Aiken Documentation

You can write tests within any module using the test keyword.

To run all tests in the project, use aiken check. To run a subset of tests that match a specific string pattern, use the -m flag.

test foo() {
  1 + 1 == 2
}

# Run all tests
aiken check

# Run tests matching the string 'foo'
aiken check -m foo

If your IDE or editor does not have a dedicated Aiken plugin, you can configure it manually using the following settings:

• Command: aiken lsp (Note: This command is hidden from the standard aiken --help output)
• Root Pattern: aiken.toml (The LSP uses this file to identify the project root)
• Filetype: aiken or .ak extension

By default, the test.sh script recompiles the project in --release mode, which can be slow during iteration. To speed up testing, you can pass a development build command as the second argument to test.sh.

Use cargo run -- to use a dev build instead of a release build.

./test.sh VALIDATOR_GROUP "cargo run --"

You can install the aiken command line application using cargo. This CLI bundles the core functionality of the Aiken project into a single executable.

cargo install aiken

Use the sv CLI (via npx) to scaffold a new Svelte project. You can either initialize the project in the current directory or specify a new directory name.

# create a new project in the current directory
npx sv create

# create a new project in my-app
npx sv create my-app

After creating your project and installing dependencies (using npm install, pnpm install, or yarn), start the development server using npm run dev. To automatically open the application in your default web browser, use the --open flag.

npm run dev

# or start the server and open the app in a new browser tab
npm run dev -- --open

Aiken is a modern smart contract platform designed for Cardano. To begin using Aiken, you can follow the official installation instructions, use the online playground for quick experimentation, or follow the beginner checklist to ensure your environment is set up correctly.

• Installation: Follow the official installation instructions.
• Online Playground: Test code snippets without local setup at play.aiken-lang.org.
• Learning Path: Use the Beginner checklist to guide your initial setup and learning.

The V3 Script Context Tests project uses handcrafted Plutus V3 validators and transactions to verify how Aiken interprets the ScriptContext.

To run the tests for a specific validator group, use the test.sh script. The test requires a specific directory structure for each VALIDATOR_GROUP:

1. A validator file located at validators/{VALIDATOR_GROUP}.ak.
2. A transaction template at ctx/{VALIDATOR_GROUP}/tx.template.
3. A resolved inputs template at ctx/{VALIDATOR_GROUP}/resolved_inputs.template.

Templates support mustache-style variables:

• {VALIDATOR_GROUP}.{VALIDATOR_TITLE}.hash
• {VALIDATOR_GROUP}.{VALIDATOR_TITLE}.cbor

Note: {VALIDATOR_TITLE} corresponds to the validator's name in Aiken.

./test.sh VALIDATOR_GROUP

To use Aiken with VS Code, install the official VSCode Aiken extension from the Visual Studio Marketplace. This provides full LSP support including formatting, go-to-definition, and code actions.

https://marketplace.visualstudio.com/items?itemName=TxPipe.aiken