Metamask: MetaMask not showing ERC-20 amount in Transaction – Only showing ETH gas fee

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Metamask: MetaMask not showing ERC-20 amount in Transaction – Only showing ETH gas fee

As a developer building a custom interface with React.js, you’ve likely experimented with various ways to interact with your decentralized application (dApp). One of the most powerful tools at your disposal is MetaMask, the official wallet for Ethereum. However, sometimes, even with MetaMask set up and configured correctly, you encounter issues when sending tokens from your account to a smart contract.

In this article, we’ll delve into a common problem that arises when trying to send ERC-20 tokens using MetaMask: the display of the token amount in the transaction is missing. We’ll explore why this might happen and provide guidance on how to troubleshoot and resolve the issue.

The Problem: Displaying Token Amounts with MetaMask

When you create a new transaction from your MetaMask account, it displays various information about the transaction, including the gas price, nonce, and token amounts. However, for ERC-20 tokens, these values are displayed in ETH instead of the token’s native asset.

This is not uncommon, especially when you’re working with custom tokens that don’t have a built-in display mechanism. In our case, we’ll explore why MetaMask might not be able to show the token amount and how to resolve the issue.

Why Does MetaMask Not Display Token Amounts?

There are several reasons why MetaMask might not display the token amount in the transaction:

  • Token implementation

    : Some ERC-20 tokens may have custom implementations that prevent their native asset from being displayed.

  • Contract ABI: The Abstract Interface (ABI) of your smart contract may be missing or incorrectly formatted, leading to silent failures when displaying the token amount.

  • Transaction settings: MetaMask’s transaction settings might not be configured correctly, resulting in a “silent” failure.

Troubleshooting Steps

To troubleshoot and resolve this issue, follow these steps:

  • Check your contract ABI

    : Ensure that your smart contract’s ABI is correct and includes the token amount.

  • Verify MetaMask settings: Double-check your MetaMask settings to ensure that the transaction options are enabled for ERC-20 tokens.

  • Disable silent transactions: Try disabling “silent” transactions in your MetaMask settings, which can prevent silent failures but may also affect your account’s security.

  • Check for token implementation issues: If you’re using a custom token implementation, verify that it supports displaying the native asset.

Resolving the Issue

To resolve the issue and display the ERC-20 amount correctly:

  • Use the eth_getTransactionRaw function: This function retrieves a raw transaction object from your MetaMask account. You can then access the token amounts using the eth_tokenOfOwnerByHash and eth_balanceOf functions.

  • Create a custom transaction payload: If you need to send tokens with specific properties (e.g., transfer amount, gas price), create a new transaction payload that includes these details.

Conclusion

While displaying ERC-20 amounts can be challenging when interacting with MetaMask, it’s not insurmountable. By following the troubleshooting steps outlined above and ensuring that your smart contract ABI is correct, you should be able to resolve the issue and display the token amount in your transaction logs.

By working through these steps, you’ll be able to overcome this common challenge and confidently send custom ERC-20 tokens from MetaMask to your React.js front end.

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