<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8" ?>
<!DOCTYPE chapter SYSTEM "chapter.dtd">
<chapter>
<header>
<copyright>
<year>2016</year>
<holder>Ericsson AB. All Rights Reserved.</holder>
</copyright>
<legalnotice>
Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
You may obtain a copy of the License at
http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software
distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS,
WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied.
See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
limitations under the License.
</legalnotice>
<title>gen_statem Behavior</title>
<prepared></prepared>
<docno></docno>
<date></date>
<rev></rev>
<file>statem.xml</file>
</header>
<marker id="gen_statem behaviour"></marker>
<p>
This section is to be read with the
<seealso marker="stdlib:gen_statem"><c>gen_statem(3)</c></seealso>
manual page in STDLIB, where all interface functions and callback
functions are described in detail.
</p>
<note>
<p>
This is a new behavior in Erlang/OTP 19.0.
It has been thoroughly reviewed, is stable enough
to be used by at least two heavy OTP applications, and is here to stay.
Depending on user feedback, we do not expect
but can find it necessary to make minor
not backward compatible changes into Erlang/OTP 20.0.
</p>
</note>
<!-- =================================================================== -->
<section>
<title>Event-Driven State Machines</title>
<p>
Established Automata Theory does not deal much with
how a state transition is triggered,
but assumes that the output is a function
of the input (and the state) and that they are
some kind of values.
</p>
<p>
For an Event-Driven State Machine, the input is an event
that triggers a state transition and the output
is actions executed during the state transition.
It can analogously to the mathematical model of a
Finite-State Machine be described as
a set of relations of the following form:
</p>
<pre>
State(S) x Event(E) -> Actions(A), State(S')</pre>
<p>These relations are interpreted as follows:
if we are in state <c>S</c> and event <c>E</c> occurs, we
are to perform actions <c>A</c> and make a transition to
state <c>S'</c>. Notice that <c>S'</c> can be equal to <c>S</c>.
</p>
<p>
As <c>A</c> and <c>S'</c> depend only on
<c>S</c> and <c>E</c>, the kind of state machine described
here is a Mealy Machine
(see, for example, the corresponding Wikipedia article).
</p>
<p>
Like most <c>gen_</c> behaviors, <c>gen_statem</c> keeps
a server <c>Data</c> besides the state. Because of this, and as
there is no restriction on the number of states
(assuming that there is enough virtual machine memory)
or on the number of distinct input events,
a state machine implemented with this behavior
is in fact Turing complete.
But it feels mostly like an Event-Driven Mealy Machine.
</p>
</section>
<!-- =================================================================== -->
<section>
<marker id="callback_modes" />
<title>Callback Modes</title>
<p>
The <c>gen_statem</c> behavior supports two callback modes:
</p>
<list type="bulleted">
<item>
<p>
In mode
<seealso marker="stdlib:gen_statem#type-callback_mode"><c>state_functions</c></seealso>,
the state transition rules are written as some Erlang
functions, which conform to the following convention:
</p>
<pre>
StateName(EventType, EventContent, Data) ->
... code for actions here ...
{next_state, NewStateName, NewData}.</pre>
</item>
<item>
<p>
In mode
<seealso marker="stdlib:gen_statem#type-callback_mode"><c>handle_event_function</c></seealso>,
only one Erlang function provides all state transition rules:
</p>
<pre>
handle_event(EventType, EventContent, State, Data) ->
... code for actions here ...
{next_state, NewState, NewData}</pre>
</item>
</list>
<p>
Both these modes allow other return tuples; see
<seealso marker="stdlib:gen_statem#Module:StateName/3"><c>Module:StateName/3</c></seealso>
in the <c>gen_statem</c> manual page.
These other return tuples can, for example, stop the machine,
execute state transition actions on the machine engine itself,
and send replies.
</p>
<section>
<title>Choosing the Callback Mode</title>
<p>
The two
<seealso marker="#callback_modes">callback modes</seealso>
give different possibilities
and restrictions, but one goal remains:
you want to handle all possible combinations of
events and states.
</p>
<p>
This can be done, for example, by focusing on one state at the time
and for every state ensure that all events are handled.
Alternatively, you can focus on one event at the time
and ensure that it is handled in every state.
You can also use a mix of these strategies.
</p>
<p>
With <c>state_functions</c>, you are restricted to use
atom-only states, and the <c>gen_statem</c> engine
branches depending on state name for you.
This encourages the callback module to gather
the implementation of all event actions particular
to one state in the same place in the code,
hence to focus on one state at the time.
</p>
<p>
This mode fits well when you have a regular state diagram,
like the ones in this chapter, which describes all events and actions
belonging to a state visually around that state,
and each state has its unique name.
</p>
<p>
With <c>handle_event_function</c>, you are free to mix strategies,
as all events and states are handled in the same callback function.
</p>
<p>
This mode works equally well when you want to focus on
one event at the time or on
one state at the time, but function
<seealso marker="stdlib:gen_statem#Module:handle_event/4"><c>Module:handle_event/4</c></seealso>
quickly grows too large to handle without branching to
helper functions.
</p>
<p>
The mode enables the use of non-atom states, for example,
complex states or even hierarchical states.
If, for example, a state diagram is largely alike
for the client side and the server side of a protocol,
you can have a state <c>{StateName,server}</c> or
<c>{StateName,client}</c>,
and make <c>StateName</c> determine where in the code
to handle most events in the state.
The second element of the tuple is then used to select
whether to handle special client-side or server-side events.
</p>
</section>
</section>
<!-- =================================================================== -->
<section>
<marker id="state_enter" />
<title>State Enter Calls</title>
<p>
The <c>gen_statem</c> behavior can regardless of callback mode
automatically call the state function
with special arguments whenever the state changes
so you can write state entry actions
near the rest of the state transition rules.
