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Golden Serialization Tests

Golden serialization tests ensure that our on-chain data structures (XDR) remain consistent across contract upgrades. These tests capture the byte-level representation of key structs and assert that changes to the codebase do not unintentionally break on-chain compatibility.

Testing Strategy​

  • Fixtures: Stored in contracts/program-escrow/src/serialization_goldens.rs as XDR hex strings.
  • Coverage: Covers all variants of core structs, including:
    • Default/zero values
    • Maximum/edge values (max i128, max length strings)
    • Optional field states (Some/None)
  • Verification: Tests in contracts/program-escrow/src/test_serialization_compatibility.rs compare live XDR serialization against these stored fixtures.

Adding New Fixtures​

If you add a new storage type or modify an existing one:

  1. Update contracts/program-escrow/src/lib.rs with the new structure.
  2. Run the serialization compatibility test with a generation flag (e.g., GENERATE_GOLDENS=1 cargo test).
  3. Verify the generated output in serialization_goldens.rs before committing.
  4. Ensure the new fixture follows the established format.