Step 1: Initialize Anchor Project

Anchor is a framework that simplifies SVM development, providing tools and abstractions for building Eclipse programs. Initializing an Anchor project sets up the necessary project structure and configurations.

Prerequisites

  • Ensure you have Anchor and Solana CLI installed. If not, refer to earlier sections of this guide for installation instructions.

  • Visual Studio Code (VS Code) should be installed and configured to use WSL (Windows Subsystem for Linux) if you are on a Windows machine.

Project Initialization

  1. Open Visual Studio Code:

    • Launch Visual Studio Code. If you're working within WSL, make sure VS Code is connected to your WSL instance.

  2. Create a New Directory:

    • Open a terminal in VS Code (Terminal > New Terminal) and navigate to the location where you want to create your project.

    • Create a new directory for your project with:

      dir NFTMinter
    • Navigate into your newly created directory:

      cd NFTMinter
  3. Initialize Anchor Project:

    • Within your project directory, initialize a new Anchor project by running:

      anchor init NFTMinter --javascript
    • This command creates a new Anchor project named "NFTMinter" and sets it up to use JavaScript for the project's scripts. Anchor will generate a basic project structure, including a lib folder for your program's logic and a tests folder for your project's test scripts.

  4. Examine Project Structure:

    • After initialization, take a moment to explore the created project structure. You can use the VS Code explorer pane to navigate through the files and folders. Youโ€™ll find:

      • Anchor.toml: The configuration file for your Anchor project.

      • programs/: Directory where your program source code will reside.

      • tests/: Directory for your project's test scripts.

      • app/: A template for a front-end application if you decide to develop one.

Next Steps

  • With your Anchor project initialized, youโ€™re ready to begin smart contract development. The next steps involve writing your smart contract logic within the programs/ directory and creating tests to ensure your contract works as expected.

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