path: root/lib/stdlib/doc/src/gen_fsm.xml

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  <header>
    <copyright>
      <year>1996</year><year>2014</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
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    </legalnotice>

    <title>gen_fsm</title>
    <prepared></prepared>
    <docno></docno>
    <date></date>
    <rev></rev>
  </header>
  <module>gen_fsm</module>
  <modulesummary>Generic Finite State Machine Behaviour</modulesummary>
  <description>
    <p>A behaviour module for implementing a finite state machine.
      A generic finite state machine process (gen_fsm) implemented
      using this module will have a standard set of interface functions
      and include functionality for tracing and error reporting. It will
      also fit into an OTP supervision tree. Refer to
      <seealso marker="doc/design_principles:fsm">OTP Design Principles</seealso> for more information.</p>
    <p>A gen_fsm assumes all specific parts to be located in a callback
      module exporting a pre-defined set of functions. The relationship
      between the behaviour functions and the callback functions can be
      illustrated as follows:</p>
    <pre>
gen_fsm module                    Callback module
--------------                    ---------------
gen_fsm:start
gen_fsm:start_link                -----> Module:init/1

gen_fsm:stop                      -----> Module:terminate/3

gen_fsm:send_event                -----> Module:StateName/2

gen_fsm:send_all_state_event      -----> Module:handle_event/3

gen_fsm:sync_send_event           -----> Module:StateName/3

gen_fsm:sync_send_all_state_event -----> Module:handle_sync_event/4

-                                 -----> Module:handle_info/3

-                                 -----> Module:terminate/3

-                                 -----> Module:code_change/4</pre>
    <p>If a callback function fails or returns a bad value, the gen_fsm
      will terminate.</p>
    <p>A gen_fsm handles system messages as documented in
       <seealso marker="sys">sys(3)</seealso>. The <c>sys</c> module
       can be used for debugging a gen_fsm.</p>
    <p>Note that a gen_fsm does not trap exit signals automatically,
      this must be explicitly initiated in the callback module.</p>
    <p>Unless otherwise stated, all functions in this module fail if
      the specified gen_fsm does not exist or if bad arguments are
      given.</p>
    <p>The gen_fsm process can go into hibernation 
    (see <seealso marker="erts:erlang#erlang:hibernate/3">erlang(3)</seealso>) if a callback
    function specifies <c>'hibernate'</c> instead of a timeout value. This
    might be useful if the server is expected to be idle for a long
    time. However this feature should be used with care as hibernation
    implies at least two garbage collections (when hibernating and
    shortly after waking up) and is not something you'd want to do
    between each call to a busy state machine.</p>

  </description>
  <funcs>
    <func>
      <name>start_link(Module, Args, Options) -> Result</name>
      <name>start_link(FsmName, Module, Args, Options) -> Result</name>
      <fsummary>Create a gen_fsm process in a supervision tree.</fsummary>
      <type>
        <v>FsmName = {local,Name} | {global,GlobalName}
	| {via,Module,ViaName}</v>
        <v>&nbsp;Name = atom()</v>
        <v>&nbsp;GlobalName = ViaName = term()</v>
        <v>Module = atom()</v>
        <v>Args = term()</v>
        <v>Options = [Option]</v>
        <v>&nbsp;Option = {debug,Dbgs} | {timeout,Time} | {spawn_opt,SOpts}</v>
        <v>&nbsp;&nbsp;Dbgs = [Dbg]</v>
        <v>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Dbg = trace | log | statistics</v>
        <v>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;| {log_to_file,FileName} | {install,{Func,FuncState}}</v>
        <v>&nbsp;&nbsp;SOpts = [SOpt]</v>
        <v>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;SOpt - see erlang:spawn_opt/2,3,4,5</v>
        <v>Result = {ok,Pid} | ignore | {error,Error}</v>
        <v>&nbsp;Pid = pid()</v>
        <v>&nbsp;Error = {already_started,Pid} | term()</v>
      </type>
      <desc>
        <p>Creates a gen_fsm process as part of a supervision tree.
          The function should be called, directly or indirectly, by
          the supervisor. It will, among other things, ensure that
          the gen_fsm is linked to the supervisor.</p>
        <p>The gen_fsm process calls <c>Module:init/1</c> to
          initialize. To ensure a synchronized start-up procedure,
          <c>start_link/3,4</c> does not return until
          <c>Module:init/1</c> has returned.</p>
        <p>If <c>FsmName={local,Name}</c>, the gen_fsm is registered
          locally as <c>Name</c> using <c>register/2</c>.
          If <c>FsmName={global,GlobalName}</c>, the gen_fsm is
          registered globally as <c>GlobalName</c> using
          <c>global:register_name/2</c>.
	  If <c>FsmName={via,Module,ViaName}</c>, the gen_fsm will
	  register with the registry represented by <c>Module</c>.
