State Diagrams

Chapter 5

Object-Oriented Software Systems Engineering – Chapter 5 Slide 1

 Objectives

In this chapter we will:

 Introduce the terms used with respect to state
diagrams
 Discuss the context in which state diagrams are
used
 Introduce substates
 Discuss concurrent state diagrams

Object-Oriented Software Systems Engineering – Chapter 5 Slide 2

 Statechart Diagrams

 State diagrams describe the life of an object using

three main elements:
 States of an object
 Transitions between states
 Events that trigger the transitions

 A state diagram or statechart specifies a state

machine
 A state machine is described for a class
 Each object has it’s own state machine

Object-Oriented Software Systems Engineering – Chapter 5 Slide 3

 Why Use Statechart Diagrams?

 Statecharts typically are used to describe state-dependent

behaviour for an object
 An object responds differently to the same event depending on
what state it is in
 Usually applied to objects but can be applied to any element
that has behaviour
 Actors, use cases, methods, subsystems, systems

 Statecharts are typically used in conjunction with interaction

diagrams (usually sequence diagrams)
 A statechart describes all events (and states and transitions for
a single object)
 A sequence diagram describes the events for a single
interaction across all objects involved

Object-Oriented Software Systems Engineering – Chapter 5 Slide 4

 States

 Show what the dependencies are between the

state of an object and its reactions to messages
or other events
 State
 is a condition or situation during the life of an object
within which it performs some activity, or waits for some
events
 Has a name
 Has actions -- execute the state
 Has internal transitions -- transitions cause no change in
a state
 substates -- the nested structure of a state involving
disjoint or concurrent substates

Object-Oriented Software Systems Engineering – Chapter 5 Slide 5

 States

 For example:

At Work state name

entry/unlock door action performed on entry to state
do/prepare materials activity performed while in state
telephone rings/answer telephone action performed on arrival of named event
include/lecture state name of a sub-state machine
exit/lock door action performed on leaving state

Object-Oriented Software Systems Engineering – Chapter 5 Slide 6

 Initial and Final States

 The initial state of a state machine is indicated

with a solid circle
 Known as a pseudo-state
 A transition from this state will show the first real state

 The final state of a state machine is shown as

concentric circles
 A closed loop state machine does not have a final state;
the object lives until the entire system terminates
 An open loop state machine represents an object that
may terminate before the system terminates

Object-Oriented Software Systems Engineering – Chapter 5 Slide 7

 Initial and Final States

 An example:

At Work go home At Home

go to work

die die

Object-Oriented Software Systems Engineering – Chapter 5 Slide 8

 Actions and Activities

 Action
 is an executable atomic computation
 includes operation calls, the creation or destruction of
another object, or the sending of a signal to an object
 associated with transitions and during which an action is
not interruptible -- e.g., entry, exit
 Activity is associated with states
 Non-atomic or ongoing computation
 May run to completion or continue indefinitely
 Will be terminated by an event that causes a transition
from the state in which the activity is defined

Object-Oriented Software Systems Engineering – Chapter 5 Slide 9

 Events

 An event signature is described as

Event-name (comma-separated-parameter-list)
 Events appear in the internal transition
compartment of a state or on a transition between
states
 An event may be one of four types
 Signal event
 Corresponding to the arrival of an asynchronous message
or signal
 Call event
 Corresponding to the arrival of a procedural call to an
operation
 Time event
 Change event

Object-Oriented Software Systems Engineering – Chapter 5 Slide 10

 Events

 A time event occurs after a specified time has

elapsed
 Event name is specified as keyword after
 Parameter list is an expression evaluating to a time
interval
 after(10 seconds after state “At Work” is entered)
 No specified start time implies “since entry to the current
state”
 after(2 seconds)

Object-Oriented Software Systems Engineering – Chapter 5 Slide 11

 Events

 A change event occurs whenever a specified

condition is met
 Event name is specified as keyword when
 Parameter list is a boolean expression
 The event occurs when both of the following conditions
are met, irrespective of the order when they happen
 The expression evaluates to true
 The object is in the required state
 For example
 when (state = At Work)
 when (date = January 1 2007)

Object-Oriented Software Systems Engineering – Chapter 5 Slide 12

 Transitions

A transition is drawn as an arrow between states

annotated with a transition string
 The transition string denotes the event and
consequent action
 Only one form of arrowhead is used on statecharts
 The distinction between call events and signal events must be
deducted from elsewhere e.g. an interaction diagram

A transition string is described as

 Event-signature [guard-condition]/action-expression^object.message
 If the guard condition is met the transition occurs immediately

Object-Oriented Software Systems Engineering – Chapter 5 Slide 13

 Transitions

 A transition whose string contains neither an

event signature nor a guard condition is said to be
unlabeled
 Occurs immediately
 May still carry an action expression

