State Modeling

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 Introduction
• You can best understand a system by first examining its static
structure-that is, the structure of its objects and their relationships to
each other at a single moment in time (the class model).

• Then you should examine changes to the objects and their

relationships over time (the state model))

• A state model describes the sequences of operations that occur in

response to external stimuli(‫)محفز‬.As opposed to what the
operations do, what they operate on, or how they are implemented.
• Changes to objects and their relationships over time should be
examined.
• A state model consists of multiple state diagrams, one for each
class with temporal behavior that is important to an application.
• A state diagram relates events and states.
• Events represent external stimuli
• States represent values of (attributes) objects
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 Events (1)

• An event is an occurrence at a point of time

• Examples:
– User depresses left button
– Flight 123 departs from Amman
– Power turned on
– Alarm set
– Paper tray becomes empty

• Events corresponds to verb in the past tense or the onset

(‫)بداية‬of some condition.
• By definition an event happens instantaneously. The time at which
an event occurs is an implicit attribute of the event.

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 Events (2)

• One event may logically precede or follow another, or the two

events are unrelated. Events that are causally unrelated are said to
be concurrent.

• Events include error conditions as well as normal occurrences.

• Examples of error events:
» Motor jammed
» Transaction aborted
» Timeout

• There are several kinds of events. The most common are:

» Signal event
» Change event
» Time event

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 Signal Events (1)

• A signal is a one-way transmission of information from one object to

another object.
• It is different from a function call that returns a value
• An object sending a signal to another object may expect a reply, but
the reply is a separate signal under the control to the second object,
which may or may not chose to send it.

• A signal event is the event of sending or receiving a signal.

• In general we are more concerned about the receipt of a signal
because it causes effects in the receiving object.
• Difference between signal and signal event: the first one is a
message between objects, the second one is an occurrence in time.

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 Signal Events (2)

• Signal classes and Attributes:

• Every signal transmission is a unique occurrence, but we group them into
signal classes and give each signal class a name to indicate common
structure and behavior.
– For example, UA flight 123 departs from Chicago on January 10,1991 is an
instance of signal class Flight-Departure. Some signals are simple occurrences,
but most signal classes have attributes indicating the values they convey( ‫)نقل‬.
– For example, as Figure 5.1 shows, FlightDeparture has attributes airline,
flightNumber, city, and date. The UML notation is the keyword signal in (<<>>)
above the signal class name in the top section of a box. The second section lists
the signal attributes.

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 Change Event

• A change event is an event that is caused by the satisfaction of a

Boolean expression.
• The intent(‫ )القصد‬of a change event is that the expression is
continually tested and whenever the expression changes from false
to true the event happens. (an implementation would not
continuously check a change event)
• Examples:
– The UML notation for a change event is the keyword when followed by a
parenthesized Boolean expression

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 Time event

• A time event is an event caused by the occurrence of an

absolute time or the elapse of a time interval.
• Examples:
– As Figure 5.3 shows, the UML notation for an absolute time is the
keyword when followed by a parenthesized expression involving time.
– The notation for a time interval is the keyword after followed by a
parenthesized expression that evaluates to a time duration

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 States

• A state is an abstraction of the values and the links of an object.

• In defining states, we ignore attributes that do not affect the
behavior of the object
• Sets of values and links are grouped together into a state according
to the gross(‫ )العام‬behavior of objects.

• Example: The state of an bank is either solvent(‫ )قادر على السداد‬or

insolvent, depending on whether its assets(‫ )االصول‬exceed its
liabilities(‫)القيم المطلوبة‬.

• States often correspond to:

– verbs with a suffix ‘ing’: waiting, dialing..
– Or the duration of some condition: powered, below freezing.

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 States
• Notation:
– Figure 5.4 shows the UML notation for a state-a rounded box containing
an optional state name. Our convention is to list the state name in
boldface, center the name near the top of the box, and capitalize the
first letter

• The objects in a class have a finite number of possible states. One

or possibly larger number.
• Each object can only be in one state at time. Objects may
parade(‫ )يمر ب‬through one to more states in their lifetime
• A state specifies the response of an object to input events.
• The response may include the invocation of a behavior or a change
of state.
10 – (For example, if a digit is dialed in state Dial tone, the phone line drops
the dial tone and enters state Dialing;)
 States

• Event versus State:

– There is a certain symmetry between events and states as Figure 5.5
illustrates. Events represent points in time; states represent intervals of
time
– state corresponds to the interval between two events received by an
object.

• Both events and states depend on the level of abstraction

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 State

• States may be characterized in various ways.

• Here one way to characterize states:

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 Transitions and Conditions

• A transition is an instantaneous change from one state to another.

– for example, when a called phone is answered, the phone line
transitions from the Ringing state to the Connected state.
• The transition is said to fire upon the change from the source
state to the target state. Usually the origin and target states are
different but may be the same.
• ِA transition occurs when its event occurs, unless an optional
guard condition causes the event to be ignored.

• A guard condition is a Boolean expression that must be true in order

for a transition to occur.
• The choice of next state depends on both the source state and the
event received.

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 Transitions and conditions
• guarded transition fires when its event occurs, but only if the guard
condition is true.
• For example, "when you go out in the morning (event), if the
temperature is below freezing (condition), then put on your gloves
(next state)."
• A guard condition is checked only once; at the time the event
occurs, and the transition fires if the condition is true.
• If the condition becomes true later, the transition does not then fire.
• Note that a guard condition is different from a change event-a guard
condition is checked only once while a change event is, in effect,
checked continuously.