	  The <c>Module</c> callback should export the functions
	  <c>register_name/2</c>, <c>unregister_name/1</c>,
	  <c>whereis_name/1</c> and <c>send/2</c>, which should behave like the
	  corresponding functions in <c>global</c>. Thus,
	<c>{via,global,GlobalName}</c> is a valid reference.</p>
	<p>If no name is provided,
	the gen_fsm is not registered.</p>
        <p><c>Module</c> is the name of the callback module.</p>
        <p><c>Args</c> is an arbitrary term which is passed as
          the argument to <c>Module:init/1</c>.</p>
        <p>If the option <c>{timeout,Time}</c> is present, the gen_fsm
          is allowed to spend <c>Time</c> milliseconds initializing
          or it will be terminated and the start function will return
          <c>{error,timeout}</c>.</p>
        <p>If the option <c>{debug,Dbgs}</c> is present,
          the corresponding <c>sys</c> function will be called for each
          item in <c>Dbgs</c>. See
          <seealso marker="sys">sys(3)</seealso>.</p>
        <p>If the option <c>{spawn_opt,SOpts}</c> is present,
          <c>SOpts</c> will be passed as option list to
          the <c>spawn_opt</c> BIF which is used to spawn the gen_fsm
          process. See
          <seealso marker="erts:erlang#spawn_opt/2">erlang(3)</seealso>.</p>
        <note>
          <p>Using the spawn option <c>monitor</c> is currently not
            allowed, but will cause the function to fail with reason
            <c>badarg</c>.</p>
        </note>
        <p>If the gen_fsm is successfully created and initialized
          the function returns <c>{ok,Pid}</c>, where <c>Pid</c> is
          the pid of the gen_fsm. If there already exists a process with
          the specified <c>FsmName</c>, the function returns
          <c>{error,{already_started,Pid}}</c> where <c>Pid</c> is
          the pid of that process.</p>
        <p>If <c>Module:init/1</c> fails with <c>Reason</c>,
          the function returns <c>{error,Reason}</c>. If
          <c>Module:init/1</c> returns <c>{stop,Reason}</c> or
          <c>ignore</c>, the process is terminated and the function
          returns <c>{error,Reason}</c> or <c>ignore</c>, respectively.</p>
      </desc>
    </func>
    <func>
      <name>start(Module, Args, Options) -> Result</name>
      <name>start(FsmName, Module, Args, Options) -> Result</name>
      <fsummary>Create a stand-alone gen_fsm process.</fsummary>
      <type>
        <v>FsmName = {local,Name} | {global,GlobalName}
	| {via,Module,ViaName}</v>
        <v>&nbsp;Name = atom()</v>
        <v>&nbsp;GlobalName = ViaName = term()</v>
        <v>Module = atom()</v>
        <v>Args = term()</v>
        <v>Options = [Option]</v>
        <v>&nbsp;Option = {debug,Dbgs} | {timeout,Time} | {spawn_opt,SOpts}</v>
        <v>&nbsp;&nbsp;Dbgs = [Dbg]</v>
        <v>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Dbg = trace | log | statistics</v>
        <v>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;| {log_to_file,FileName} | {install,{Func,FuncState}}</v>
        <v>&nbsp;&nbsp;SOpts = [term()]</v>
        <v>Result = {ok,Pid} | ignore | {error,Error}</v>
        <v>&nbsp;Pid = pid()</v>
        <v>&nbsp;Error = {already_started,Pid} | term()</v>
      </type>
      <desc>
        <p>Creates a stand-alone gen_fsm process, i.e. a gen_fsm which
          is not part of a supervision tree and thus has no supervisor.</p>
        <p>See <seealso marker="#start_link/3">start_link/3,4</seealso>
          for a description of arguments and return values.</p>
      </desc>
    </func>
    <func>
      <name>stop(FsmRef) -> ok</name>
      <name>stop(FsmRef, Reason, Timeout) -> ok</name>
      <fsummary>Synchronously stop a generic FSM.</fsummary>
      <type>
        <v>FsmRef = Name | {Name,Node} | {global,GlobalName}
	| {via,Module,ViaName} | pid()</v>
        <v>&nbsp;Node = atom()</v>
        <v>&nbsp;GlobalName = ViaName = term()</v>
        <v>Reason = term()</v>
        <v>Timeout = int()>0 | infinity</v>
      </type>
      <desc>
	<p>Orders a generic FSM to exit with the given <c>Reason</c>
	  and waits for it to terminate. The gen_fsm will call
          <seealso marker="#Module:terminate/3">Module:terminate/3</seealso>
	  before exiting.</p>
	<p>The function returns <c>ok</c> if the generic FSM terminates
	  with the expected reason. Any other reason than <c>normal</c>,
          <c>shutdown</c>, or <c>{shutdown,Term}</c> will cause an
          error report to be issued using
          <seealso marker="kernel:error_logger#format/2">error_logger:format/2</seealso>.