Object-Oriented Software Systems Engineering – Chapter 5 Slide 14

 Transitions

 A transition is triggered when its event occurs

 If the guard condition is met, the transition is fired
 If the condition is not met the event is discarded
 The guard condition is checked only once

 If there is no guard condition, triggering will

always cause firing
 Note the distinction between a guard condition
and a change event
 A guard condition is evaluated once, when the
associated event occurs
 A change event occurs whenever its associated
condition is met
 Behaviour is as if the condition were being continually
evaluated

Object-Oriented Software Systems Engineering – Chapter 5 Slide 15

 State Diagrams notation

Initial state event final state

name

Invoice Invoice
created paying destroyed
Unpaid Paid

transition
state

Object-Oriented Software Systems Engineering – Chapter 5 Slide 16

 State Diagram Example

This shows the state of an object myBkCpy from a BookCopy class

on loan return() on the shelf

entry / myBkCpy.borrow() entry / myBkCpy.return()
borrow()

Entry action : any action that is marked as linked to the entry action is
executed whenever the given state is entered via a transition

on loan return() on the shelf

exit / myBkCpy.returned() exit / myBkCpy.borrowed()
borrow()

Exit action : any action that is marked as linked to the exit action is
executed whenever the state is left via a transition

Object-Oriented Software Systems Engineering – Chapter 5 Slide 17

 A Class of BookCopy

BookCopy

onShelf : Boolean value := ‘Y’ on the shelf

value := ‘N’ on loan

return() action / onShelf=‘Y’

borrow() action / onShelf=‘N’

Object-Oriented Software Systems Engineering – Chapter 5 Slide 18

 State Diagram Example
get first item all items
in stock
[all items checked &&
*[all items checked]
all items available]
get next item Checking Dispatching
Dispatch items
do / check
Item le ]
ab do / initiate
il
[all items checked
a va delivery
&& some items not ms ved
in stock] l ite cei
[al m re delivery
Order Item Ite

some items Ordering Delivering

not in stock cancelled
Exit/ Item received entry / deliver
do / order Item Items

Canceling
do / Remove
Item
Object-Oriented Software Systems Engineering – Chapter 5 Slide 19
 State Diagram - Nested States

event-1 Super-state
A B
event-1
A B

event-2 event-2

C event-2

Object-Oriented Software Systems Engineering – Chapter 5 Slide 20

 State Diagram Example including substates
get first item

*[all items checked]

[all items checked && all items available]
get next item
Checking Dispatch items Dispatching
do / check do / initiate
le] delivery
Item b
a ila
[all items checked && s av d
m iv e
e e
some items not in stock]
a ll it rec
Order item [ m delivery
Ite

Ordering
Exit/ Item received
do / order Item

Canceling Delivering
cancelled
do / Remove entry / deliver
Item Items
Object-Oriented Software Systems Engineering – Chapter 5 Slide 21
 Concurrent State models

B
s Finishing
Starting
A C

E T
Explicit control
branching(fork)
D G

 Orthogonal Components and Concurrency

 shown separated by dashed line
 supports concurrency
 Objects must be in only one state from each of the
orthogonal components
Object-Oriented Software Systems Engineering – Chapter 5 Slide 22
 Concurrent State Models

Three different ways for orthogonal components to

communicate:

 Broadcast Events
 Propogated Events
 IN operators

Object-Oriented Software Systems Engineering – Chapter 5 Slide 23

 Concurrent State Models

 Broadcast events
 events that more than one orthogonal component
accepts
 For example an event T1 is sent to all active orthogonal
components it need not be acted on by all components
 what happens if component S1 is in state A, S2 is in state E
and S3 is in state G when a T1 event occurs?
 what happens if S1 is in state A and S2 is in state D when
the event T1 occurs?

Object-Oriented Software Systems Engineering – Chapter 5 Slide 24

 Concurrent State Models

 Propagated events are indicated with the caret

following the event name (and optional parameters
and guard)

 IN operators are used as a guard on transition T4.

This allows the S3 component to take the
transition T4 only if S2 is currently in state D

Object-Oriented Software Systems Engineering – Chapter 5 Slide 25

 Concurrent State Models
S

S1 H S3
T1
B

F
A

T4[IN(D)]
C
T2^T3(x,y,z) T5
G

S2 H T3(a,b,c)
T6
H
D T3(a,b,c)

T1 E

Object-Oriented Software Systems Engineering – Chapter 5 Slide 26

 Summary

In this chapter we have:

 Introduced the terms used with respect to state
diagrams
 Discussed the context in which state diagrams are
used
 Introduced substates
 Discussed concurrent state diagrams

Object-Oriented Software Systems Engineering – Chapter 5 Slide 27