It typically looks like this:
</p>
<pre>
StateName(enter, _OldState, Data) ->
... code for state entry actions here ...
{keep_state, NewData};
StateName(EventType, EventContent, Data) ->
... code for actions here ...
{next_state, NewStateName, NewData}.</pre>
<p>
Depending on how your state machine is specified,
this can be a very useful feature, but if you use it
you will have to handle the state enter call in all states.
</p>
</section>
<!-- =================================================================== -->
<section>
<title>Example</title>
<p>
This example starts off as equivalent to the example in section
<seealso marker="fsm"><c>gen_fsm</c>-Behavior</seealso>.
In later sections, additions and tweaks are made
using features in <c>gen_statem</c> that <c>gen_fsm</c> does not have.
The end of this chapter provides the example again
with all the added features.
</p>
<p>
A door with a code lock can be seen as a state machine.
Initially, the door is locked. When someone presses a button,
an event is generated.
Depending on what buttons have been pressed before,
the sequence so far can be correct, incomplete, or wrong.
If correct, the door is unlocked for 10 seconds (10,000 milliseconds).
If incomplete, we wait for another button to be pressed. If
wrong, we start all over, waiting for a new button sequence.
</p>
<image file="../design_principles/code_lock.png">
<icaption>Code Lock State Diagram</icaption>
</image>
<p>
This code lock state machine can be implemented using
<c>gen_statem</c> with the following callback module:
</p>
<marker id="ex"></marker>
<code type="erl"><![CDATA[
-module(code_lock).
-behaviour(gen_statem).
-define(NAME, code_lock).
-export([start_link/1]).
-export([button/1]).
-export([init/1,callback_mode/0,terminate/3,code_change/4]).
-export([locked/3,open/3]).
start_link(Code) ->
gen_statem:start_link({local,?NAME}, ?MODULE, Code, []).
button(Digit) ->
gen_statem:cast(?NAME, {button,Digit}).
init(Code) ->
do_lock(),
Data = #{code => Code, remaining => Code},
{ok,locked,Data}.
callback_mode() ->
state_functions.
locked(
cast, {button,Digit},
#{code := Code, remaining := Remaining} = Data) ->
case Remaining of
[Digit] ->
do_unlock(),
{next_state,open,Data#{remaining := Code},10000};
[Digit|Rest] -> % Incomplete
{next_state,locked,Data#{remaining := Rest}};
_Wrong ->
{next_state,locked,Data#{remaining := Code}}
end.
open(timeout, _, Data) ->
do_lock(),
{next_state,locked,Data};
open(cast, {button,_}, Data) ->
do_lock(),
{next_state,locked,Data}.
do_lock() ->
io:format("Lock~n", []).
do_unlock() ->
io:format("Unlock~n", []).
terminate(_Reason, State, _Data) ->
State =/= locked andalso do_lock(),
ok.
code_change(_Vsn, State, Data, _Extra) ->
{ok,State,Data}.
]]></code>
<p>The code is explained in the next sections.</p>
</section>
<!-- =================================================================== -->
<section>
<title>Starting gen_statem</title>
<p>
In the example in the previous section, <c>gen_statem</c> is
started by calling <c>code_lock:start_link(Code)</c>:
</p>
<code type="erl"><![CDATA[
start_link(Code) ->
gen_statem:start_link({local,?NAME}, ?MODULE, Code, []).
]]></code>
<p>
<c>start_link</c> calls function
<seealso marker="stdlib:gen_statem#start_link/4"><c>gen_statem:start_link/4</c></seealso>,
which spawns and links to a new process, a <c>gen_statem</c>.
</p>
<list type="bulleted">
<item>
<p>
The first argument, <c>{local,?NAME}</c>, specifies
the name. In this case, the <c>gen_statem</c> is locally
registered as <c>code_lock</c> through the macro <c>?NAME</c>.
</p>
<p>
If the name is omitted, the <c>gen_statem</c> is not registered.
Instead its pid must be used. The name can also be specified
as <c>{global,Name}</c>, then the <c>gen_statem</c> is
registered using
<seealso marker="kernel:global#register_name/2"><c>global:register_name/2</c></seealso>
in Kernel.
</p>
</item>
<item>
<p>
The second argument, <c>?MODULE</c>, is the name of
the callback module, that is, the module where the callback
functions are located, which is this module.
</p>
<p>
The interface functions (<c>start_link/1</c> and <c>button/1</c>)
are located in the same module as the callback functions
(<c>init/1</c>, <c>locked/3</c>, and <c>open/3</c>).
It is normally good programming practice to have the client-side
code and the server-side code contained in one module.
</p>
</item>
<item>
<p>
The third argument, <c>Code</c>, is a list of digits, which
is the correct unlock code that is passed
to callback function <c>init/1</c>.
</p>
</item>
<item>
<p>
The fourth argument, <c>[]</c>, is a list of options.
For the available options, see
<seealso marker="stdlib:gen_statem#start_link/3"><c>gen_statem:start_link/3</c></seealso>.
</p>
</item>
</list>
<p>
If name registration succeeds, the new <c>gen_statem</c> process
calls callback function <c>code_lock:init(Code)</c>.
This function is expected to return <c>{ok,State,Data}</c>,
where <c>State</c> is the initial state of the <c>gen_statem</c>,
in this case <c>locked</c>; assuming that the door is locked to begin
with. <c>Data</c> is the internal server data of the <c>gen_statem</c>.
Here the server data is a <seealso marker="stdlib:maps">map</seealso>
with key <c>code</c> that stores
the correct button sequence, and key <c>remaining</c>
that stores the remaining correct button sequence
(the same as the <c>code</c> to begin with).
</p>
<code type="erl"><![CDATA[
init(Code) ->
do_lock(),
Data = #{code => Code, remaining => Code},
{ok,locked,Data}.
