[BUG] - CLI is not allowing process substitution on certain commands

[gitmachtl]

Cardano-CLI 1.34.1

In the past it was no problem to use a common practice in linux to not write out files directly (if you only need them in ram) and use a process substitution -> file handler instead.

For some commands in the CLI this is still working like (example):

Setting up the variables

protocolParametersJSON=

{
    "collateralPercentage": 150,
    "costModels": {
        "PlutusScriptV1": {
            "addInteger-cpu-arguments-intercept": 205665,
            "addInteger-cpu-arguments-slope": 812,
            "addInteger-memory-arguments-intercept": 1,
            "addInteger-memory-arguments-slope": 1,
    "....etc....etc.......",
    "stakePoolTargetNum": 500,
    "treasuryCut": 0.2,
    "txFeeFixed": 155381,
    "txFeePerByte": 44,
    "utxoCostPerWord": 34480
}

txBodyFile="/home/user/mytransaction.txbody"; txcnt=1; rxcnt=2; magicparam="--mainnet"; etc ...

Executing the command

cardano-cli transaction calculate-min-fee \
                    --tx-body-file ${txBodyFile} \
                    --protocol-params-file <(echo "${protocolParametersJSON}") \
                    --tx-in-count ${txcnt} \
                    --tx-out-count ${rxcnt} \
                    ${magicparam} ...

The part i am talking about is <(echo "${protocolParametersJSON}"), this is working fine for the command above. 👍

---

But in other commands for example for the tx-file content, this is not working anymore:

Setting up a variable

txFileJSON=

{
    "type": "Witnessed Tx AlonzoEra",
    "description": "Ledger Cddl Format",
    "cborHex": "84a5008282582055c90e5f39ee7e638da909.....64732c204d617274696e203a2d29"
}

Executing the command

cardano-cli transaction txid --tx-file <(echo "${txFileJSON}")
cardano-cli transaction submit --tx-file <(echo "${txFileJSON}") --mainnet

Results into the following error 😢

Command failed: transaction txid  Error: Failed to decode neither the cli's serialisation format nor the ledger's CDDL serialisation format. TextEnvelope error: /dev/fd/63: TextEnvelope type error:  Expected one of: TxSignedByron, TxSignedShelley, Tx AllegraEra, Tx MaryEra, Tx AlonzoEra, Tx BabbageEra Actual: Witnessed Tx AlonzoEra
TextEnvelopeCddl error: /dev/fd/63: Could not JSON decode TextEnvelopeCddl file at: /dev/fd/63 Error: Error in $: not enough input

So this is not working anymore. If you write out the content to a file and use the filename it works.

But why/how was this changed? It worked in previous versions of the CLI.

---

As a simple demo that it is not an OS issue we create a simple script that is showing the content of a file:
showfile.sh:

#!/bin/bash
whatever_file="${1}"
cat "${whatever_file}"

Execute the script with the process substitution like above:

./showfile.sh <(echo "${txFileJSON}")
{
    "type": "Witnessed Tx AlonzoEra",
    "description": "Ledger Cddl Format",
    "cborHex": "84a5008282582055c90e5f39ee7e638da909.....64732c204d617274696e203a2d29"
}

All good. So, something changed in the CLI and it would be good to fix it so it can be used like any other linux program together with process substitution on all parameters.

[gitmachtl]

The output redirection to the stdout is not working for the VRF-Key creation!

$ cardano-cli node key-gen-VRF --verification-key-file "test.vrf.vkey" --signing-key-file /dev/stdout

cardano-cli-1.35.3-rc1: /dev/: openTempFile: permission denied (Permission denied)

Why the heck on earth wants cardano-cli to write a TempFile in the path given for the output signing key!?
Writing to /dev/stdout works for all other commands, but not for the VRF keys. We need this to do secure key handling without the need to write them out to a file on the HDD.

Issue is most likely caused by libsodium.

[LudvikGalois]

Issue is most likely caused by libsodium.

It's actually caused by writeFileWithOwnerPermissions from Cardano.API.SerialiseTextEnvelope. Which makes a new file and then renames it to the target to clobber any existing file. This seems like a hack.

[saratomaz]

Issue unsolved

Setting up a variable

txFileJSON=$(cat <<-EOF
{
  "type": "Unwitnessed Tx BabbageEra",
  "description": "Ledger Cddl Format",
  "cborHex": "84a300818258208a5a31ae52cdc140b1c532c47d5cb3c8dbc6c9b7a4aa537ed9e3543ea94cfad1000183a200581d60768d2bcd29a84ae015d96118e3285bc0cbd399ae16039ad471c8a806011a001e8480a200581d60768d2bcd29a84ae015d96118e3285bc0cbd399ae16039ad471c8a806011a002625a0a200581d600ac4d3db1163e7884959c0317aa19263a236db113fa0fbefbd49b335011a00958d31021a0003094fa0f5f6"
}
EOF
)

Tested on tag 1.35.4-rc1

cardano-cli transaction txid --tx-file <(echo "${txFileJSON}")

Command failed: transaction txid  Error: Failed to decode neither the cli's serialisation format nor the ledger's CDDL serialisation format. TextEnvelope error: /dev/fd/63: TextEnvelope aeson decode error: Error in $: not enough input
TextEnvelopeCddl error: /dev/fd/63: Could not JSON decode TextEnvelopeCddl file at: /dev/fd/63 Error: Error in $: not enough input

If you write out the content to a file and use the filename it works.
cardano-cli transaction txid --tx-file <same_content_in_file>

a2e58d1b59d8c06535a1134f0022b1c77b5dc679248f635197546b6855830730

Tested on latest master

cardano-cli transaction txid --tx-file <(echo "${txFileJSON}")

cardano-cli: TODO
CallStack (from HasCallStack):
  error, called at src/Cardano/CLI/Shelley/Run/Transaction.hs:212:32 in cardano-cli-1.36.0-LXoqbxN0MejLJIylH9D3mJ:Cardano.CLI.Shelley.Run.Transaction(.env) 

If you write out the content to a file and use the filename it works.
cardano-cli transaction txid --tx-file <same_content_in_file>

a2e58d1b59d8c06535a1134f0022b1c77b5dc679248f635197546b6855830730