Function Modifiers

view / pure

When a function doesn't actually change state in Solidity — e.g. it doesn't change any values or write anything we could declare it as a viewfunction, meaning it's only viewing the data but not modifying it:

pragma solidity ^0.8.0;

contract GreetingContract {
    string private greeting;

    constructor() {
        greeting = "Hello, World!";
    }

    function sayHello() public view returns (string memory) {
        return greeting;
    }
}

Solidity also contains purefunctions, which means you're not even accessing any data in the app. Consider the following:

function _multiply(uint a, uint b) private pure returns (uint) {
    return a * b;
}

This function doesn't even read from the state of the app — its return value depends only on its function parameters. So in this case we would declare the function as pure.

Ownable Contracts

Below is the Ownable contract taken from the OpenZeppelin Solidity library. OpenZeppelin is a library of secure and community-vetted smart contracts that you can use in your own DApps.

// SPDX-License-Identifier: MIT
// OpenZeppelin Contracts (last updated v5.0.0) (access/Ownable.sol)

pragma solidity ^0.8.20;

import {Context} from "../utils/Context.sol";

/**
 * @dev Contract module which provides a basic access control mechanism, where
 * there is an account (an owner) that can be granted exclusive access to
 * specific functions.
 *
 * The initial owner is set to the address provided by the deployer. This can
 * later be changed with {transferOwnership}.
 *
 * This module is used through inheritance. It will make available the modifier
 * `onlyOwner`, which can be applied to your functions to restrict their use to
 * the owner.
 */
abstract contract Ownable is Context {
    address private _owner;

    /**
     * @dev The caller account is not authorized to perform an operation.
     */
    error OwnableUnauthorizedAccount(address account);

    /**
     * @dev The owner is not a valid owner account. (eg. `address(0)`)
     */
    error OwnableInvalidOwner(address owner);

    event OwnershipTransferred(address indexed previousOwner, address indexed newOwner);

    /**
     * @dev Initializes the contract setting the address provided by the deployer as the initial owner.
     */
    constructor(address initialOwner) {
        if (initialOwner == address(0)) {
            revert OwnableInvalidOwner(address(0));
        }
        _transferOwnership(initialOwner);
    }

    /**
     * @dev Throws if called by any account other than the owner.
     */
    modifier onlyOwner() {
        _checkOwner();
        _;
    }

    /**
     * @dev Returns the address of the current owner.
     */
    function owner() public view virtual returns (address) {
        return _owner;
    }

    /**
     * @dev Throws if the sender is not the owner.
     */
    function _checkOwner() internal view virtual {
        if (owner() != _msgSender()) {
            revert OwnableUnauthorizedAccount(_msgSender());
        }
    }

    /**
     * @dev Leaves the contract without owner. It will not be possible to call
     * `onlyOwner` functions. Can only be called by the current owner.
     *
     * NOTE: Renouncing ownership will leave the contract without an owner,
     * thereby disabling any functionality that is only available to the owner.
     */
    function renounceOwnership() public virtual onlyOwner {
        _transferOwnership(address(0));
    }

    /**
     * @dev Transfers ownership of the contract to a new account (`newOwner`).
     * Can only be called by the current owner.
     */
    function transferOwnership(address newOwner) public virtual onlyOwner {
        if (newOwner == address(0)) {
            revert OwnableInvalidOwner(address(0));
        }
        _transferOwnership(newOwner);
    }

    /**
     * @dev Transfers ownership of the contract to a new account (`newOwner`).
     * Internal function without access restriction.
     */
    function _transferOwnership(address newOwner) internal virtual {
        address oldOwner = _owner;
        _owner = newOwner;
        emit OwnershipTransferred(oldOwner, newOwner);
    }
}

The Ownablecontract does the following:

  1. When a contract is created, its constructor sets the Ownable to msg.sender(the person who deployed it).

  2. It adds an onlyOwner modifier, which can restrict access to certain functions to only the Ownable.

  3. It allows you to transfer the contract to a new Ownable.

onlyOwner is such a common requirement for contracts that most Solidity DApps start with a copy/paste or import of this Ownable contract, and then their first contract inherits from it.

Function Modifiers - Generic

A function modifier looks just like a function, but uses the keyword modifier instead of the keyword function. And it can't be called directly like a function can — instead we can attach the modifier's name at the end of a function definition to change that function's behavior.

