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

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  <header>
    <copyright>
      <year>1996</year><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,
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    <title>gen_fsm</title>
    <prepared></prepared>
    <docno></docno>
    <date></date>
    <rev></rev>
  </header>
  <module>gen_fsm</module>
  <modulesummary>Generic finite state machine behavior.</modulesummary>
  <description>
    <note>
      <p>
	There is a new behaviour
	<seealso marker="gen_statem"><c>gen_statem</c></seealso>
	that is intended to replace <c>gen_fsm</c> for new code.
	<c>gen_fsm</c> will not be removed for the foreseeable future
	to keep old state machine implementations running.
      </p>
    </note>
    <p>This behavior module provides a finite state machine.
      A generic finite state machine process (<c>gen_fsm</c>) implemented
      using this module has a standard set of interface functions
      and includes functionality for tracing and error reporting. It
      also fits into an OTP supervision tree. For more information, see
      <seealso marker="doc/design_principles:fsm">OTP Design Principles</seealso>.
    </p>

    <p>A <c>gen_fsm</c> process assumes all specific parts to be located in a
      callback module exporting a predefined set of functions. The relationship
      between the behavior functions and the callback functions is 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 <c>gen_fsm</c>
      process terminates.</p>

    <p>A <c>gen_fsm</c> process handles system messages as described in
      <seealso marker="sys"><c>sys(3)</c></seealso>. The <c>sys</c> module
      can be used for debugging a <c>gen_fsm</c> process.</p>

    <p>Notice that a <c>gen_fsm</c> process 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 <c>gen_fsm</c> process does not exist or if bad arguments
      are specified.</p>

    <p>The <c>gen_fsm</c> process can go into hibernation
      (see <seealso marker="erts:erlang#hibernate/3">
      <c>erlang:hibernate/3</c></seealso>) if a callback function
      specifies <c>'hibernate'</c> instead of a time-out value. This
      can be useful if the server is expected to be idle for a long
      time. However, use this feature with care, as hibernation
      implies at least two garbage collections (when hibernating and
      shortly after waking up) and is not something you want to do
      between each call to a busy state machine.</p>
  </description>

  <funcs>
    <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
          <c>gen_fsm</c> process that calls this function.</p>
        <p><c>Ref</c> is a reference returned from
          <seealso marker="#send_event_after/2">
          <c>send_event_after/2</c></seealso> or
          <seealso marker="#start_timer/2"><c>start_timer/2</c></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 is no false timer event after
          returning from this function.</p>
        <p>Returns the remaining time in milliseconds until the timer would
          have expired if <c>Ref</c> referred to an active timer, otherwise
          <c>false</c>.</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 <c>gen_fsm</c> 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}</v>
        <v>&nbsp;&nbsp;| {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 <c>gen_fsm</c> process.
          Does not return,
          instead the calling process enters the <c>gen_fsm</c> receive
          loop and becomes a <c>gen_fsm</c> process. The process <em>must</em>
          have been started using one of the start functions in
          <seealso marker="proc_lib"><c>proc_lib(3)</c></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 <c>gen_fsm</c> behavior 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"><c>start[_link]/3,4</c></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"><c>Module:init/1</c></seealso>.
          The callback module <c>Module</c> does not need to
          export an <c>init/1</c> function.</p>
        <p>The function fails 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>