	  The default <c>Reason</c> is <c>normal</c>.</p>
	<p><c>Timeout</c> is an integer greater than zero which
          specifies how many milliseconds to wait for the generic FSM
          to terminate, or the atom <c>infinity</c> to wait
          indefinitely. The default value is <c>infinity</c>. If the
          generic FSM has not terminated within the specified time, a
	  <c>timeout</c> exception is raised.</p>
	<p>If the process does not exist, a <c>noproc</c> exception
	  is raised.</p>
      </desc>
    </func>
    <func>
      <name>send_event(FsmRef, Event) -> ok</name>
      <fsummary>Send an event asynchronously to a generic FSM.</fsummary>
      <type>
        <v>FsmRef = Name | {Name,Node} | {global,GlobalName}
	| {via,Module,ViaName} | pid()</v>
        <v>&nbsp;Name = Node = atom()</v>
        <v>&nbsp;GlobalName = ViaName = term()</v>
        <v>Event = term()</v>
      </type>
      <desc>
        <p>Sends an event asynchronously to the gen_fsm <c>FsmRef</c>
          and returns <c>ok</c> immediately. The gen_fsm will call
          <c>Module:StateName/2</c> to handle the event, where
          <c>StateName</c> is the name of the current state of
          the gen_fsm.</p>
        <p><c>FsmRef</c> can be:</p>
        <list type="bulleted">
          <item>the pid,</item>
          <item><c>Name</c>, if the gen_fsm is locally registered,</item>
          <item><c>{Name,Node}</c>, if the gen_fsm is locally
	  registered at another node, or</item>
	  <item><c>{global,GlobalName}</c>, if the gen_fsm is globally
	  registered.</item>
	  <item><c>{via,Module,ViaName}</c>, if the gen_fsm is registered
	  through an alternative process registry.</item>
        </list>
        <p><c>Event</c> is an arbitrary term which is passed as one of
          the arguments to <c>Module:StateName/2</c>.</p>
      </desc>
    </func>
    <func>
      <name>send_all_state_event(FsmRef, Event) -> ok</name>
      <fsummary>Send an event asynchronously to a generic FSM.</fsummary>
      <type>
        <v>FsmRef = Name | {Name,Node} | {global,GlobalName}
	| {via,Module,ViaName} | pid()</v>
        <v>&nbsp;Name = Node = atom()</v>
        <v>&nbsp;GlobalName = ViaName = term()</v>
        <v>Event = term()</v>
      </type>
      <desc>
        <p>Sends an event asynchronously to the gen_fsm <c>FsmRef</c>
          and returns <c>ok</c> immediately. The gen_fsm will call
          <c>Module:handle_event/3</c> to handle the event.</p>
        <p>See <seealso marker="#send_event/2">send_event/2</seealso>
          for a description of the arguments.</p>
        <p>The difference between <c>send_event</c> and
          <c>send_all_state_event</c> is which callback function is
          used to handle the event. This function is useful when
          sending events that are handled the same way in every state,
          as only one <c>handle_event</c> clause is needed to handle
          the event instead of one clause in each state name function.</p>
      </desc>
    </func>
    <func>
      <name>sync_send_event(FsmRef, Event) -> Reply</name>
      <name>sync_send_event(FsmRef, Event, Timeout) -> Reply</name>
      <fsummary>Send an event synchronously to a generic FSM.</fsummary>
      <type>
        <v>FsmRef = Name | {Name,Node} | {global,GlobalName}
	| {via,Module,ViaName} | pid()</v>
        <v>&nbsp;Name = Node = atom()</v>
        <v>&nbsp;GlobalName = ViaName = term()</v>
        <v>Event = term()</v>
        <v>Timeout = int()>0 | infinity</v>
        <v>Reply = term()</v>
      </type>
      <desc>
        <p>Sends an event to the gen_fsm <c>FsmRef</c> and waits until a
          reply arrives or a timeout occurs. The gen_fsm will call
          <c>Module:StateName/3</c> to handle the event, where
          <c>StateName</c> is the name of the current state of
          the gen_fsm.</p>
        <p>See <seealso marker="#send_event/2">send_event/2</seealso>
          for a description of <c>FsmRef</c> and <c>Event</c>.</p>
        <p><c>Timeout</c> is an integer greater than zero which
          specifies how many milliseconds to wait for a reply, or
          the atom <c>infinity</c> to wait indefinitely. Default value
          is 5000. If no reply is received within the specified time,
          the function call fails.</p>
        <p>The return value <c>Reply</c> is defined in the return value
          of <c>Module:StateName/3</c>.</p>
        <p>The ancient behaviour of sometimes consuming the server
          exit message if the server died during the call while
          linked to the client has been removed in OTP R12B/Erlang 5.6.</p>
      </desc>
    </func>
    <func>
      <name>sync_send_all_state_event(FsmRef, Event) -> Reply</name>
      <name>sync_send_all_state_event(FsmRef, Event, Timeout) -> Reply</name>
      <fsummary>Send an event synchronously to a generic FSM.</fsummary>
      <type>
        <v>FsmRef = Name | {Name,Node} | {global,GlobalName}
	| {via,Module,ViaName} | pid()</v>
        <v>&nbsp;Name = Node = atom()</v>
        <v>&nbsp;GlobalName = ViaName = term()</v>
        <v>Event = term()</v>
        <v>Timeout = int()>0 | infinity</v>
        <v>Reply = term()</v>
      </type>
      <desc>
        <p>Sends an event to the gen_fsm <c>FsmRef</c> and waits until a
          reply arrives or a timeout occurs. The gen_fsm will call
          <c>Module:handle_sync_event/4</c> to handle the event.</p>
        <p>See <seealso marker="#send_event/2">send_event/2</seealso>
          for a description of <c>FsmRef</c> and <c>Event</c>. See
          <seealso marker="#sync_send_event/3">sync_send_event/3</seealso>
          for a description of <c>Timeout</c> and <c>Reply</c>.</p>
        <p>See
          <seealso marker="#send_all_state_event/2">send_all_state_event/2</seealso>
          for a discussion about the difference between
