def tx_extract( payload, senders, inputs, outputs, block_id, vtxindex, txid ):
    """
    Extract and return a dict of fields from the underlying blockchain transaction data
    that are useful to this operation.

    Required (+ parse):
    sender:  the script_pubkey (as a hex string) of the principal that sent the name preorder transaction
    address:  the address from the sender script

    Optional:
    sender_pubkey_hex: the public key of the sender
    """
  
    sender_script = None 
    sender_address = None 
    sender_pubkey_hex = None

    try:

       # by construction, the first input comes from the principal
       # who sent the registration transaction...
       assert len(senders) > 0
       assert 'script_pubkey' in senders[0].keys()
       assert 'addresses' in senders[0].keys()

       sender_script = str(senders[0]['script_pubkey'])
       sender_address = str(senders[0]['addresses'][0])

       assert sender_script is not None 
       assert sender_address is not None

       if str(senders[0]['script_type']) == 'pubkeyhash':
          sender_pubkey_hex = get_public_key_hex_from_tx( inputs, sender_address )

    except Exception, e:
       log.exception(e)
       raise Exception("Failed to extract")

    parsed_payload = parse( payload )
    assert parsed_payload is not None 

    ret = {
       "sender": sender_script,
       "address": sender_address,
       "block_number": block_id,
       "vtxindex": vtxindex,
       "txid": txid,
       "op": ANNOUNCE
    }

    ret.update( parsed_payload )

    if sender_pubkey_hex is not None:
        ret['sender_pubkey'] = sender_pubkey_hex

    return ret
Extract and return a dict of fields from the underlying blockchain transaction data
    that are useful to this operation.

    Required (+ parse):
    sender:  the script_pubkey (as a hex string) of the principal that sent the name preorder transaction
    address:  the address from the sender script

    Optional:
    sender_pubkey_hex: the public key of the sender