    <func>
      <name>reply(Caller, Reply) -> Result</name>
      <fsummary>Send a reply to a caller.</fsummary>
      <type>
        <v>Caller - see below</v>
        <v>Reply = term()</v>
        <v>Result = term()</v>
      </type>
      <desc>
        <p>This function can be used by a <c>gen_fsm</c> process to
          explicitly send a reply to a client process that called
          <seealso marker="#sync_send_event/2">
          <c>sync_send_event/2,3</c></seealso> or
          <seealso marker="#sync_send_all_state_event/2">
          <c>sync_send_all_state_event/2,3</c></seealso>
          when the reply cannot be defined in the return value of
          <seealso marker="#Module:StateName/3">
          <c>Module:StateName/3</c></seealso> or
          <seealso marker="#Module:handle_sync_event/4">
          <c>Module:handle_sync_event/4</c></seealso>.</p>
        <p><c>Caller</c> must be the <c>From</c> argument provided to
          the callback function. <c>Reply</c> is any term
          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>
        <p>Return value <c>Result</c> is not further defined, and
          is always to be ignored.</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}</v>
        <v>&nbsp;&nbsp;| {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 <c>FsmRef</c> of the
          <c>gen_fsm</c> process and returns <c>ok</c> immediately.
          The <c>gen_fsm</c> process calls
          <seealso marker="#Module:handle_event/3">
          <c>Module:handle_event/3</c></seealso> to handle the event.</p>
        <p>For a description of the arguments, see
          <seealso marker="#send_event/2"><c>send_event/2</c></seealso>.</p>
        <p>The difference between <c>send_event/2</c> and
          <c>send_all_state_event/2</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>send_event(FsmRef, Event) -> ok</name>
      <fsummary>Send an event asynchronously to a generic FSM.</fsummary>
      <type>
        <v>FsmRef = Name | {Name,Node} | {global,GlobalName}</v>
        <v>&nbsp;&nbsp;| {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 <c>FsmRef</c> of the
          <c>gen_fsm</c> process 
          and returns <c>ok</c> immediately. The <c>gen_fsm</c> process calls
          <seealso marker="#Module:StateName/2">
          <c>Module:StateName/2</c></seealso> to handle the event, where
          <c>StateName</c> is the name of the current state of
          the <c>gen_fsm</c> process.</p>
        <p><c>FsmRef</c> can be any of the following:</p>
        <list type="bulleted">
          <item>The pid</item>
          <item><c>Name</c>, if the <c>gen_fsm</c> process is locally
            registered</item>
          <item><c>{Name,Node}</c>, if the <c>gen_fsm</c> process is locally
            registered at another node</item>
          <item><c>{global,GlobalName}</c>, if the <c>gen_fsm</c> process is
            globally registered</item>
          <item><c>{via,Module,ViaName}</c>, if the <c>gen_fsm</c> process is
            registered through an alternative process registry</item>
        </list>
        <p><c>Event</c> is any term that is passed as one of
          the arguments to <c>Module:StateName/2</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 <c>gen_fsm</c> process
          that calls this function after <c>Time</c> milliseconds.
          Returns immediately a
          reference that can be used to cancel the delayed send using
          <seealso marker="#cancel_timer/1"><c>cancel_timer/1</c></seealso>.</p>
        <p>The <c>gen_fsm</c> process calls
          <seealso marker="#Module:StateName/2">
          <c>Module:StateName/2</c></seealso> to handle
          the event, where <c>StateName</c> is the name of the current
          state of the <c>gen_fsm</c> process at the time the delayed event is
          delivered.</p>
        <p><c>Event</c> is any term that is passed as one of
          the arguments to <c>Module:StateName/2</c>.</p>
      </desc>
    </func>

    <func>
      <name>start(Module, Args, Options) -> Result</name>
      <name>start(FsmName, Module, Args, Options) -> Result</name>
      <fsummary>Create a standalone <c>gen_fsm</c> process.</fsummary>
      <type>
        <v>FsmName = {local,Name} | {global,GlobalName}</v>
        <v>&nbsp;&nbsp;| {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 standalone <c>gen_fsm</c> process, that is, a process that
          is not part of a supervision tree and thus has no supervisor.</p>
        <p>For a description of arguments and return values, see
          <seealso marker="#start_link/3"><c>start_link/3,4</c></seealso>.</p>
      </desc>
    </func>