          <c>sync_send_event</c> and <c>sync_send_all_state_event</c>.</p>
      </desc>
    </func>
    <func>
      <name>reply(Caller, Reply) -> true</name>
      <fsummary>Send a reply to a caller.</fsummary>
      <type>
        <v>Caller - see below</v>
        <v>Reply = term()</v>
      </type>
      <desc>
        <p>This function can be used by a gen_fsm to explicitly send a
          reply to a client process that called
          <seealso marker="#sync_send_event/2">sync_send_event/2,3</seealso>
          or
          <seealso marker="#sync_send_all_state_event/2">sync_send_all_state_event/2,3</seealso>,
          when the reply cannot be defined in the return value of
          <c>Module:State/3</c> or <c>Module:handle_sync_event/4</c>.</p>
        <p><c>Caller</c> must be the <c>From</c> argument provided to
          the callback function. <c>Reply</c> is an arbitrary term,
          which will be given back to the client as the return value of
          <c>sync_send_event/2,3</c> or
          <c>sync_send_all_state_event/2,3</c>.</p>
      </desc>
    </func>
    <func>
      <name>send_event_after(Time, Event) -> Ref</name>
      <fsummary>Send a delayed event internally in a generic FSM.</fsummary>
      <type>
        <v>Time = integer()</v>
        <v>Event = term()</v>
        <v>Ref = reference()</v>
      </type>
      <desc>
        <p>Sends a delayed event internally in the gen_fsm that calls
          this function after <c>Time</c> ms. Returns immediately a
          reference that can be used to cancel the delayed send using
          <seealso marker="#cancel_timer/1">cancel_timer/1</seealso>.</p>
        <p>The gen_fsm will call <c>Module:StateName/2</c> to handle
          the event, where <c>StateName</c> is the name of the current
          state of the gen_fsm at the time the delayed event is
          delivered.</p>
        <p><c>Event</c> is an arbitrary term which is passed as one of
          the arguments to <c>Module:StateName/2</c>.</p>
      </desc>
    </func>
    <func>
      <name>start_timer(Time, Msg) -> Ref</name>
      <fsummary>Send a timeout event internally in a generic FSM.</fsummary>
      <type>
        <v>Time = integer()</v>
        <v>Msg = term()</v>
        <v>Ref = reference()</v>
      </type>
      <desc>
        <p>Sends a timeout event internally in the gen_fsm that calls
          this function after <c>Time</c> ms. Returns immediately a
          reference that can be used to cancel the timer using
          <seealso marker="#cancel_timer/1">cancel_timer/1</seealso>.</p>
        <p>The gen_fsm will call <c>Module:StateName/2</c> to handle
          the event, where <c>StateName</c> is the name of the current
          state of the gen_fsm at the time the timeout message is
          delivered.</p>
        <p><c>Msg</c> is an arbitrary term which is passed in the
          timeout message, <c>{timeout, Ref, Msg}</c>, as one of
          the arguments to <c>Module:StateName/2</c>.</p>
      </desc>
    </func>
    <func>
      <name>cancel_timer(Ref) -> RemainingTime | false</name>
      <fsummary>Cancel an internal timer in a generic FSM.</fsummary>
      <type>
        <v>Ref = reference()</v>
        <v>RemainingTime = integer()</v>
      </type>
      <desc>
        <p>Cancels an internal timer referred by <c>Ref</c> in the
          gen_fsm that calls this function.</p>
        <p><c>Ref</c> is a reference returned from
          <seealso marker="#send_event_after/2">send_event_after/2</seealso>
          or
          <seealso marker="#start_timer/2">start_timer/2</seealso>.</p>
        <p>If the timer has already timed out, but the event not yet
          been delivered, it is cancelled as if it had <em>not</em>
          timed out, so there will be no false timer event after
          returning from this function.</p>
        <p>Returns the remaining time in ms until the timer would
          have expired if <c>Ref</c> referred to an active timer,
          <c>false</c> otherwise.</p>
      </desc>
    </func>
    <func>
      <name>enter_loop(Module, Options, StateName, StateData)</name>
      <name>enter_loop(Module, Options, StateName, StateData, FsmName)</name>
      <name>enter_loop(Module, Options, StateName, StateData, Timeout)</name>
      <name>enter_loop(Module, Options, StateName, StateData, FsmName, Timeout)</name>
      <fsummary>Enter the gen_fsm receive loop</fsummary>
      <type>
        <v>Module = atom()</v>
        <v>Options = [Option]</v>
        <v>&nbsp;Option = {debug,Dbgs}</v>
        <v>&nbsp;&nbsp;Dbgs = [Dbg]</v>
        <v>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Dbg = trace | log | statistics</v>
        <v>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;| {log_to_file,FileName} | {install,{Func,FuncState}}</v>
        <v>StateName = atom()</v>
        <v>StateData = term()</v>
        <v>FsmName = {local,Name} | {global,GlobalName}
	| {via,Module,ViaName}</v>
        <v>&nbsp;Name = atom()</v>
        <v>&nbsp;GlobalName = ViaName = term()</v>
        <v>Timeout = int() | infinity</v>
      </type>
      <desc>
        <p>Makes an existing process into a gen_fsm. Does not return,
          instead the calling process will enter the gen_fsm receive
          loop and become a gen_fsm process. The process <em>must</em>
          have been started using one of the start functions in
          <c>proc_lib</c>, see
          <seealso marker="proc_lib">proc_lib(3)</seealso>. The user is
          responsible for any initialization of the process, including
          registering a name for it.</p>
        <p>This function is useful when a more complex initialization
          procedure is needed than the gen_fsm behaviour provides.</p>
        <p><c>Module</c>, <c>Options</c> and <c>FsmName</c> have
          the same meanings as when calling
          <seealso marker="#start_link/3">start[_link]/3,4</seealso>.
