Metamask: Data not fetching from smart contract for the same code in different versions of “ethers”

MetaMask Issue: Data Not Fetching from Smart Contract

As a developer building a real estate dApp with MetaMask, I encountered an unexpected issue where my code was fetching different data from the same smart contract on different versions of “Ethers” (5.7.2). This issue caused frustration and wasted development time.

The Issue: Different Ether Versions

When using MetaMask to interact with a dApp, it is essential to ensure that the web3.js library is compatible with different versions of the Ethereum blockchain. Specifically, we are experiencing issues with different “Ethers” (5.7.2) versions, where the same code fetches data from the smart contract differently.

The Code: Same Logic Across Versions

Our dApp uses a single JavaScript file to handle interactions with the smart contract. The dossier is structured as follows:

const Web3 = require("web3");
const Web3Provider = require('web3-provider');
async function main() {
const web3 = new Web3(new Web3Provider());
// Replace this comment with your actual logic to interact with the smart contract
const propertyData = await web3.eth.call(0x...property_address, ["GET_PROPERTY_DATA"]);
// Save or process the data as needed
console.log(propertyData);
}

The problem: different versions of Ether

When we run this code, different versions of “Ethers” (5.7.2) produce different results for the same property data. For example:

• In version 5.7.0, the GET_PROPERTY_DATA function returns an object with a specific set of properties.

• In version 5.7.1, the GET_PROPERTY_DATA function returns an empty array.

The Solution: Update Web3.js and Provider

To fix this, we need to update our web3.js library and provider to ensure compatibility between different Ethereum blockchain versions. Here is a step-by-step solution:

• Update web3.js

  : Update the web3 package to version 4.x.x, which is compatible with newer versions of the Ethereum blockchain.

“bash.”

npm install web3@4.x.x

Update Provider: Update the "Ethers" provider to version 5.x.x, which supports newer versions of the Ethereum blockchain.

npm update –force-local ethers.js

“`

Testing and Deployment

After updating our codebase, we need to test and deploy it on different versions of the Ethereum blockchain to ensure that the issue is resolved.

• Test on multiple Ethers: Deploy our dApp on different Ethereum blockchain versions (e.g. 5.7.0, 5.7.1, 5.8.0) to ensure that the data retrieval issue is resolved.

• Check Compatibility: Verify that the same logic and code produces identical results on different Ethers.

Conclusion

The Metamask issue we encountered was due to incompatible “Ethers” versions. By updating our library and web3.js provider, we were able to resolve the issue and ensure consistent data retrieval across different Ethereum blockchain versions. This solution can be applied to similar problems in other dApp development projects that require compatibility with different blockchain versions.