Report: Aleph Zero Testnet Improvements

Hard at work, the Aleph Zero team has a couple of user interface (UI) improvements to make transfers on the testnet smoother.

Since launching the testnet, the team has been hard at work debugging. At the same time, we have been also listening to the community for feedback. Many of the voices that reached us made us aware of some problems with transferring funds among accounts. These valuable points of view made it possible for us to introduce a variety of crucial changes. Hopefully, the improvements will make everyone’s experience with the Aleph Zero testnet more enjoyable.

1. The first challenge had to do with the inability to transfer all of the funds from one’s account. To do so, complete these steps before you execute the transaction:

• 1. Check-off the switch: Transfer with account keep-alive checks
• 2. Mark the switch: Transfer the full account balance, reap the sender

Here is a visual representation of the steps:

2. The next challenge we solved had to do with the inability to execute transfers that were so large that the funds for the transfer fee were unavailable on the account. This state of affairs was not communicated clearly to the user — which, creating confusion. Now if you want to make a transfer while possessing insufficient funds to pay for the transfer fee, the system will warn you appropriately (the info window will turn red). We introduced this change not only to our own explorer but also to Polkadot’s original explorer.

3. The final fix we implemented is a pop-up notification that communicates the finalization of our transaction. Up until now, the only pop-up that appeared had to do with our transaction being added to the block. The information regarding the finalized transaction has been added for clarity.

Keep the Constructive Criticism Coming

We would like to thank all of you for taking the time and being vocal about the testnet features that require improvement. It is a wonderful experience to have such a dedicated group of people that show us where there is room for making things better. Thank you once again and keep the constructive criticism coming!

This article was originally posted on the Aleph Zero blog on September 2nd, 2021. Read the original blog entry here.