    <func>
      <name>start_link(Module, Args, Options) -> Result</name>
      <name>start_link(FsmName, Module, Args, Options) -> Result</name>
      <fsummary>Create a <c>gen_fsm</c> process in a supervision tree.
      </fsummary>
      <type>
        <v>FsmName = {local,Name} | {global,GlobalName}</v>
        <v>&nbsp;&nbsp;| {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 <c>gen_fsm</c> process as part of a supervision tree.
          The function is to be called, directly or indirectly, by
          the supervisor. For example, it ensures that
          the <c>gen_fsm</c> process is linked to the supervisor.</p>
        <p>The <c>gen_fsm</c> process calls
          <seealso marker="#Module:init/1"><c>Module:init/1</c></seealso> to
          initialize. To ensure a synchronized startup procedure,
          <c>start_link/3,4</c> does not return until
          <c>Module:init/1</c> has returned.</p>
        <list type="bulleted">
          <item>
            <p>If <c>FsmName={local,Name}</c>, the <c>gen_fsm</c> process is
              registered locally as <c>Name</c> using <c>register/2</c>.</p>
          </item>
          <item>
            <p>If <c>FsmName={global,GlobalName}</c>, the <c>gen_fsm</c> process
              is registered globally as <c>GlobalName</c> using
              <seealso marker="kernel:global#register_name/2">
              <c>global:register_name/2</c></seealso>.</p>
          </item>
          <item>
            <p>If <c>FsmName={via,Module,ViaName}</c>, the <c>gen_fsm</c>
              process registers with the registry represented by <c>Module</c>.
              The <c>Module</c> callback is to export the functions
              <c>register_name/2</c>, <c>unregister_name/1</c>,
              <c>whereis_name/1</c>, and <c>send/2</c>, which are to behave
              like the corresponding functions in
              <seealso marker="kernel:global"><c>global</c></seealso>.
              Thus, <c>{via,global,GlobalName}</c> is a valid reference.</p>
          </item>
        </list>
        <p>If no name is provided, the <c>gen_fsm</c> process  is not
          registered.</p>
        <p><c>Module</c> is the name of the callback module.</p>
        <p><c>Args</c> is any term that is passed as
          the argument to <c>Module:init/1</c>.</p>
        <p>If option <c>{timeout,Time}</c> is present, the <c>gen_fsm</c>
          process is allowed to spend <c>Time</c> milliseconds initializing
          or it terminates and the start function returns
          <c>{error,timeout}</c>.</p>
        <p>If option <c>{debug,Dbgs}</c> is present, the corresponding
          <c>sys</c> function is called for each item in <c>Dbgs</c>; see
          <seealso marker="sys"><c>sys(3)</c></seealso>.</p>
        <p>If option <c>{spawn_opt,SOpts}</c> is present, <c>SOpts</c> is
          passed as option list to the <c>spawn_opt</c> BIF that is used to
          spawn the <c>gen_fsm</c> process; see
          <seealso marker="erts:erlang#spawn_opt/2">
          <c>spawn_opt/2</c></seealso>.</p>
        <note>
          <p>Using spawn option <c>monitor</c> is not
            allowed, it causes the function to fail with reason
            <c>badarg</c>.</p>
        </note>
        <p>If the <c>gen_fsm</c> process is successfully created and
          initialized, the function returns <c>{ok,Pid}</c>, where <c>Pid</c>
          is the pid of the <c>gen_fsm</c> process. If a process with the
          specified <c>FsmName</c> exists already, 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_timer(Time, Msg) -> Ref</name>
      <fsummary>Send a time-out 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 time-out event internally in the <c>gen_fsm</c>
          process that calls this function after <c>Time</c> milliseconds.
          Returns immediately a
          reference that can be used to cancel the timer using