          However, if <c>FsmName</c> is specified, the process must have
          been registered accordingly <em>before</em> this function is
          called.</p>
        <p><c>StateName</c>, <c>StateData</c> and <c>Timeout</c> have
          the same meanings as in the return value of
          <seealso marker="#Moduleinit">Module:init/1</seealso>.
          Also, the callback module <c>Module</c> does not need to
          export an <c>init/1</c> function.</p>
        <p>Failure: If the calling process was not started by a
          <c>proc_lib</c> start function, or if it is not registered
          according to <c>FsmName</c>.</p>
      </desc>
    </func>
  </funcs>

  <section>
    <title>CALLBACK FUNCTIONS</title>
    <p>The following functions should be exported from a <c>gen_fsm</c>
      callback module.</p>
    <p>In the description, the expression <em>state name</em> is used to
      denote a state of the state machine. <em>state data</em> is used
      to denote the internal state of the Erlang process which
      implements the state machine.</p>
  </section>
  <funcs>
    <func>
      <name>Module:init(Args) -> Result</name>
      <fsummary>Initialize process and internal state name and state data.</fsummary>
      <type>
        <v>Args = term()</v>
        <v>Result = {ok,StateName,StateData} | {ok,StateName,StateData,Timeout}</v>
	<v>&nbsp;&nbsp;| {ok,StateName,StateData,hibernate}</v>
        <v>&nbsp;&nbsp;| {stop,Reason} | ignore</v>
        <v>&nbsp;StateName = atom()</v>
        <v>&nbsp;StateData = term()</v>
        <v>&nbsp;Timeout = int()>0 | infinity</v>
        <v>&nbsp;Reason = term()</v>
      </type>
      <desc>
        <marker id="Moduleinit"></marker>
        <p>Whenever a gen_fsm is started using
          <seealso marker="#start/3">gen_fsm:start/3,4</seealso> or
          <seealso marker="#start_link/3">gen_fsm:start_link/3,4</seealso>,
          this function is called by the new process to initialize.</p>
        <p><c>Args</c> is the <c>Args</c> argument provided to the start
          function.</p>
        <p>If initialization is successful, the function should return
          <c>{ok,StateName,StateData}</c>, 
          <c>{ok,StateName,StateData,Timeout}</c> or <c>{ok,StateName,StateData,hibernate}</c>, 
	  where <c>StateName</c>
          is the initial state name and <c>StateData</c> the initial
          state data of the gen_fsm.</p>
        <p>If an integer timeout value is provided, a timeout will occur
          unless an event or a message is received within <c>Timeout</c>
          milliseconds. A timeout is represented by the atom
          <c>timeout</c> and should be handled by
          the <c>Module:StateName/2</c> callback functions. The atom
          <c>infinity</c> can be used to wait indefinitely, this is
          the default value.</p>
	<p>If <c>hibernate</c> is specified instead of a timeout value, the process will go 
	   into hibernation when waiting for the next message to arrive (by calling 
	   <seealso marker="proc_lib#hibernate/3">proc_lib:hibernate/3</seealso>).</p>
         <p>If something goes wrong during the initialization
          the function should return <c>{stop,Reason}</c>, where
          <c>Reason</c> is any term, or <c>ignore</c>.</p>
      </desc>
    </func>
    <func>
      <name>Module:StateName(Event, StateData) -> Result</name>
      <fsummary>Handle an asynchronous event.</fsummary>
      <type>
        <v>Event = timeout | term()</v>
        <v>StateData = term()</v>
        <v>Result = {next_state,NextStateName,NewStateData} </v>
	<v>&nbsp;&nbsp;| {next_state,NextStateName,NewStateData,Timeout}</v>
	<v>&nbsp;&nbsp;| {next_state,NextStateName,NewStateData,hibernate}</v>
        <v>&nbsp;&nbsp;| {stop,Reason,NewStateData}</v>
        <v>&nbsp;NextStateName = atom()</v>
        <v>&nbsp;NewStateData = term()</v>
        <v>&nbsp;Timeout = int()>0 | infinity</v>
        <v>&nbsp;Reason = term()</v>
      </type>
      <desc>
        <p>There should be one instance of this function for each
          possible state name. Whenever a gen_fsm receives an event
          sent using
          <seealso marker="#send_event/2">gen_fsm:send_event/2</seealso>,
          the instance of this function with the same name as
          the current state name <c>StateName</c> is called to handle
          the event. It is also called if a timeout occurs.</p>
        <p><c>Event</c> is either the atom <c>timeout</c>, if a timeout
          has occurred, or the <c>Event</c> argument provided to
          <c>send_event/2</c>.</p>
        <p><c>StateData</c> is the state data of the gen_fsm.</p>
        <p>If the function returns
          <c>{next_state,NextStateName,NewStateData}</c>, 
          <c>{next_state,NextStateName,NewStateData,Timeout}</c> or
	  <c>{next_state,NextStateName,NewStateData,hibernate}</c>,
