COZ has released a new version of Boa, its smart contract compiler for Python users. Version 0.6 brings numerous improvements including support for NEP-17 token development, cryptography methods, and test framework improvements.

The update makes the tool ready for developers to get started writing Python smart contracts for Neo3 by adding convenient functionality. The new version makes changes to the way NEF and Manifest files are generated, preparing for compatibility with Neo3 Preview4.

New features include JSON and binary serialization/deserialization, Base58 and Base64 encoding/decoding, and Neo interops such as GetExecutingScriptHash, GetEntryScriptHash, and GetCurrentStorageContext.

Boa also received enhancements to enable NEP-17 compatibility, including the UInt160 type and a new method used to abort contract execution. To accompany the changes, COZ included a NEP-17 example contract. The example provides a reference for projects looking to deploy a token on Neo3, demonstrating one way to implement the new onPayment method.

Testing was also a priority for the team in development version 0.6, leading to a number of improvements. New features in the TestEngine include calls to other smart contracts, account witness, and block/transaction inclusion. Unit tests have also been improved for the included examples.

The latest version of Boa can be downloaded at the link below:
https://github.com/CityOfZion/neo3-boa/releases/tag/v0.6.1