]]></code>
<p>Function
<seealso marker="stdlib:gen_statem#start_link/3"><c>gen_statem:start_link</c></seealso>
is synchronous. It does not return until the <c>gen_statem</c>
is initialized and is ready to receive events.
</p>
<p>
Function
<seealso marker="stdlib:gen_statem#start_link/3"><c>gen_statem:start_link</c></seealso>
must be used if the <c>gen_statem</c>
is part of a supervision tree, that is, started by a supervisor.
Another function,
<seealso marker="stdlib:gen_statem#start/3"><c>gen_statem:start</c></seealso>
can be used to start a standalone <c>gen_statem</c>, that is,
a <c>gen_statem</c> that is not part of a supervision tree.
</p>
<code type="erl"><![CDATA[
callback_mode() ->
state_functions.
]]></code>
<p>
Function
<seealso marker="stdlib:gen_statem#Module:callback_mode/0"><c>Module:callback_mode/0</c></seealso>
selects the
<seealso marker="#callback_modes"><c>CallbackMode</c></seealso>
for the callback module, in this case
<seealso marker="stdlib:gen_statem#type-callback_mode"><c>state_functions</c></seealso>.
That is, each state has got its own handler function.
</p>
</section>
<!-- =================================================================== -->
<section>
<title>Handling Events</title>
<p>The function notifying the code lock about a button event is
implemented using
<seealso marker="stdlib:gen_statem#cast/2"><c>gen_statem:cast/2</c></seealso>:
</p>
<code type="erl"><![CDATA[
button(Digit) ->
gen_statem:cast(?NAME, {button,Digit}).
]]></code>
<p>
The first argument is the name of the <c>gen_statem</c> and must
agree with the name used to start it. So, we use the
same macro <c>?NAME</c> as when starting.
<c>{button,Digit}</c> is the event content.
</p>
<p>
The event is made into a message and sent to the <c>gen_statem</c>.
When the event is received, the <c>gen_statem</c> calls
<c>StateName(cast, Event, Data)</c>, which is expected to
return a tuple <c>{next_state,NewStateName,NewData}</c>.
<c>StateName</c> is the name of the current state and
<c>NewStateName</c> is the name of the next state to go to.
<c>NewData</c> is a new value for the server data of
the <c>gen_statem</c>.
</p>
<code type="erl"><![CDATA[
locked(
cast, {button,Digit},
#{code := Code, remaining := Remaining} = Data) ->
case Remaining of
[Digit] -> % Complete
do_unlock(),
{next_state,open,Data#{remaining := Code},10000};
[Digit|Rest] -> % Incomplete
{next_state,locked,Data#{remaining := Rest}};
[_|_] -> % Wrong
{next_state,locked,Data#{remaining := Code}}
end.
open(timeout, _, Data) ->
do_lock(),
{next_state,locked,Data};
open(cast, {button,_}, Data) ->
do_lock(),
{next_state,locked,Data}.
]]></code>
<p>
If the door is locked and a button is pressed, the pressed
button is compared with the next correct button.
Depending on the result, the door is either unlocked
and the <c>gen_statem</c> goes to state <c>open</c>,
or the door remains in state <c>locked</c>.
</p>
<p>
If the pressed button is incorrect, the server data
restarts from the start of the code sequence.
</p>
<p>
In state <c>open</c>, any button locks the door, as
any event cancels the event timer, so no
time-out event occurs after a button event.
</p>
</section>
<section>
<title>Event Time-Outs</title>
<p>
When a correct code has been given, the door is unlocked and
the following tuple is returned from <c>locked/2</c>:
</p>
<code type="erl"><![CDATA[
{next_state,open,Data#{remaining := Code},10000};
]]></code>
<p>
10,000 is a time-out value in milliseconds.
After this time (10 seconds), a time-out occurs.
Then, <c>StateName(timeout, 10000, Data)</c> is called.
The time-out occurs when the door has been in state <c>open</c>
for 10 seconds. After that the door is locked again:
</p>
<code type="erl"><![CDATA[
open(timeout, _, Data) ->
do_lock(),
{next_state,locked,Data};
]]></code>
</section>
<!-- =================================================================== -->
<section>
<title>All State Events</title>
<p>
Sometimes events can arrive in any state of the <c>gen_statem</c>.
It is convenient to handle these in a common state handler function
that all state functions call for events not specific to the state.
</p>
<p>
Consider a <c>code_length/0</c> function that returns
the length of the correct code
(that should not be sensitive to reveal).
We dispatch all events that are not state-specific
to the common function <c>handle_event/3</c>:
</p>
<code type="erl"><![CDATA[
...
-export([button/1,code_length/0]).
...
code_length() ->
gen_statem:call(?NAME, code_length).
...
locked(...) -> ... ;
locked(EventType, EventContent, Data) ->
handle_event(EventType, EventContent, Data).
...
open(...) -> ... ;
open(EventType, EventContent, Data) ->
handle_event(EventType, EventContent, Data).
handle_event({call,From}, code_length, #{code := Code} = Data) ->
{keep_state,Data,[{reply,From,length(Code)}]}.
]]></code>
<p>
This example uses
<seealso marker="stdlib:gen_statem#call/2"><c>gen_statem:call/2</c></seealso>,
which waits for a reply from the server.
The reply is sent with a <c>{reply,From,Reply}</c> tuple
in an action list in the <c>{keep_state,...}</c> tuple
that retains the current state.
</p>
</section>
<!-- =================================================================== -->
<section>
<title>One Event Handler</title>
<p>
If mode <c>handle_event_function</c> is used,
all events are handled in
<seealso marker="stdlib:gen_statem#Module:handle_event/4"><c>Module:handle_event/4</c></seealso>
and we can (but do not have to) use an event-centered approach
where we first branch depending on event
and then depending on state:
</p>
<code type="erl"><![CDATA[
...
