NDK Functions for Hex Keys and NIP-19 Encoding/Decoding

When working with Nostr addresses (like naddr) and converting between hex and other formats, NDK provides several key functions. Here's a comprehensive overview of the main functions you'll need for handling hex keys and NIP-19 encoding/decoding in your POWR Pack implementation:

Core NIP-19 Functions

NDK implements NIP-19 functionality in the events/nip19.ts file. The key functions you'll need are:

1. Decoding NIP-19 Entities

import { nip19 } from '@nostr-dev-kit/ndk';

// Decode any NIP-19 entity (naddr, npub, nsec, note, etc.)
function decodeNaddr(naddrString: string) {
  try {
    const decoded = nip19.decode(naddrString);
    
    // For naddr specifically, you'll get:
    if (decoded.type === 'naddr') {
      const { pubkey, kind, identifier } = decoded.data;
      
      // pubkey is the hex public key of the author
      // kind is the event kind (30004 for lists)
      // identifier is the 'd' tag value
      
      console.log('Hex pubkey:', pubkey);
      console.log('Event kind:', kind);
      console.log('Identifier:', identifier);
      
      return decoded.data;
    }
    
    return null;
  } catch (error) {
    console.error('Invalid NIP-19 format:', error);
    return null;
  }
}

2. Encoding to NIP-19 Formats

// Create an naddr from components
function createNaddr(pubkey: string, kind: number, identifier: string) {
  return nip19.naddrEncode({
    pubkey,  // Hex pubkey
    kind,    // Event kind (number)
    identifier // The 'd' tag value
  });
}

// Create an npub from a hex public key
function hexToNpub(hexPubkey: string) {
  return nip19.npubEncode(hexPubkey);
}

// Create a note (event reference) from event ID
function eventIdToNote(eventId: string) {
  return nip19.noteEncode(eventId);
}

3. Utility Functions for Hex Keys

// Convert npub to hex pubkey
function npubToHex(npub: string) {
  try {
    const decoded = nip19.decode(npub);
    if (decoded.type === 'npub') {
      return decoded.data as string; // This is the hex pubkey
    }
    return null;
  } catch (error) {
    console.error('Invalid npub format:', error);
    return null;
  }
}

// Check if a string is a valid hex key (pubkey or event id)
function isValidHexKey(hexString: string) {
  return /^[0-9a-f]{64}$/i.test(hexString);
}

Using NIP-19 Functions with NDK Filters

Here's how you would use these functions with NDK filters to fetch a POWR Pack from an naddr:

async function fetchPackFromNaddr(naddr: string) {
  try {
    // Decode the naddr to get event coordinates
    const decoded = nip19.decode(naddr);
    
    if (decoded.type !== 'naddr') {
      throw new Error('Not an naddr');
    }
    
    const { pubkey, kind, identifier } = decoded.data;
    
    // Ensure it's a list (kind 30004)
    if (kind !== 30004) {
      throw new Error('Not a NIP-51 list');
    }
    
    // Create a filter to fetch the specific list event
    const filter = {
      kinds: [kind],
      authors: [pubkey], // Using the hex pubkey from the naddr
      '#d': identifier ? [identifier] : undefined, // Using the d-tag if available
    };
    
    // Fetch the event
    const events = await ndk.fetchEvents(filter);
    
    if (events.size === 0) {
      throw new Error('Pack not found');
    }
    
    // Get the first matching event
    return Array.from(events)[0];
  } catch (error) {
    console.error('Error fetching pack:', error);
    throw error;
  }
}

Implementing the Complete naddr Workflow for POWR Packs

Here's a complete example for fetching and processing a POWR Pack from an naddr:

import NDK, { NDKEvent, NDKFilter, nip19 } from '@nostr-dev-kit/ndk';

async function fetchAndProcessPOWRPack(naddr: string) {
  // 1. Initialize NDK
  const ndk = new NDK({ 
    explicitRelayUrls: [
      'wss://relay.damus.io', 
      'wss://relay.nostr.band'
    ] 
  });
  await ndk.connect();
  
  // 2. Decode the naddr
  const decoded = nip19.decode(naddr);
  if (decoded.type !== 'naddr') {
    throw new Error('Invalid naddr format');
  }
  
  const { pubkey, kind, identifier } = decoded.data;
  
  // 3. Create filter to fetch the pack event
  const packFilter: NDKFilter = {
    kinds: [kind],
    authors: [pubkey],
    '#d': identifier ? [identifier] : undefined
  };
  
  // 4. Fetch the pack event
  const packEvents = await ndk.fetchEvents(packFilter);
  if (packEvents.size === 0) {
    throw new Error('Pack not found');
  }
  
  const packEvent = Array.from(packEvents)[0];
  
  // 5. Extract template and exercise references
  const templateRefs: string[] = [];
  const exerciseRefs: string[] = [];
  
  for (const tag of packEvent.tags) {
    if (tag[0] === 'a') {
      const addressPointer = tag[1];
      // Format is kind:pubkey:d-tag
      if (addressPointer.startsWith('33402:')) { // Workout template
        templateRefs.push(addressPointer);
      } else if (addressPointer.startsWith('33401:')) { // Exercise
        exerciseRefs.push(addressPointer);
      }
    }
  }
  
  // 6. Fetch templates and exercises
  const templates = await fetchReferencedEvents(ndk, templateRefs);
  const exercises = await fetchReferencedEvents(ndk, exerciseRefs);
  
  // 7. Return the complete pack data
  return {
    pack: packEvent,
    templates,
    exercises
  };
}

// Helper function to fetch events from address pointers
async function fetchReferencedEvents(ndk: NDK, addressPointers: string[]) {
  const events: NDKEvent[] = [];
  
  for (const pointer of addressPointers) {
    // Parse the pointer (kind:pubkey:d-tag)
    const [kindStr, hexPubkey, dTag] = pointer.split(':');
    const kind = parseInt(kindStr);
    
    // Create a filter to find this specific event
    const filter: NDKFilter = {
      kinds: [kind],
      authors: [hexPubkey]
    };
    
    if (dTag) {
      filter['#d'] = [dTag];
    }
    
    // Fetch the events
    const fetchedEvents = await ndk.fetchEvents(filter);
    events.push(...Array.from(fetchedEvents));
  }
  
  return events;
}

If you want to generate an naddr that can be shared to allow others to import your POWR Pack:

function createShareableNaddr(packEvent: NDKEvent) {
  // Extract the d-tag (identifier)
  const dTags = packEvent.getMatchingTags('d');
  const identifier = dTags[0]?.[1] || '';
  
  // Create the naddr
  const naddr = nip19.naddrEncode({
    pubkey: packEvent.pubkey,
    kind: packEvent.kind,
    identifier
  });
  
  return naddr;
}

Best Practices for Working with NIP-19 Formats

Always validate decoded values: Check that the decoded data is of the expected type and has the necessary properties.
Handle encoding/decoding errors: These functions can throw exceptions if the input is malformed.
Normalize hex keys: Convert to lowercase for consistency in filters and comparisons.
Check event kinds: Verify that the decoded event kind matches what you expect (30004 for NIP-51 lists).
Use strong typing: TypeScript's type system can help catch errors with NIP-19 data.

The main challenge when working with naddr and other NIP-19 formats is correctly translating between the human-readable encoded forms and the internal hex representations needed for Nostr protocol operations. NDK's nip19 module abstracts this complexity for you, allowing you to focus on the core business logic of your application.

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