          the gen_fsm will continue executing with the current state
          name set to <c>NextStateName</c> and with the possibly
          updated state data <c>NewStateData</c>. See
          <c>Module:init/1</c> for a description of <c>Timeout</c> and <c>hibernate</c>.</p>
        <p>If the function returns <c>{stop,Reason,NewStateData}</c>,
          the gen_fsm will call
          <c>Module:terminate(Reason,StateName,NewStateData)</c> and
          terminate.</p>
      </desc>
    </func>
    <func>
      <name>Module:handle_event(Event, StateName, StateData) -> Result</name>
      <fsummary>Handle an asynchronous event.</fsummary>
      <type>
        <v>Event = term()</v>
        <v>StateName = atom()</v>
        <v>StateData = term()</v>
        <v>Result = {next_state,NextStateName,NewStateData} </v>
	<v>&nbsp;&nbsp;| {next_state,NextStateName,NewStateData,Timeout}</v>
	<v>&nbsp;&nbsp;| {next_state,NextStateName,NewStateData,hibernate}</v>
        <v>&nbsp;&nbsp;| {stop,Reason,NewStateData}</v>
        <v>&nbsp;NextStateName = atom()</v>
        <v>&nbsp;NewStateData = term()</v>
        <v>&nbsp;Timeout = int()>0 | infinity</v>
        <v>&nbsp;Reason = term()</v>
      </type>
      <desc>
        <p>Whenever a gen_fsm receives an event sent using
          <seealso marker="#send_all_state_event/2">gen_fsm:send_all_state_event/2</seealso>,
          this function is called to handle the event.</p>
        <p><c>StateName</c> is the current state name of the gen_fsm.</p>
        <p>See <c>Module:StateName/2</c> for a description of the other
          arguments and possible return values.</p>
      </desc>
    </func>
    <func>
      <name>Module:StateName(Event, From, StateData) -> Result</name>
      <fsummary>Handle a synchronous event.</fsummary>
      <type>
        <v>Event = term()</v>
        <v>From = {pid(),Tag}</v>
        <v>StateData = term()</v>
        <v>Result = {reply,Reply,NextStateName,NewStateData}</v> 
	<v>&nbsp;&nbsp;| {reply,Reply,NextStateName,NewStateData,Timeout}</v> 
	<v>&nbsp;&nbsp;| {reply,Reply,NextStateName,NewStateData,hibernate}</v>
        <v>&nbsp;&nbsp;| {next_state,NextStateName,NewStateData}</v> 
	<v>&nbsp;&nbsp;| {next_state,NextStateName,NewStateData,Timeout}</v> 
	<v>&nbsp;&nbsp;| {next_state,NextStateName,NewStateData,hibernate}</v>
        <v>&nbsp;&nbsp;| {stop,Reason,Reply,NewStateData} | {stop,Reason,NewStateData}</v>
        <v>&nbsp;Reply = term()</v>
        <v>&nbsp;NextStateName = atom()</v>
        <v>&nbsp;NewStateData = term()</v>
        <v>&nbsp;Timeout = int()>0 | infinity</v>
        <v>&nbsp;Reason = normal | term()</v>
      </type>
      <desc>
        <p>There should be one instance of this function for each
          possible state name. Whenever a gen_fsm receives an event
          sent using
          <seealso marker="#sync_send_event/2">gen_fsm:sync_send_event/2,3</seealso>,
          the instance of this function with the same name as
          the current state name <c>StateName</c> is called to handle
          the event.</p>
        <p><c>Event</c> is the <c>Event</c> argument provided to
          <c>sync_send_event</c>.</p>
        <p><c>From</c> is a tuple <c>{Pid,Tag}</c> where <c>Pid</c> is
          the pid of the process which called <c>sync_send_event/2,3</c>
          and <c>Tag</c> is a unique tag.</p>
        <p><c>StateData</c> is the state data of the gen_fsm.</p>
        <p>If the function returns
          <c>{reply,Reply,NextStateName,NewStateData}</c>, 
          <c>{reply,Reply,NextStateName,NewStateData,Timeout}</c> or 
	  <c>{reply,Reply,NextStateName,NewStateData,hibernate}</c>,
          <c>Reply</c> will be given back to <c>From</c> as the return
          value of <c>sync_send_event/2,3</c>. The gen_fsm then
          continues executing with the current state name set to
          <c>NextStateName</c> and with the possibly updated state data
          <c>NewStateData</c>. See <c>Module:init/1</c> for a
          description of <c>Timeout</c> and <c>hibernate</c>.</p>
        <p>If the function returns
          <c>{next_state,NextStateName,NewStateData}</c>, 
          <c>{next_state,NextStateName,NewStateData,Timeout}</c> or
          <c>{next_state,NextStateName,NewStateData,hibernate}</c>,
          the gen_fsm will continue executing in <c>NextStateName</c>
          with <c>NewStateData</c>. Any reply to <c>From</c> must be
          given explicitly using
          <seealso marker="#reply/2">gen_fsm:reply/2</seealso>.</p>
        <p>If the function returns
          <c>{stop,Reason,Reply,NewStateData}</c>, <c>Reply</c> will be
          given back to <c>From</c>. If the function returns
          <c>{stop,Reason,NewStateData}</c>, any reply to <c>From</c>
          must be given explicitly using <c>gen_fsm:reply/2</c>.