-export([handle_event/4]).
...
callback_mode() ->
handle_event_function.
handle_event(cast, {button,Digit}, State, #{code := Code} = Data) ->
case State of
locked ->
case maps:get(remaining, Data) of
[Digit] -> % Complete
do_unlock(),
{next_state,open,Data#{remaining := Code},10000};
[Digit|Rest] -> % Incomplete
{keep_state,Data#{remaining := Rest}};
[_|_] -> % Wrong
{keep_state,Data#{remaining := Code}}
end;
open ->
do_lock(),
{next_state,locked,Data}
end;
handle_event(timeout, _, open, Data) ->
do_lock(),
{next_state,locked,Data}.
...
]]></code>
</section>
<!-- =================================================================== -->
<section>
<title>Stopping</title>
<section>
<title>In a Supervision Tree</title>
<p>
If the <c>gen_statem</c> is part of a supervision tree,
no stop function is needed.
The <c>gen_statem</c> is automatically terminated by its supervisor.
Exactly how this is done is defined by a
<seealso marker="sup_princ#shutdown">shutdown strategy</seealso>
set in the supervisor.
</p>
<p>
If it is necessary to clean up before termination, the shutdown
strategy must be a time-out value and the <c>gen_statem</c> must
in function <c>init/1</c> set itself to trap exit signals
by calling
<seealso marker="erts:erlang#process_flag/2"><c>process_flag(trap_exit, true)</c></seealso>:
</p>
<code type="erl"><![CDATA[
init(Args) ->
process_flag(trap_exit, true),
do_lock(),
...
]]></code>
<p>
When ordered to shut down, the <c>gen_statem</c> then calls
callback function <c>terminate(shutdown, State, Data)</c>.
</p>
<p>
In this example, function <c>terminate/3</c>
locks the door if it is open, so we do not accidentally leave the door
open when the supervision tree terminates:
</p>
<code type="erl"><![CDATA[
terminate(_Reason, State, _Data) ->
State =/= locked andalso do_lock(),
ok.
]]></code>
</section>
<section>
<title>Standalone gen_statem</title>
<p>
If the <c>gen_statem</c> is not part of a supervision tree,
it can be stopped using
<seealso marker="stdlib:gen_statem#stop/1"><c>gen_statem:stop</c></seealso>,
preferably through an API function:
</p>
<code type="erl"><![CDATA[
...
-export([start_link/1,stop/0]).
...
stop() ->
gen_statem:stop(?NAME).
]]></code>
<p>
This makes the <c>gen_statem</c> call callback function
<c>terminate/3</c> just like for a supervised server
and waits for the process to terminate.
</p>
</section>
</section>
<!-- =================================================================== -->
<section>
<title>Actions</title>
<p>
In the first sections actions were mentioned as a part of
the general state machine model. These general actions
are implemented with the code that callback module
<c>gen_statem</c> executes in an event-handling
callback function before returning
to the <c>gen_statem</c> engine.
</p>
<p>
There are more specific state-transition actions
that a callback function can order the <c>gen_statem</c>
engine to do after the callback function return.
These are ordered by returning a list of
<seealso marker="stdlib:gen_statem#type-action">actions</seealso>
in the
<seealso marker="stdlib:gen_statem#type-state_function_result">return tuple</seealso>
from the
<seealso marker="stdlib:gen_statem#Module:StateName/3">callback function</seealso>.
These state transition actions affect the <c>gen_statem</c>
engine itself and can do the following:
</p>
<list type="bulleted">
<item>Postpone the current event</item>
<item>Hibernate the <c>gen_statem</c></item>
<item>Start an event time-out</item>
<item>Reply to a caller</item>
<item>Generate the next event to handle</item>
</list>
<p>
In the example earlier was mentioned the event time-out
and replying to a caller.
An example of event postponing is included later in this chapter.
For details, see the
<seealso marker="stdlib:gen_statem#type-action"><c>gen_statem(3)</c></seealso>
manual page.
You can, for example, reply to many callers
and generate multiple next events to handle.
</p>
</section>
<!-- =================================================================== -->
<section>
<title>Event Types</title>
<p>
The previous sections mentioned a few
<seealso marker="stdlib:gen_statem#type-event_type">event types</seealso>.
Events of all types are handled in the same callback function,
for a given state, and the function gets
<c>EventType</c> and <c>EventContent</c> as arguments.
</p>
<p>
The following is a complete list of event types and where
they come from:
</p>
<taglist>
<tag><c>cast</c></tag>
<item>
Generated by
<seealso marker="stdlib:gen_statem#cast/2"><c>gen_statem:cast</c></seealso>.
</item>
<tag><c>{call,From}</c></tag>
<item>
Generated by
<seealso marker="stdlib:gen_statem#call/2"><c>gen_statem:call</c></seealso>,
where <c>From</c> is the reply address to use
when replying either through the state transition action
<c>{reply,From,Msg}</c> or by calling
<seealso marker="stdlib:gen_statem#reply/1"><c>gen_statem:reply</c></seealso>.
</item>
<tag><c>info</c></tag>
<item>
Generated by any regular process message sent to
the <c>gen_statem</c> process.
</item>
<tag><c>timeout</c></tag>
<item>
Generated by state transition action
<c>{timeout,Time,EventContent}</c> (or its short form <c>Time</c>)
timer timing out.
</item>
<tag><c>internal</c></tag>
<item>
Generated by state transition action
<c>{next_event,internal,EventContent}</c>.
All event types above can also be generated using
<c>{next_event,EventType,EventContent}</c>.
