# Ask! v0.4 (original Ask-lite v0.1) Proposal

[Ask!](https://github.com/patractlabs/ask) is a framework to write wasm smart contracts, written by assemblyscript, like [ink!](https://github.com/paritytech/ink). But as far as I know, Patract Labs doesn't maintain it anymore.

So we contacted a former member of Patract Labs, who was one of the core developers of Ask!, to continue maintaining a redesigned version, called Ask-lite, which you can think of as a successor to Ask!.

In addition, we also contacted Astar, Phala and other teams who are interested in Ask!, and they are also very interested in Ask-lite. We plan to invite them to join and contribute to ask-lite after finishing the initial version of Ask-lite.

**UPDATE**: we contacted Patract Labs (the maintainer of the original `Ask!` repository) to transfer the `Ask!` repo to the [ask-lang organization](https://github.com/ask-lang). And for less confusion, we will keep the name and icon of `Ask!`, so we will continue to develop `Ask-lite v0.1` as `Ask! v0.4` (a redesigned version).

## Design

### Architecture

- `Ask!` components:
  1. Contract Framework
  2. Contract Preprocessor
  3. ask-cli (similar to the `cargo-contract` tool of `ink!`)

Compiling a wasm smart contract with `Ask!` actually goes through **TWO** compilation processes.

In the first compilation process, `Ask!` only checks the contract syntax, and then checks the specific type and semantics for the second time. The final assemblyscript code is generated by splicing strings, which results in very poor readability of the generated code, and error messages are difficult to locate the problem. Even some obviously wrong contract code can pass the compilation check and generate wasm.

Although `Ask!` provides `ask-cli` to partially solve the two compilation problem, it is not elegant.

- `Ask-lite (Ask! v0.4)` components:
    1. Contract Framework
    2. Transform Framework

`Ask-lite` plans to use a more elegant way: manipulate the AST generated by the contract code through the `asc` toolchain to get final wasm code and metadata, without introducing additional tools (like `ask-cli` or `cargo-contract`) to help development of wasm contracts. In this way, the generated assemblyscript code has better readability, and the type checking and error messages have been greatly improved.

### Codec

`Ask!` uses a forked version of [as-scale-codec](https://github.com/LimeChain/as-scale-codec) (the upstream doesn't seem to be maintained anymore, last commit was a year ago) for encoding/decoding, but `Ask-lite` uses [as-serde-scale](https://github.com/ask-lang/serde-as/tree/main/packages/as-serde-scale) instead.

Compared with [as-scale-codec](https://github.com/LimeChain/as-scale-codec), [as-serde-scale](https://github.com/ask-lang/serde-as/tree/main/packages/as-serde-scale) has better codec performance, more complete implementation, easy to use, and is maintained by ourselves.

### Contract framework

The contract framework will be developed on the basis of the new architecture, using new decorator syntax just like `Ask!`, but it will be closer to the `ink! 3.0` style.

## v0.1 Development plan (12 weeks)

- Week 1~4 (3 developers)

  1. Redesign the architecture of `Ask!` and implement it.

  2. Track the latest code changes of pallet-contracts and `ink! 3.0`.

- Week 5~7 (3 developers)

  1. Introduce a more general codec framework `as-serde` and a SCALE codec library `as-serde-scale` (based on `as-serde`), and adapt it to the contract framework.

  2. Redesign the interface of Ask! to be closer to `ink! 3.0`.

  3. Redesign the `PackedLayout` / `SpreadLayout` interface, referring to the storage abstraction of `ink! 3.0`.

  4. Redesign the Event syntax, and compatible with `ink! 3.0`.

  5. Integrate all designs using new decorator syntax closer to `ink! 3.0`.

- Week 8~10 (3 developers)

  1. Provide suitable abstractions for crypto primitives.

  2. Improve env functions.

  3. Implement some common storage data structures, such as Array/Mapping, which is similar to `ink! 3.0`.

  4. Add a type analysis phase to the compile phase, which is used for the generation of `metadata.json` (compatible with `ink! 3.0` metadata).

- Week 11~12 (2 developers)

  1. Write some contract examples, such as flipper/ERC20.

  2. Write documentation.

## Cost (34 developers * weeks)

I don't know how to evaluate the cost, so I just followed the cost of the previous `Ask!` proposals.

- Total Cost: $105000
  - Operating activities: $6400 ( Rent and Devices: $200 per developer * week )
  - Employee payments: $98600 ($2900 per developer * week)
- Monthly average: $20.01 / DOT [30 days EMA](https://polkadot.subscan.io/tools/charts?type=price) 2022-04-13 
- Treasury Proposal: 5247 DOT



- A proposed new version of `Ask!` is called `Ask-lite` (Ask! v0.4) to be maintained by a former member of Patract Labs, with the help of other teams.
- The architecture of `Ask-lite` will be redesigned to manipulate the AST generated by the contract code through the `asc` toolchain, without introducing additional tools, to improve readability and error messages.
- The codec will be changed from a forked version of [as-scale-codec](https://github.com/LimeChain/as-scale-codec) to [as-serde-scale](https://github.com/ask-lang/serde-as/tree/main/packages/as-serde-scale).
- The contract framework will be developed using new decorator syntax closer to `ink! 3.0`.
- The total cost is estimated to be 5,247 DOT ($105,000).

1. Proposal for the new framework Ask-lite (v0.4) to be maintained by a former member of Patract Labs, with the help of other teams.
2. The architecture of Ask-lite will be redesigned to manipulate

#949 Proposal for Ask! v0.4 (original Ask-lite v0.1, ink! in AssemblyScript)

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