          The gen_fsm will then call
          <c>Module:terminate(Reason,StateName,NewStateData)</c> and
          terminate.</p>
      </desc>
    </func>
    <func>
      <name>Module:handle_sync_event(Event, From, StateName, StateData) -> Result</name>
      <fsummary>Handle a synchronous event.</fsummary>
      <type>
        <v>Event = term()</v>
        <v>From = {pid(),Tag}</v>
        <v>StateName = atom()</v>
        <v>StateData = term()</v>
        <v>Result = {reply,Reply,NextStateName,NewStateData}</v> 
	<v>&nbsp;&nbsp;| {reply,Reply,NextStateName,NewStateData,Timeout}</v> 
	<v>&nbsp;&nbsp;| {reply,Reply,NextStateName,NewStateData,hibernate}</v>
        <v>&nbsp;&nbsp;| {next_state,NextStateName,NewStateData}</v> 
	<v>&nbsp;&nbsp;| {next_state,NextStateName,NewStateData,Timeout}</v> 
	<v>&nbsp;&nbsp;| {next_state,NextStateName,NewStateData,hibernate}</v>
        <v>&nbsp;&nbsp;| {stop,Reason,Reply,NewStateData} | {stop,Reason,NewStateData}</v>
        <v>&nbsp;Reply = term()</v>
        <v>&nbsp;NextStateName = atom()</v>
        <v>&nbsp;NewStateData = term()</v>
        <v>&nbsp;Timeout = int()>0 | infinity</v>
        <v>&nbsp;Reason = term()</v>
      </type>
      <desc>
        <p>Whenever a gen_fsm receives an event sent using
          <seealso marker="#sync_send_all_state_event/2">gen_fsm:sync_send_all_state_event/2,3</seealso>,
          this function is called to handle the event.</p>
        <p><c>StateName</c> is the current state name of the gen_fsm.</p>
        <p>See <c>Module:StateName/3</c> for a description of the other
          arguments and possible return values.</p>
      </desc>
    </func>
    <func>
      <name>Module:handle_info(Info, StateName, StateData) -> Result</name>
      <fsummary>Handle an incoming message.</fsummary>
      <type>
        <v>Info = term()</v>
        <v>StateName = atom()</v>
        <v>StateData = term()</v>
        <v>Result = {next_state,NextStateName,NewStateData}</v> 
	<v>&nbsp;&nbsp;| {next_state,NextStateName,NewStateData,Timeout}</v>
	<v>&nbsp;&nbsp;| {next_state,NextStateName,NewStateData,hibernate}</v>
        <v>&nbsp;&nbsp;| {stop,Reason,NewStateData}</v>
        <v>&nbsp;NextStateName = atom()</v>
        <v>&nbsp;NewStateData = term()</v>
        <v>&nbsp;Timeout = int()>0 | infinity</v>
        <v>&nbsp;Reason = normal | term()</v>
      </type>
      <desc>
        <p>This function is called by a gen_fsm when it receives any
          other message than a synchronous or asynchronous event (or a
          system message).</p>
        <p><c>Info</c> is the received message.</p>
        <p>See <c>Module:StateName/2</c> for a description of the other
          arguments and possible return values.</p>
      </desc>
    </func>
    <func>
      <name>Module:terminate(Reason, StateName, StateData)</name>
      <fsummary>Clean up before termination.</fsummary>
      <type>
        <v>Reason = normal | shutdown | {shutdown,term()} | term()</v>
        <v>StateName = atom()</v>
        <v>StateData = term()</v>
      </type>
      <desc>
        <p>This function is called by a gen_fsm when it is about to
          terminate. It should be the opposite of <c>Module:init/1</c>
          and do any necessary cleaning up. When it returns, the gen_fsm
          terminates with <c>Reason</c>. The return value is ignored.</p>
        <p><c>Reason</c> is a term denoting the stop reason,
          <c>StateName</c> is the current state name, and
          <c>StateData</c> is the state data of the gen_fsm.</p>
        <p><c>Reason</c> depends on why the gen_fsm is terminating. If
          it is because another callback function has returned a stop
          tuple <c>{stop,..}</c>, <c>Reason</c> will have the value
          specified in that tuple. If it is due to a failure,
          <c>Reason</c> is the error reason.</p>
        <p>If the gen_fsm is part of a supervision tree and is ordered
          by its supervisor to terminate, this function will be called
          with <c>Reason=shutdown</c> if the following conditions apply:</p>
        <list type="bulleted">
          <item>the gen_fsm has been set to trap exit signals, and</item>
          <item>the shutdown strategy as defined in the supervisor's
           child specification is an integer timeout value, not
          <c>brutal_kill</c>.</item>
        </list>
        <p>Even if the gen_fsm is <em>not</em> part of a supervision tree,
	   this function will be called if it receives an <c>'EXIT'</c>
	   message from its parent. <c>Reason</c> will be the same as in
	   the <c>'EXIT'</c> message.</p>
        <p>Otherwise, the gen_fsm will be immediately terminated.</p>
        <p>Note that for any other reason than <c>normal</c>,
          <c>shutdown</c>, or <c>{shutdown,Term}</c> the gen_fsm is
	  assumed to terminate due to an error and