          <seealso marker="#cancel_timer/1"><c>cancel_timer/1</c></seealso>.</p>
        <p>The <c>gen_fsm</c> process calls
          <seealso marker="#Module:StateName/2">
          <c>Module:StateName/2</c></seealso> to handle
          the event, where <c>StateName</c> is the name of the current
          state of the <c>gen_fsm</c> process  at the time the time-out
          message is delivered.</p>
        <p><c>Msg</c> is any term that is passed in the
          time-out message, <c>{timeout, Ref, Msg}</c>, as one of
          the arguments to <c>Module:StateName/2</c>.</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}</v>
        <v>&nbsp;&nbsp;| {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 finite state machine to exit with the specified
          <c>Reason</c> and waits for it to terminate. The <c>gen_fsm</c>
          process calls <seealso marker="#Module:terminate/3">
          <c>Module:terminate/3</c></seealso> before exiting.</p>
        <p>The function returns <c>ok</c> if the generic finite state machine
          terminates with the expected reason. Any other reason than
          <c>normal</c>, <c>shutdown</c>, or <c>{shutdown,Term}</c> causes an
          error report to be issued using
          <seealso marker="kernel:error_logger#format/2">
          <c>error_logger:format/2</c></seealso>.
          The default <c>Reason</c> is <c>normal</c>.</p>
        <p><c>Timeout</c> is an integer greater than zero that
          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 finite state machine 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>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}</v>
        <v>&nbsp;&nbsp;| {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 <c>FsmRef</c> of the <c>gen_fsm</c>
          process and waits until a reply arrives or a time-out occurs.
          The <c>gen_fsm</c> process calls
          <seealso marker="#Module:handle_sync_event/4">
          <c>Module:handle_sync_event/4</c></seealso> to handle the event.</p>
        <p>For a description of <c>FsmRef</c> and <c>Event</c>, see
          <seealso marker="#send_event/2">send_event/2</seealso>.
          For a description of <c>Timeout</c> and <c>Reply</c>, see
          <seealso marker="#sync_send_event/3">
          <c>sync_send_event/3</c></seealso>.</p>
        <p>For a discussion about the difference between
          <c>sync_send_event</c> and <c>sync_send_all_state_event</c>, see
          <seealso marker="#send_all_state_event/2">
          <c>send_all_state_event/2</c></seealso>.</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}</v>
        <v>&nbsp;&nbsp;| {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 <c>FsmRef</c> of the <c>gen_fsm</c>
          process and waits until a reply arrives or a time-out occurs.
          <c>The gen_fsm</c> process calls
          <seealso marker="#Module:StateName/3">
          <c>Module:StateName/3</c></seealso> to handle the event, where
          <c>StateName</c> is the name of the current state of
          the <c>gen_fsm</c> process.</p>
        <p>For a description of <c>FsmRef</c> and <c>Event</c>, see
          <seealso marker="#send_event/2"><c>send_event/2</c></seealso>.</p>
        <p><c>Timeout</c> is an integer greater than zero that
          specifies how many milliseconds to wait for a reply, or
          the atom <c>infinity</c> to wait indefinitely. Defaults
          to 5000. If no reply is received within the specified time,
          the function call fails.</p>
        <p>Return value <c>Reply</c> is defined in the return value
          of <c>Module:StateName/3</c>.</p>
	<note>
          <p>The ancient behavior of sometimes consuming the server
          exit message if the server died during the call while
          linked to the client was removed in Erlang 5.6/OTP R12B.</p>
	</note>
      </desc>
    </func>
  </funcs>

