'hex')


const deploy = async()=>{
 
           var contract = new web3.eth.Contract(JSON.parse(testHashCoinAdvanced[':TokenERC20'].interface));
          const hexdata = contract.deploy({
              data: '0x' + testHashCoinAdvanced[':TokenERC20'].bytecode,
              arguments:[1000,"HashCoin","HC"]
           }).encodeABI()

           const nonce = await web3.eth.getTransactionCount( "0x7Fb11F6A52e20BDFfaa08c468cD4848b901b7B70" );
           const nonceHex = web3.utils.toHex(nonce)
const gasPriceHex = web3.utils.toHex(3 * 1e9);
// const estimatedGas = await testCoinContractDeploy.estimateGas();
  var rawTx = {
      nonce: nonceHex,
      gasPrice: web3.utils.toHex(30000000000),
      gasLimit: web3.utils.toHex(6100500),
      data: "0x"+hexdata
  }

  var tx = new Tx(rawTx);
  tx.sign(privateKey);

  var serializedTx = tx.serialize();

  console.log(serializedTx.toString('hex')); 

  web3.eth.sendSignedTransaction('0x' + serializedTx.toString('hex'))
      .on('receipt', console.log);

};
deploy();

you can check the transactions here
https://rinkeby.etherscan.io/address/0x7fb11f6a52e20bdffaa08c468cd4848b901b7b70

[jdkanani]

@sathyamlokare Increase gas limit and try again.

[sathyamlokare]

@jdkanani I did that also, still getting the error