	  an error report is issued using
          <seealso marker="kernel:error_logger#format/2">error_logger:format/2</seealso>.</p>
      </desc>
    </func>
    <func>
      <name>Module:code_change(OldVsn, StateName, StateData, Extra) -> {ok, NextStateName, NewStateData}</name>
      <fsummary>Update the internal state data during upgrade/downgrade.</fsummary>
      <type>
        <v>OldVsn = Vsn | {down,  Vsn}</v>
        <v>&nbsp;&nbsp;Vsn = term()</v>
        <v>StateName = NextStateName = atom()</v>
        <v>StateData = NewStateData = term()</v>
        <v>Extra = term()</v>
      </type>
      <desc>
        <p>This function is called by a gen_fsm when it should update
          its internal state data during a release upgrade/downgrade,
          i.e. when the instruction <c>{update,Module,Change,...}</c>
          where <c>Change={advanced,Extra}</c> is given in
          the <c>appup</c> file. See
          <seealso marker="doc/design_principles:release_handling#instr">OTP Design Principles</seealso>.</p>
        <p>In the case of an upgrade, <c>OldVsn</c> is <c>Vsn</c>, and
          in the case of a downgrade, <c>OldVsn</c> is
          <c>{down,Vsn}</c>. <c>Vsn</c> is defined by the <c>vsn</c>
          attribute(s) of the old version of the callback module
          <c>Module</c>. If no such attribute is defined, the version is
          the checksum of the BEAM file.</p>
        <p><c>StateName</c> is the current state name and
          <c>StateData</c> the internal state data of the gen_fsm.</p>
        <p><c>Extra</c> is passed as-is from the <c>{advanced,Extra}</c>
          part of the update instruction.</p>
        <p>The function should return the new current state name and
          updated internal data.</p>
      </desc>
    </func>
    <func>
      <name>Module:format_status(Opt, [PDict, StateData]) -> Status</name>
      <fsummary>Optional function for providing a term describing the
        current gen_fsm status.</fsummary>
      <type>
        <v>Opt = normal | terminate</v>
        <v>PDict = [{Key, Value}]</v>
        <v>StateData = term()</v>
        <v>Status = term()</v>
      </type>
      <desc>
        <note>
          <p>This callback is optional, so callback modules need not
            export it. The gen_fsm module provides a default
            implementation of this function that returns the callback
            module state data.</p>
        </note>
        <p>This function is called by a gen_fsm process when:</p>
        <list typed="bulleted">
          <item>One
            of <seealso marker="sys#get_status/1">sys:get_status/1,2</seealso>
            is invoked to get the gen_fsm status. <c>Opt</c> is set to
            the atom <c>normal</c> for this case.</item>
          <item>The gen_fsm terminates abnormally and logs an
            error. <c>Opt</c> is set to the atom <c>terminate</c> for
            this case.</item>
        </list>
        <p>This function is useful for customising the form and
          appearance of the gen_fsm status for these cases. A callback
          module wishing to customise the <c>sys:get_status/1,2</c>
          return value as well as how its status appears in
          termination error logs exports an instance
          of <c>format_status/2</c> that returns a term describing the
          current status of the gen_fsm.</p>
        <p><c>PDict</c> is the current value of the gen_fsm's
          process dictionary.</p>
        <p><c>StateData</c> is the internal state data of the
          gen_fsm.</p>
        <p>The function should return <c>Status</c>, a term that
          customises the details of the current state and status of
          the gen_fsm. There are no restrictions on the
          form <c>Status</c> can take, but for
          the <c>sys:get_status/1,2</c> case (when <c>Opt</c>
          is <c>normal</c>), the recommended form for
          the <c>Status</c> value is <c>[{data, [{"StateData",
          Term}]}]</c> where <c>Term</c> provides relevant details of
          the gen_fsm state data. Following this recommendation isn't
          required, but doing so will make the callback module status
          consistent with the rest of the <c>sys:get_status/1,2</c>
          return value.</p>
        <p>One use for this function is to return compact alternative
          state data representations to avoid having large state terms
          printed in logfiles.</p>
      </desc>
    </func>
  </funcs>

  <section>
    <title>SEE ALSO</title>
    <p><seealso marker="gen_event">gen_event(3)</seealso>,
      <seealso marker="gen_server">gen_server(3)</seealso>,
      <seealso marker="supervisor">supervisor(3)</seealso>,
      <seealso marker="proc_lib">proc_lib(3)</seealso>,
      <seealso marker="sys">sys(3)</seealso></p>
  </section>
</erlref>