</item>
</taglist>
</section>
<!-- =================================================================== -->
<section>
<title>State Time-Outs</title>
<p>
The time-out event generated by state transition action
<c>{timeout,Time,EventContent}</c> is an event time-out,
that is, if an event arrives the timer is cancelled.
You get either an event or a time-out, but not both.
</p>
<p>
Often you want a timer not to be cancelled by any event
or you want to start a timer in one state and respond
to the time-out in another. This can be accomplished
with a regular Erlang timer:
<seealso marker="erts:erlang#start_timer/4"><c>erlang:start_timer</c></seealso>.
</p>
<p>
For the example so far in this chapter: using the
<c>gen_statem</c> event timer has the consequence that
if a button event is generated while in the <c>open</c> state,
the time-out is cancelled and the button event is delivered.
So, we choose to lock the door if this occurred.
</p>
<p>
Suppose that we do not want a button to lock the door,
instead we want to ignore button events in the <c>open</c> state.
Then we start a timer when entering the <c>open</c> state
and wait for it to expire while ignoring button events:
</p>
<code type="erl"><![CDATA[
...
locked(
cast, {button,Digit},
#{code := Code, remaining := Remaining} = Data) ->
case Remaining of
[Digit] ->
do_unlock(),
Tref = erlang:start_timer(10000, self(), lock),
{next_state,open,Data#{remaining := Code, timer := Tref}};
...
open(info, {timeout,Tref,lock}, #{timer := Tref} = Data) ->
do_lock(),
{next_state,locked,Data};
open(cast, {button,_}, Data) ->
{keep_state,Data};
...
]]></code>
<p>
If you need to cancel a timer because of some other event, you can use
<seealso marker="erts:erlang#cancel_timer/2"><c>erlang:cancel_timer(Tref)</c></seealso>.
Notice that a time-out message cannot arrive after this,
unless you have postponed it (see the next section) before,
so ensure that you do not accidentally postpone such messages.
</p>
<p>
Another way to cancel a timer is not to cancel it,
but to ignore it if it arrives in a state
where it is known to be late.
</p>
</section>
<!-- =================================================================== -->
<section>
<title>Postponing Events</title>
<p>
If you want to ignore a particular event in the current state
and handle it in a future state, you can postpone the event.
A postponed event is retried after the state has
changed, that is, <c>OldState =/= NewState</c>.
</p>
<p>
Postponing is ordered by the state transition
<seealso marker="stdlib:gen_statem#type-action">action</seealso>
<c>postpone</c>.
</p>
<p>
In this example, instead of ignoring button events
while in the <c>open</c> state, we can postpone them
and they are queued and later handled in the <c>locked</c> state:
</p>
<code type="erl"><![CDATA[
...
open(cast, {button,_}, Data) ->
{keep_state,Data,[postpone]};
...
]]></code>
<p>
The fact that a postponed event is only retried after a state change
translates into a requirement on the event and state space.
If you have a choice between storing a state data item
in the <c>State</c> or in the <c>Data</c>:
if a change in the item value affects which events that
are handled, then this item is to be part of the state.
</p>
<p>
You want to avoid that you maybe much later decide
to postpone an event in one state and by misfortune it is never retried,
as the code only changes the <c>Data</c> but not the <c>State</c>.
</p>
<section>
<title>Fuzzy State Diagrams</title>
<p>
It is not uncommon that a state diagram does not specify
how to handle events that are not illustrated
in a particular state in the diagram.
Hopefully this is described in an associated text
or from the context.
</p>
<p>
Possible actions: ignore as in drop the event
(maybe log it) or deal with the event in some other state
as in postpone it.
</p>
</section>
<section>
<title>Selective Receive</title>
<p>
Erlang's selective receive statement is often used to
describe simple state machine examples in straightforward
Erlang code. The following is a possible implementation of
the first example:
</p>
<code type="erl"><![CDATA[
-module(code_lock).
-define(NAME, code_lock_1).
-export([start_link/1,button/1]).
start_link(Code) ->
spawn(
fun () ->
true = register(?NAME, self()),
do_lock(),
locked(Code, Code)
end).
button(Digit) ->
?NAME ! {button,Digit}.
locked(Code, [Digit|Remaining]) ->
receive
{button,Digit} when Remaining =:= [] ->
do_unlock(),
open(Code);
{button,Digit} ->
locked(Code, Remaining);
{button,_} ->
locked(Code, Code)
end.
open(Code) ->
receive
after 10000 ->
do_lock(),
locked(Code, Code)
end.
do_lock() ->
io:format("Locked~n", []).
do_unlock() ->
io:format("Open~n", []).
]]></code>
<p>
The selective receive in this case causes implicitly <c>open</c>
to postpone any events to the <c>locked</c> state.
</p>
<p>
A selective receive cannot be used from a <c>gen_statem</c>
behavior as for any <c>gen_*</c> behavior,
as the receive statement is within the <c>gen_*</c> engine itself.
It must be there because all
<seealso marker="stdlib:sys"><c>sys</c></seealso>
compatible behaviors must respond to system messages and therefore
do that in their engine receive loop,
passing non-system messages to the callback module.
</p>
<p>
The state transition
<seealso marker="stdlib:gen_statem#type-action">action</seealso>
<c>postpone</c> is designed to model
selective receives. A selective receive implicitly postpones
any not received events, but the <c>postpone</c>
state transition action explicitly postpones one received event.
</p>
<p>
Both mechanisms have the same theoretical
time and memory complexity, while the selective receive
language construct has smaller constant factors.
</p>
</section>
</section>
<!-- =================================================================== -->
<section>
<title>State Entry Actions</title>
<p>
Say you have a state machine specification
that uses state entry actions.
Allthough you can code this using self-generated events
(described in the next section), especially if just
one or a few states has got state entry actions,
this is a perfect use case for the built in
<seealso marker="#state_enter">state enter calls</seealso>.