• The UML notation for a transition is a line from the origin state to the
target state. An arrowhead points to the target state. The line may
consist of several line segments. An event may label the transition
and be followed by an optional guard condition in square brackets.

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 Transitions and conditions
• Figure 5.7 shows guarded transitions for traffic lights at an intersection. One
pair of electric eyes checks the north-south left turn lanes(‫ ;)الممرات‬another
pair checks the east-west turn lanes. If no car is in the north-south and/or
east-west turn lanes, then the traffic light control logic is smart enough to
skip the left turn portion of the cycle

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 State Diagram

• A state diagram is a graph whose nodes are states and whose

directed arcs are transitions between states.

• ِA state diagram specifies or describes the state sequence caused

by event sequences.

• State names must be unique within the scope of the state diagram.

• The state model consists of multiple state diagrams, one state

diagram for each class with important temporal behavior)

• All objects in a class execute the state diagram for that class.

• The class state diagram models the common behavior of the class
objects.
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 State diagram example
•Figure 5.8 shows a state diagram
for a telephone line.

•The diagram concerns a phone

line and not the caller nor callee.

•The diagram contains sequences

associated with normal calls as
well as some abnormal
sequences, such as timing out
while dialing or getting busy lines.

•The UML notation for a state

diagram is a rectangle with its
name in a small pentagonal tag in
the upper left corner. The
constituent states and transitions
lie within the rectangle.

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• At the start of a call, the
telephone line is idle.
• When the phone is removed
from the hook, it emits a dial tone
and can accept the dialing of
digits.
• Upon entry of a valid number,
the phone system tries to
connect the call and route it to
the proper destination.
• The connection can fail if the
number or trunk are busy.
• If the connection is successful,
the called phone begins ringing.
• If the called party answers the
phone, a conversation can occur.
• When the called party hangs up,
the phone disconnects and
reverts to idle when put on hook
again.

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 Activity

• An activity is behavior that can be executed in response

to an event.
– For example, disconnect PhoneLine might be an activity that is
executed in response to an onHook event.

• An activity can be performed upon a transition, upon the

entry to or exit from a state or upon some event within a
state.
• The notation for an activity is a slash (“/‘”) and the name
(or description) of the activity, following the event that
causes it.

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 Examples

• Figure 5.12 shows the state diagram for a pop-up menu on workstation.
• When the right button is depressed, the menu is displayed;
• when the right button is released, the menu is erased.
• While the menu is visible, the highlighted menu item is updated whenever
the cursor moves.

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 Do-Activities
• A do-activity is an activity that continues for an extended
time.
• By definition, a do-activity can only occur within a state
and cannot be attached to a transition.
• For example, the warning light may flash during the
Paper jam state for a copy machine (Figure 5.13).
• Do-activities include continuous operations, such as
displaying a picture on a television screen, as well as
sequential operations.

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 Entry and Exit Activities
• As an alternative to showing activities on transitions, you can bind
activities to entry or to exit from a state.
• Figure 5.14 shows the control of a garage door opener. The user
generates depress events with a push button to open and close the
door. Each event reverses the direction of the door, but for safety
the door must open fully before it can be closed. The control
generates motor up and motor down activities for the motor. The
motor generates door open and door closed events when the
motion has been completed. Both transitions entering state Opening
cause the door to open.

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 Entry and Exit Activities
• Figure 5.15 shows the same model using activities on
entry to states. An entry activity is shown inside the state
box following the keyword entry and. a “/” character.
Whenever the state is entered, by any incoming
transition, the entry activity is performed, An entry
activity is equivalent to attaching the activity to every
incoming transition. If an incoming transition already has
an activity, its activity is performed first.

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• if a state has multiple activities, they are
performed in the following order:
1. activities on the incoming transition,
2. entry activities,
3. do-activities,
4. exit activities,
5. activities on the outgoing transition.
• Events that cause transitions out of the state
can interrupt do-activities. If a do-activity is
interrupted, the exit activity is still performed.

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 Examples

• In general, any event can occur within a state and cause an activity to be
performed.
• Entry and exit are only two examples of events that can occur.
• As Figure 5.16 shows, there is a difference between an event within a state
and a self-transition; Only the self-transition causes the entry and exit
activities to be executed.

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 Complete Transition
• Often the sole purpose of a state is to perform a sequential activity. When
the activity is completed, a transition to another state fires.

• An arrow without an event name indicates an automatic transition that fires

when the activity associated with the source state is completed. Such
unlabeled transitions are called completion transitions because they are
triggered by the completion of activity in the source state.

• A guard condition is tested only once, when the event occurs. If a state has
one or more completion transitions, but none of the guard conditions are
satisfied, then the state remains active and may become "stuck"-the
completion event does not occur a second time, therefore no completion
transition will fire later to change the state. If a state has completion
transitions leaving it, normally the guard conditions should cover every
possible outcome.

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 Sending signals

• An object can perform the activity of sending a signal to another

object.

• A signal can be directed to a se of objects or to a single one.

• If the target is a set of objects, each of them will receive a separate

copy of the signal concurrently and each of them independently
processes the signal and determines whether to fire the transition .

• If an object receives signals from more than an object, the order in

which concurrent signals may affect the final state.

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 Case study

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