Let's take a closer look by examining onlyOwner (see code extract above)

  • Notice the onlyOwner modifier on the renounceOwnership function.

  • When you call renounceOwnership, the code inside onlyOwner executes first.

  • Then when it hits the _;statement in onlyOwner, it goes back and executes the code inside renounceOwnership.

  • While there are other ways you can use modifiers, one of the most common use-cases is to add a quick require check before a function executes.

  • In the case of onlyOwner, adding this modifier to a function makes it so only the owner of the contract (you, if you deployed it) can call that function.

Giving the owner special powers over the contract like this is often necessary, but it could also be used maliciously. For example, the owner could add a backdoor function.

  • Modifiers can all be stacked together on a function definition.

  • Modifiers are executed in the order they are listed in the function declaration.

function test() external view onlyOwner anotherModifier { /* ... */ }

  1. First, the logic inside the onlyOwner modifier is executed. This modifier typically checks whether the caller of the function is the owner of the contract.

  2. After onlyOwner completes its execution, anotherModifier is executed next. The specific logic of this modifier depends on its implementation.

  3. Finally, if all modifiers execute successfully (i.e., none of them revert), the body of the test function is executed.

Function Modifiers with Arguments

Function modifiers can also take arguments.

// A mapping to store a user's age:
mapping (uint => uint) public age;

// Modifier that requires this user to be older than a certain age:
modifier olderThan(uint _age, uint _userId) {
  require(age[_userId] >= _age);
  _;
}

// Must be older than 16 to drive a car (in the US, at least).
// We can call the `olderThan` modifier with arguments like so:
function driveCar(uint _userId) public olderThan(16, _userId) {
  // Some function logic
}

  • You can see here that the olderThan modifier takes arguments just like a function does.

  • And that the driveCar function passes its arguments to the modifier.

Payable Modifier

payablefunctions are a special type of function that can receive ETH.

  • This allows for some really interesting logic, like requiring a certain payment to the contract in order to execute a function.

contract OnlineStore {
  function buySomething() external payable {
    // Check to make sure 0.001 ether was sent to the function call:
    require(msg.value == 0.001 ether);
    // If so, some logic to transfer the digital item to the caller of the function:
    transferThing(msg.sender);
  }
}

  • Here, msg.valueis a way to see how much ETH was sent to the contract, and ether is a built-in unit.

  • What happens here is that someone would call the function from web3.js (from the DApp's JavaScript front-end) as follows:

// Assuming `OnlineStore` points to your contract on Ethereum:
OnlineStore.buySomething({from: web3.eth.defaultAccount, value: web3.utils.toWei(0.001)})

  • Notice the valuefield, where the javascript function call specifies how much ether to send (0.001).

  • If you think of the transaction like an envelope, and the parameters you send to the function call are the contents of the letter you put inside, then adding a value is like putting cash inside the envelope — the letter and the money get delivered together to the recipient.

If a function is not marked payable and you try to send Ether to it as above, the function will reject your transaction.

Function Modifier Example

// SPDX-License-Identifier: MIT
pragma solidity ^0.8.13;

contract FunctionModifier {
    // We will use these variables to demonstrate how to use modifiers.
    address public owner;
    uint public x = 10;
    bool public locked;

    constructor() {
        // Set the transaction sender as the owner of the contract.
        owner = msg.sender;
    }

    // Modifier to check that the caller is the owner of the contract.
    modifier onlyOwner() {
        require(msg.sender == owner, "Not owner");
        // Underscore is a special character only used inside a function modifier
        // and it tells Solidity to execute the rest of the code.
        _;
    }

    // Modifiers can take inputs. This modifier checks that the
    // address passed in is not the zero address.
    modifier validAddress(address _addr) {
        require(_addr != address(0), "Not valid address");
        _;
    }

    function changeOwner(address _newOwner) public onlyOwner validAddress(_newOwner) {
        owner = _newOwner;
    }

    // Modifiers can be called before and / or after a function.
    // This modifier prevents a function from being called while it is still executing.
    modifier noReentrancy() {
        require(!locked, "No reentrancy");

        locked = true;
        _;
        locked = false;
    }

    function decrement(uint i) public noReentrancy {
        x -= i;
        if (i > 1) {
            decrement(i - 1);
        }
    }
}
PreviousFunctionsNextIf / Else / For / While Loops

Last updated