</p>
<p>
You return a list containing <c>state_enter</c> from your
<seealso marker="stdlib:gen_statem#Module:callback_mode/0"><c>callback_mode/0</c></seealso>
function and the <c>gen_statem</c> engine will call your
state function once with the arguments
<c>(enter, OldState, ...)</c> whenever the state changes.
Then you just need to handle these event-like calls in all states.
</p>
<code type="erl"><![CDATA[
...
init(Code) ->
process_flag(trap_exit, true),
Data = #{code => Code},
{ok, locked, Data}.
callback_mode() ->
[state_functions,state_enter].
locked(enter, _OldState, Data) ->
do_lock(),
{keep_state,Data#{remaining => Code}};
locked(
cast, {button,Digit},
#{code := Code, remaining := Remaining} = Data) ->
case Remaining of
[Digit] ->
{next_state, open, Data};
...
open(enter, _OldState, Data) ->
Tref = erlang:start_timer(10000, self(), lock),
do_unlock(),
{keep_state,Data#{timer => Tref}};
open(info, {timeout,Tref,lock}, #{timer := Tref} = Data) ->
{next_state, locked, Data};
...
]]></code>
</section>
<!-- =================================================================== -->
<section>
<title>Self-Generated Events</title>
<p>
It can sometimes be beneficial to be able to generate events
to your own state machine.
This can be done with the state transition
<seealso marker="stdlib:gen_statem#type-action">action</seealso>
<c>{next_event,EventType,EventContent}</c>.
</p>
<p>
You can generate events of any existing
<seealso marker="stdlib:gen_statem#type-action">type</seealso>,
but the <c>internal</c> type can only be generated through action
<c>next_event</c>. Hence, it cannot come from an external source,
so you can be certain that an <c>internal</c> event is an event
from your state machine to itself.
</p>
<p>
One example for this is to pre-process incoming data, for example
decrypting chunks or collecting characters up to a line break.
Purists may argue that this should be modelled with a separate
state machine that sends pre-processed events
to the main state machine.
But to decrease overhead the small pre-processing state machine
can be implemented in the common state event handling
of the main state machine using a few state data variables
that then sends the pre-processed events as internal events
to the main state machine.
</p>
<p>
The following example use an input model where you give the lock
characters with <c>put_chars(Chars)</c> and then call
<c>enter()</c> to finish the input.
</p>
<code type="erl"><![CDATA[
...
-export(put_chars/1, enter/0).
...
put_chars(Chars) when is_binary(Chars) ->
gen_statem:call(?NAME, {chars,Chars}).
enter() ->
gen_statem:call(?NAME, enter).
...
locked(enter, _OldState, Data) ->
do_lock(),
{keep_state,Data#{remaining => Code, buf => []}};
...
handle_event({call,From}, {chars,Chars}, #{buf := Buf} = Data) ->
{keep_state, Data#{buf := [Chars|Buf],
[{reply,From,ok}]};
handle_event({call,From}, enter, #{buf := Buf} = Data) ->
Chars = unicode:characters_to_binary(lists:reverse(Buf)),
try binary_to_integer(Chars) of
Digit ->
{keep_state, Data#{buf := []},
[{reply,From,ok},
{next_event,internal,{button,Chars}}]}
catch
error:badarg ->
{keep_state, Data#{buf := []},
[{reply,From,{error,not_an_integer}}]}
end;
...
]]></code>
<p>
If you start this program with <c>code_lock:start([17])</c>
you can unlock with <c>code_lock:put_chars(<<"001">>),
code_lock:put_chars(<<"7">>), code_lock:enter()</c>.
</p>
</section>
<!-- =================================================================== -->
<section>
<title>Example Revisited</title>
<p>
This section includes the example after all mentioned modifications
and some more using state enter calls,
which deserves a new state diagram:
</p>
<image file="../design_principles/code_lock_2.png">
<icaption>Code Lock State Diagram Revisited</icaption>
</image>
<p>
Notice that this state diagram does not specify how to handle
a button event in the state <c>open</c>. So, you need to
read somewhere else that unspecified events
must be ignored as in not consumed but handled in some other state.
Also, the state diagram does not show that the <c>code_length/0</c>
call must be handled in every state.
</p>
<section>
<title>Callback Mode: state_functions</title>
<p>
Using state functions:
</p>
<code type="erl"><![CDATA[
-module(code_lock).
-behaviour(gen_statem).
-define(NAME, code_lock_2).
-export([start_link/1,stop/0]).
-export([button/1,code_length/0]).
-export([init/1,callback_mode/0,terminate/3,code_change/4]).
-export([locked/3,open/3]).
start_link(Code) ->
gen_statem:start_link({local,?NAME}, ?MODULE, Code, []).
stop() ->
gen_statem:stop(?NAME).
button(Digit) ->
gen_statem:cast(?NAME, {button,Digit}).
code_length() ->
gen_statem:call(?NAME, code_length).
init(Code) ->
process_flag(trap_exit, true),
Data = #{code => Code},
{ok, locked, Data}.
callback_mode() ->
[state_functions,state_enter].
locked(enter, _OldState, #{code := Code} = Data) ->
do_lock(),
{keep_state,Data#{remaining => Code}};
locked(
cast, {button,Digit},
#{code := Code, remaining := Remaining} = Data) ->
case Remaining of
[Digit] -> % Complete
{next_state, open, Data};
[Digit|Rest] -> % Incomplete
{keep_state,Data#{remaining := Rest}};
[_|_] -> % Wrong
{keep_state,Data#{remaining := Code}}
end;
locked(EventType, EventContent, Data) ->
handle_event(EventType, EventContent, Data).
open(enter, _OldState, Data) ->
Tref = erlang:start_timer(10000, self(), lock),
do_unlock(),
{keep_state,Data#{timer => Tref}};
open(info, {timeout,Tref,lock}, #{timer := Tref} = Data) ->
{next_state, locked, Data};
open(cast, {button,_}, _) ->
{keep_state_and_data,[postpone]};
open(EventType, EventContent, Data) ->
handle_event(EventType, EventContent, Data).
handle_event({call,From}, code_length, #{code := Code}) ->
{keep_state_and_data,[{reply,From,length(Code)}]}.
do_lock() ->
io:format("Locked~n", []).
do_unlock() ->
io:format("Open~n", []).
terminate(_Reason, State, _Data) ->
State =/= locked andalso do_lock(),
ok.
code_change(_Vsn, State, Data, _Extra) ->
{ok,State,Data}.