  <section>
    <title>Callback Functions</title>
    <p>The following functions are to be exported from a <c>gen_fsm</c>
      callback module.</p>

    <p><em>state name</em> denotes a state of the state machine.</p>

    <p><em>state data</em> denotes the internal state of the Erlang process
      that implements the state machine.</p>
  </section>

  <funcs>
    <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 <c>gen_fsm</c> process when it is to
          update its internal state data during a release upgrade/downgrade,
          that is, when instruction <c>{update,Module,Change,...}</c>,
          where <c>Change={advanced,Extra}</c>, is given in
          the <c>appup</c> file; see section
          <seealso marker="doc/design_principles:release_handling#instr">
          Release Handling Instructions</seealso> in OTP Design Principles.</p>
        <p>For an upgrade, <c>OldVsn</c> is <c>Vsn</c>, and for 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 <c>gen_fsm</c> process.</p>
        <p><c>Extra</c> is passed "as is" from the <c>{advanced,Extra}</c>
          part of the update instruction.</p>
        <p>The function is to 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 <c>gen_fsm</c> process 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 <c>gen_fsm</c> module provides a default
            implementation of this function that returns the callback
            module state data.</p>
        </note>
        <p>This function is called by a <c>gen_fsm</c> process in the
          following situations:</p>
        <list type="bulleted">
          <item>One of <seealso marker="sys#get_status/1">
            <c>sys:get_status/1,2</c></seealso>
            is invoked to get the <c>gen_fsm</c> status. <c>Opt</c> is set to
            the atom <c>normal</c> for this case.</item>
          <item>The <c>gen_fsm</c> process 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 changing the form and
          appearance of the <c>gen_fsm</c> status for these cases. A callback
          module wishing to change 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 <c>gen_fsm</c> process.</p>
        <p><c>PDict</c> is the current value of the process dictionary of the
          <c>gen_fsm</c> process.</p>
        <p><c>StateData</c> is the internal state data of the
          <c>gen_fsm</c> process.</p>
        <p>The function is to return <c>Status</c>, a term that
          change the details of the current state and status of
          the <c>gen_fsm</c> process. 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 <c>gen_fsm</c> state data. Following this recommendation is not
          required, but it makes 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 that large state terms
          are printed in log files.</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 <c>gen_fsm</c> process receives an event sent using
          <seealso marker="#send_all_state_event/2">
          <c>send_all_state_event/2</c></seealso>,
          this function is called to handle the event.</p>
        <p><c>StateName</c> is the current state name of the <c>gen_fsm</c>
          process.</p>
        <p>For a description of the other arguments and possible return values,
          see <seealso marker="#Module:StateName/2">
          <c>Module:StateName/2</c></seealso>.</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 <c>gen_fsm</c> process 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>For a description of the other arguments and possible return values,
          see <seealso marker="#Module:StateName/2">
          <c>Module:StateName/2</c></seealso>.</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 <c>gen_fsm</c> process receives an event sent using
          <seealso marker="#sync_send_all_state_event/2">
          <c>sync_send_all_state_event/2,3</c></seealso>,
          this function is called to handle the event.</p>
        <p><c>StateName</c> is the current state name of the <c>gen_fsm</c>
          process.</p>
        <p>For a description of the other arguments and possible return values,
         see <seealso marker="#Module:StateName/3">
         <c>Module:StateName/3</c></seealso>.</p>
      </desc>
    </func>

