How to Assign Keys
Within the Polymesh wallet you have the ability to create an arbitrary number of keys to use on the Polymesh blockchain. Before you are able to conduct any action on the Polymesh blockchain, you will need to either: (a) create a Polymesh Account and assign your key(s) to it; (b) if you are acting on behalf of someone else, have that party assign your key(s) to their Polymesh Account. See sections below to learn more about keys and Polymesh Accounts.
Assigning keys
There are three ways to assign a key to a Polymesh Account using the Polymesh Dashboard:
a. Creating a Primary key
If you are managing your Primary key, follow these steps for creating a Polymesh Account:
- Log into the Polymesh Dashboard with your Polymesh Wallet
- You’ll see that you have 0 POLYX and your account is incomplete
- Select the “Create a Polymesh Account” button in the right box. This will open a new tab in your browser where you can follow a simple process to create your Polymesh Account.
- Once you complete the process of creating your own Polymesh Account, you can return back to the Polymesh Dashboard and see that you now have an account associated with your key.
b. Creating additional keys
You may want to have multiple keys under your control to help manage roles and keep things organized. To do this, assign a new key to your Polymesh Account:
1. Generate the new key in your Polymesh wallet extension (if you are using the Polymesh Wallet, be sure to uncheck the “derive new account from existing” box upon key creation)
2. Log into the dashboard with your Primary key by selecting the key in your wallet extension
3. Proceed to the Account page and click on “Assign a key”
4. A side panel will appear where you can enter the key you wish to assign to your account (the key starts with the number 2 on ITN [5 on Alcyone] and can be found in your wallet extension). You can also take this opportunity to enter a nickname for your key so you can easily distinguish it from your other keys.
5. Once you fill out the form, you will sign a transaction to initiate the request to assign it.
6. Go to your wallet extension and select the key you just initiated the request to assign to your account. Your Polymesh Dashboard will refresh automatically so that you are accessing the selected key’s Dashboard.
7. You will see a notification bar at the top of the screen notifying you of the request. Once you accept the request, you will be prompted to authorize the transaction in your wallet extension. Your key is now assigned to your Polymesh Account.
Note: Assigning a key to a Polymesh Account includes two network fees for both transactions (request to assign and accept request) that are paid by the Primary key holder.
c. Assigning a third-party key to your Polymesh Account
A Polymesh Account owner may wish to have other internal parties or external third parties act on behalf of their account. They can do this by assigning the key of another user or entity to their account.
1. Request the key from the key holder (the key starts with the number 2 on ITN [5 on Alcyone] and can be found in their wallet extension). They can send this to you in your preferred mode of communication such as email.
2. Log in to the Polymesh Dashboard using your Primary key (selected in your wallet extension)
3. Proceed to the Account page and click on “Assign a key”
4. A side panel will appear where you can enter the key. You can also take this opportunity to enter a nickname for this key so you can easily distinguish it from your other keys.
5. Once you fill out the form, you will sign a transaction to initiate the request to assign it.
6. The key holder then logs into the Polymesh Dashboard using their key, selected in their wallet extension. They will see a notification bar at the top of the screen notifying them of the request to assign their key to your Polymesh Account. Once they accept the request, they will be prompted to authorize the transaction in their wallet extension. Their key is now assigned to your Polymesh Account.
What can be done with assigned keys?
When you assign a key to your Polymesh Account, you are giving the owner of that key the capabilities to sign on your behalf. The benefits of assigning keys is that it allows you to separate user roles with respect to your Polymesh Account and allows for delegation of transaction activities to trusted users.
What happens if a key is unassigned?
Unassigned keys can exist in a wallet but before the key can perform any actions, like accepting a security token, the key must be assigned to a Polymesh Account.
What is a key?
The easiest way of conceptualizing a key is imagining your wallet extension as your bank account. The key has two purposes: it holds your assets and it is the approval signature of the account holder. Just like how your bank account can have multiple accounts you can have multiple keys in your wallet extension. You also have the ability to link your keys like you would join accounts at the bank if you need to have others make transactions.
What is a Polymesh Account?
A Polymesh Account is the on-chain representation of a user (either an individual or entity) tied to the users’s real world identity. The Polymesh Account connects all keys, both primary keys and other keys, to this single user or entity. It starts with 0x and holds all security tokens and identity-related attestations.
What is signing?
All actions and events that occur on Polymesh are triggered by a transaction being signed by an authorized key holder. What this really means is that the authorized key holder is approving a transaction and paying the proportionate network fee to complete the transaction.