]]></code>
</section>
<section>
<title>Callback Mode: handle_event_function</title>
<p>
This section describes what to change in the example
to use one <c>handle_event/4</c> function.
The previously used approach to first branch depending on event
does not work that well here because of the state enter calls,
so this example first branches depending on state:
</p>
<code type="erl"><![CDATA[
...
-export([handle_event/4]).
...
callback_mode() ->
[handle_event_function,state_enter].
%% State: locked
handle_event(enter, _OldState, locked, #{code := Code} = Data) ->
do_lock(),
{keep_state,Data#{remaining => Code}};
handle_event(
cast, {button,Digit}, locked,
#{code := Code, remaining := Remaining} = Data) ->
case Remaining of
[Digit] -> % Complete
{next_state, open, Data};
[Digit|Rest] -> % Incomplete
{keep_state,Data#{remaining := Rest}};
[_|_] -> % Wrong
{keep_state,Data#{remaining := Code}}
end;
%%
%% State: open
handle_event(enter, _OldState, open, Data) ->
Tref = erlang:start_timer(10000, self(), lock),
do_unlock(),
{keep_state,Data#{timer => Tref}};
handle_event(info, {timeout,Tref,lock}, open, #{timer := Tref} = Data) ->
{next_state, locked, Data};
handle_event(cast, {button,_}, open, _) ->
{keep_state_and_data,[postpone]};
%%
%% Any state
handle_event({call,From}, code_length, _State, #{code := Code}) ->
{keep_state_and_data,[{reply,From,length(Code)}]}.
...
]]></code>
</section>
<p>
Notice that postponing buttons from the <c>locked</c> state
to the <c>open</c> state feels like the wrong thing to do
for a code lock, but it at least illustrates event postponing.
</p>
</section>
<!-- =================================================================== -->
<section>
<title>Filter the State</title>
<p>
The example servers so far in this chapter
print the full internal state in the error log, for example,
when killed by an exit signal or because of an internal error.
This state contains both the code lock code
and which digits that remain to unlock.
</p>
<p>
This state data can be regarded as sensitive,
and maybe not what you want in the error log
because of some unpredictable event.
</p>
<p>
Another reason to filter the state can be
that the state is too large to print, as it fills
the error log with uninteresting details.
</p>
<p>
To avoid this, you can format the internal state
that gets in the error log and gets returned from
<seealso marker="stdlib:sys#get_status/1"><c>sys:get_status/1,2</c></seealso>
by implementing function
<seealso marker="stdlib:gen_statem#Module:format_status/2"><c>Module:format_status/2</c></seealso>,
for example like this:
</p>
<code type="erl"><![CDATA[
...
-export([init/1,terminate/3,code_change/4,format_status/2]).
...
format_status(Opt, [_PDict,State,Data]) ->
StateData =
{State,
maps:filter(
fun (code, _) -> false;
(remaining, _) -> false;
(_, _) -> true
end,
Data)},
case Opt of
terminate ->
StateData;
normal ->
[{data,[{"State",StateData}]}]
end.
]]></code>
<p>
It is not mandatory to implement a
<seealso marker="stdlib:gen_statem#Module:format_status/2"><c>Module:format_status/2</c></seealso>
function. If you do not, a default implementation is used that
does the same as this example function without filtering
the <c>Data</c> term, that is, <c>StateData = {State,Data}</c>,
in this example containing sensitive information.
</p>
</section>
<!-- =================================================================== -->
<section>
<title>Complex State</title>
<p>
The callback mode
<seealso marker="stdlib:gen_statem#type-callback_mode"><c>handle_event_function</c></seealso>
enables using a non-atom state as described in section
<seealso marker="#callback_modes">Callback Modes</seealso>,
for example, a complex state term like a tuple.
</p>
<p>
One reason to use this is when you have
a state item that affects the event handling,
in particular in combination with postponing events.
We complicate the previous example
by introducing a configurable lock button
(this is the state item in question),
which in the <c>open</c> state immediately locks the door,
and an API function <c>set_lock_button/1</c> to set the lock button.
</p>
<p>
Suppose now that we call <c>set_lock_button</c>
while the door is open,
and have already postponed a button event
that until now was not the lock button.
The sensible thing can be to say that
the button was pressed too early so it is
not to be recognized as the lock button.
However, then it can be surprising that a button event
that now is the lock button event arrives (as retried postponed)
immediately after the state transits to <c>locked</c>.
</p>
<p>
So we make the <c>button/1</c> function synchronous
by using
<seealso marker="stdlib:gen_statem#call/2"><c>gen_statem:call</c></seealso>
and still postpone its events in the <c>open</c> state.
Then a call to <c>button/1</c> during the <c>open</c>
state does not return until the state transits to <c>locked</c>,
as it is there the event is handled and the reply is sent.
</p>
<p>
If a process now calls <c>set_lock_button/1</c>
to change the lock button while another process
hangs in <c>button/1</c> with the new lock button,
it can be expected that the hanging lock button call
immediately takes effect and locks the lock.
Therefore, we make the current lock button a part of the state,
so that when we change the lock button, the state changes
and all postponed events are retried.