    <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 <c>gen_fsm</c> process  is started using
          <seealso marker="#start/3"><c>start/3,4</c></seealso> or
          <seealso marker="#start_link/3"><c>start_link/3,4</c></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 is to 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 <c>gen_fsm</c> process.</p>
        <p>If an integer time-out value is provided, a time-out occurs
          unless an event or a message is received within <c>Timeout</c>
          milliseconds. A time-out is represented by the atom
          <c>timeout</c> and is to be handled by the
          <seealso marker="#Module:StateName/2">
          <c>Module:StateName/2</c></seealso> 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 time-out value, the
          process goes into hibernation when waiting for the next message
          to arrive (by calling <seealso marker="proc_lib#hibernate/3">
          <c>proc_lib:hibernate/3</c></seealso>).</p>
        <p>If the initialization fails, the function returns
          <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 is to be one instance of this function for each
          possible state name. Whenever a <c>gen_fsm</c> process  receives
          an event sent using
          <seealso marker="#send_event/2"><c>send_event/2</c></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 time-out occurs.</p>
        <p><c>Event</c> is either the atom <c>timeout</c>, if a time-out
          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 <c>gen_fsm</c> process.</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
          <c>gen_fsm</c> process continues executing with the current state
          name set to <c>NextStateName</c> and with the possibly
          updated state data <c>NewStateData</c>. For a description of
         <c>Timeout</c> and <c>hibernate</c>, see
           <seealso marker="#Module:init/1"><c>Module:init/1</c></seealso>.</p>
        <p>If the function returns <c>{stop,Reason,NewStateData}</c>,
          the <c>gen_fsm</c> process calls
          <c>Module:terminate(Reason,StateName,NewStateData)</c> and
          terminates.</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 is to be one instance of this function for each
          possible state name. Whenever a <c>gen_fsm</c> process receives an
          event sent using <seealso marker="#sync_send_event/2">
          <c>sync_send_event/2,3</c></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/2,3</c>.</p>
        <p><c>From</c> is a tuple <c>{Pid,Tag}</c> where <c>Pid</c> is
          the pid of the process that 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 <c>gen_fsm</c> process.</p>
        <list type="bulleted">
          <item>
            <p>If <c>{reply,Reply,NextStateName,NewStateData}</c>, 
              <c>{reply,Reply,NextStateName,NewStateData,Timeout}</c>, or 
              <c>{reply,Reply,NextStateName,NewStateData,hibernate}</c> is
              returned, <c>Reply</c> is given back to <c>From</c> as the return
              value of <c>sync_send_event/2,3</c>. The <c>gen_fsm</c> process
              then continues executing with the current state name set to
              <c>NextStateName</c> and with the possibly updated state data
              <c>NewStateData</c>. For a description of <c>Timeout</c> and
              <c>hibernate</c>, see
              <seealso marker="#Module:init/1">
              <c>Module:init/1</c></seealso>.</p>
          </item>
          <item>
            <p>If <c>{next_state,NextStateName,NewStateData}</c>, 
              <c>{next_state,NextStateName,NewStateData,Timeout}</c>, or
              <c>{next_state,NextStateName,NewStateData,hibernate}</c> is
              returned, the <c>gen_fsm</c> process continues executing in
              <c>NextStateName</c> with <c>NewStateData</c>.
              Any reply to <c>From</c> must be specified explicitly using
              <seealso marker="#reply/2"><c>reply/2</c></seealso>.</p>
          </item>
          <item>
            <p>If the function returns
              <c>{stop,Reason,Reply,NewStateData}</c>, <c>Reply</c> is
              given back to <c>From</c>. If the function returns
              <c>{stop,Reason,NewStateData}</c>, any reply to <c>From</c>
              must be specified explicitly using <c>reply/2</c>.
              The <c>gen_fsm</c> process then calls
              <c>Module:terminate(Reason,StateName,NewStateData)</c> and
              terminates.</p>
          </item>
        </list>
      </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 <c>gen_fsm</c> process when it is about
          to terminate. It is to be the opposite of
          <seealso marker="#Module:init/1"><c>Module:init/1</c></seealso>
          and do any necessary cleaning up. When it returns, the <c>gen_fsm</c>
          process 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 <c>gen_fsm</c> process.</p>
        <p><c>Reason</c> depends on why the <c>gen_fsm</c> process is
          terminating. If
          it is because another callback function has returned a stop
          tuple <c>{stop,..}</c>, <c>Reason</c> has the value
          specified in that tuple. If it is because of a failure,
          <c>Reason</c> is the error reason.</p>
        <p>If the <c>gen_fsm</c> process is part of a supervision tree and is
          ordered by its supervisor to terminate, this function is called
          with <c>Reason=shutdown</c> if the following conditions apply:</p>
        <list type="bulleted">
          <item>
            <p>The <c>gen_fsm</c> process has been set to trap exit signals.</p>
          </item>
          <item>
            <p>The shutdown strategy as defined in the child specification of
              the supervisor is an integer time-out value, not
              <c>brutal_kill</c>.</p>
          </item>
        </list>
        <p>Even if the <c>gen_fsm</c> process is <em>not</em> part of a
          supervision tree,
          this function is called if it receives an <c>'EXIT'</c>
          message from its parent. <c>Reason</c> is the same as in
          the <c>'EXIT'</c> message.</p>
        <p>Otherwise, the <c>gen_fsm</c> process terminates immediately.</p>
        <p>Notice that for any other reason than <c>normal</c>,
          <c>shutdown</c>, or <c>{shutdown,Term}</c> the <c>gen_fsm</c> process
          is assumed to terminate because of an error and an error report is
          issued using <seealso marker="kernel:error_logger#format/2">
          <c>error_logger:format/2</c></seealso>.</p>
      </desc>
    </func>
  </funcs>

  <section>
    <title>See Also</title>
    <p><seealso marker="gen_event"><c>gen_event(3)</c></seealso>,
      <seealso marker="gen_server"><c>gen_server(3)</c></seealso>,
      <seealso marker="gen_statem"><c>gen_statem(3)</c></seealso>,
      <seealso marker="proc_lib"><c>proc_lib(3)</c></seealso>,
      <seealso marker="supervisor"><c>supervisor(3)</c></seealso>,
      <seealso marker="sys"><c>sys(3)</c></seealso></p>
  </section>
</erlref>