upgrade .SerializeInstructionSequences() to the crazy checkpointing scheme.

helpers.go

@@ -0,0 +1,52 @@
+package opentimestamps
+
+import (
+	"strings"
+
+	"golang.org/x/exp/slices"
+)
+
+// CompareInstructions returns negative if a<b, 0 if a=b and positive if a>b.
+// It considers an operation smaller than an attestation, a pending attestation smaller than a Bitcoin attestation.
+// It orders operations by their tag byte and then by their argument.
+func CompareInstructions(a, b Instruction) int {
+	if a.Operation != nil {
+		if b.Attestation != nil {
+			// a is an operation but b is an attestation, b is bigger
+			return -1
+		}
+		if a.Operation == b.Operation {
+			// if both are the same operation sort by the argument
+			return slices.Compare(a.Argument, b.Argument)
+		}
+
+		// sort by the operation
+		if a.Operation.Tag < b.Operation.Tag {
+			return -1
+		} else if a.Operation.Tag > b.Operation.Tag {
+			return 1
+		} else {
+			return 0
+		}
+	} else if a.Attestation != nil && b.Attestation == nil {
+		// a is an attestation but b is not, a is bigger
+		return 1
+	} else if a.Attestation != nil && b.Attestation != nil {
+		// both are attestations
+		if a.Attestation.BitcoinBlockHeight == 0 && b.Attestation.BitcoinBlockHeight == 0 {
+			// none are bitcoin attestations
+			return strings.Compare(a.Attestation.CalendarServerURL, b.Attestation.CalendarServerURL)
+		}
+		if a.Attestation.BitcoinBlockHeight != 0 && b.Attestation.BitcoinBlockHeight != 0 {
+			// both are bitcoin attestations
+			return int(b.Attestation.BitcoinBlockHeight - a.Attestation.BitcoinBlockHeight)
+		}
+
+		// one is bitcoin and the other is not -- compare by bitcoin block,
+		// but reverse the result since the one with 0 should not be considered bigger
+		return -1 * int(b.Attestation.BitcoinBlockHeight-a.Attestation.BitcoinBlockHeight)
+	} else {
+		// this shouldn't happen
+		return 0
+	}
+}