</p>
<p>
We define the state as <c>{StateName,LockButton}</c>,
where <c>StateName</c> is as before
and <c>LockButton</c> is the current lock button:
</p>
<code type="erl"><![CDATA[
-module(code_lock).
-behaviour(gen_statem).
-define(NAME, code_lock_3).
-export([start_link/2,stop/0]).
-export([button/1,code_length/0,set_lock_button/1]).
-export([init/1,callback_mode/0,terminate/3,code_change/4,format_status/2]).
-export([handle_event/4]).
start_link(Code, LockButton) ->
gen_statem:start_link(
{local,?NAME}, ?MODULE, {Code,LockButton}, []).
stop() ->
gen_statem:stop(?NAME).
button(Digit) ->
gen_statem:call(?NAME, {button,Digit}).
code_length() ->
gen_statem:call(?NAME, code_length).
set_lock_button(LockButton) ->
gen_statem:call(?NAME, {set_lock_button,LockButton}).
init({Code,LockButton}) ->
process_flag(trap_exit, true),
Data = #{code => Code, remaining => undefined, timer => undefined},
{ok, {locked,LockButton}, Data}.
callback_mode() ->
[handle_event_function,state_enter].
handle_event(
{call,From}, {set_lock_button,NewLockButton},
{StateName,OldLockButton}, Data) ->
{next_state,{StateName,NewLockButton},Data,
[{reply,From,OldLockButton}]};
handle_event(
{call,From}, code_length,
{_StateName,_LockButton}, #{code := Code}) ->
{keep_state_and_data,
[{reply,From,length(Code)}]};
%%
%% State: locked
handle_event(
EventType, EventContent,
{locked,LockButton}, #{code := Code, remaining := Remaining} = Data) ->
case {EventType,EventContent} of
{enter,_OldState} ->
do_lock(),
{keep_state,Data#{remaining := Code}};
{{call,From},{button,Digit}} ->
case Remaining of
[Digit] -> % Complete
{next_state, {open,LockButton}, Data,
[{reply,From,ok}]};
[Digit|Rest] -> % Incomplete
{keep_state, Data#{remaining := Rest},
[{reply,From,ok}]};
[_|_] -> % Wrong
{keep_state, Data#{remaining := Code},
[{reply,From,ok}]}
end
end;
%%
%% State: open
handle_event(
EventType, EventContent,
{open,LockButton}, #{timer := Timer} = Data) ->
case {EventType,EventContent} of
{enter,_OldState} ->
Tref = erlang:start_timer(10000, self(), lock),
do_unlock(),
{keep_state,Data#{timer := Tref}};
{info,{timeout,Timer,lock}} ->
{next_state, {locked,LockButton}, Data};
{{call,From},{button,Digit}} ->
if
Digit =:= LockButton ->
erlang:cancel_timer(Timer),
{next_state, {locked,LockButton}, Data,
[{reply,From,locked}]);
true ->
{keep_state_and_data,
[postpone]}
end
end.
do_lock() ->
io:format("Locked~n", []).
do_unlock() ->
io:format("Open~n", []).
terminate(_Reason, State, _Data) ->
State =/= locked andalso do_lock(),
ok.
code_change(_Vsn, State, Data, _Extra) ->
{ok,State,Data}.
format_status(Opt, [_PDict,State,Data]) ->
StateData =
{State,
maps:filter(
fun (code, _) -> false;
(remaining, _) -> false;
(_, _) -> true
end,
Data)},
case Opt of
terminate ->
StateData;
normal ->
[{data,[{"State",StateData}]}]
end.
]]></code>
<p>
It can be an ill-fitting model for a physical code lock
that the <c>button/1</c> call can hang until the lock
is locked. But for an API in general it is not that strange.
</p>
</section>
<!-- =================================================================== -->
<section>
<title>Hibernation</title>
<p>
If you have many servers in one node
and they have some state(s) in their lifetime in which
the servers can be expected to idle for a while,
and the amount of heap memory all these servers need
is a problem, then the memory footprint of a server
can be mimimized by hibernating it through
<seealso marker="stdlib:proc_lib#hibernate/3"><c>proc_lib:hibernate/3</c></seealso>.
</p>
<note>
<p>
It is rather costly to hibernate a process; see
<seealso marker="erts:erlang#hibernate/3"><c>erlang:hibernate/3</c></seealso>.
It is not something you want to do after every event.
</p>
</note>
<p>
We can in this example hibernate in the <c>{open,_}</c> state,
because what normally occurs in that state is that
the state time-out after a while
triggers a transition to <c>{locked,_}</c>:
</p>
<code type="erl"><![CDATA[
...
handle_event(
EventType, EventContent,
{open,LockButton}, #{timer := Timer} = Data) ->
case {EventType,EventContent} of
{enter,_OldState} ->
Tref = erlang:start_timer(10000, self(), lock),
do_unlock(),
{keep_state,Data#{timer := Tref},[hibernate]};
...
]]></code>
<p>
The
<seealso marker="stdlib:gen_statem#type-hibernate"><c>[hibernate]</c></seealso>
action list on the last line
when entering the <c>{open,_}</c> state is the only change.
If any event arrives in the <c>{open,_},</c> state, we
do not bother to rehibernate, so the server stays
awake after any event.
</p>
<p>
To change that we would need to insert
action <c>hibernate</c> in more places.
For example, for the state-independent <c>set_lock_button</c>
and <c>code_length</c> operations that then would have to
be aware of using <c>hibernate</c> while in the
<c>{open,_}</c> state, which would clutter the code.
</p>
<p>
This server probably does not use
heap memory worth hibernating for.
To gain anything from hibernation, your server would
have to produce some garbage during callback execution,
for which this example server can serve as a bad example.
</p>
</section>
</chapter>