Testing Your Project

Testing for Release

Every project must pass the Artist Portal test before it can be released on Ethereum, Base, or Shape. The test deploys and mints the project in a controlled Sepolia-based environment, allowing you to inspect the contract output without paying production-network gas.

Before starting:

• complete and save the Artwork Details Form;
• run the artwork locally across many seeds and dimensions;
• validate and minify artwork.js and traits.json;
• confirm every selected library and version;
• check window.rendered preview signaling; and
• review names, descriptions, license, tags, supply, sale, seed, allowlist, owner, payout, and royalty settings.

How Does It Work Behind the Scenes?

256ART uses Hardhat, an Ethereum development environment, with blockchain state available to its backend test system. The process deploys the project's contracts, mints a token, and calls the same contract interfaces used to build metadata and live artwork.

This is a close functional test, not a guarantee of identical mainnet behavior. Production gas prices, block data, third-party marketplace behavior, browser performance, and future network conditions can differ. Treat the result as one required layer of testing rather than a substitute for reviewing your code and configuration.

Initiating the Test

1. Open the Artist Portal.
2. Select the unreleased project.
3. Confirm that its Artwork Details Form is complete and saved.
4. Open Test Project.
5. Select Test Project to begin.
6. Keep the testing terminal open and monitor each step.

Do not edit the project while a test is running. If you change the artwork file, traits, libraries, or contract configuration after a successful test, run the test again.

Understanding the Testing Process

The test checks:

1. deployment of the project's smart contracts;
2. minting of a test token;
3. retrieval of the token's tokenURI;
4. construction of the metadata and on-chain live view; and
5. generation and display of static image previews.

It also provides deployment-cost information based on the tested contracts. Treat this as an estimate: the amount paid on release depends on the selected chain and gas conditions when each transaction is submitted.

Monitoring the Test Progress

The terminal displays progress, successes, warnings, and errors. Read the first relevant error rather than relying only on the final status; later failures can be consequences of an earlier problem.

Common areas to inspect include invalid JSON, incorrect trait weights or value types, missing libraries, JavaScript errors, a render that never sets window.rendered, timeouts, blank previews, file-size limits, and insufficient contract-size headroom.

If a message is unclear, save the complete output before restarting and share it with the 256ART team through Discord.

Reviewing the Test Results

After a successful run, review the result as if you were a collector:

• confirm the name, artist, description, license, token ID, and traits;
• open the live view and check the intended rendering, animation, interaction, and sound;
• inspect the static preview for cropping, blank areas, and completion using the live-versus-preview validation guide;
• confirm through deterministic testing that the same seed gives the same base output;
• for dynamic work, test the expected state changes and fallback behavior; and
• review the deployment-cost estimate and contract summary.

If anything is wrong, return to the source or form, correct it, and run a new test. When the output is correct, select I declare results are as expected. This declaration records your approval; it does not replace your responsibility to verify the release settings.

Benefits of Using Our Testing Feature

The built-in test lets you:

• exercise the complete deployment and mint path without production gas;
• catch contract, metadata, rendering, and preview errors before release;
• estimate deployment cost; and
• review the collector-facing result in one workflow.

A successful test is required, but it does not make a deployed contract reversible. Continue with Releasing Your Artwork and complete the final review before signing any production transaction.