David Harel
Abstract
We describe the semantics of statecharts as implemented in the STATEMATE system. This was the first executable semantics defined for the language and has been in use for almost a decade. In terms of the controversy around whether changes made in a given step should take effect in the current step or in the next one, this semantics adopts the latter approach.
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Index Terms
- The STATEMATE semantics of statecharts
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Reviews
Jacques Jean Arsac
The language of statecharts has been used for specification, modeling, and design of real-life complex systems. This paper describes the system STATEMATE, which has for many years been the only implemented and working semantics for statecharts. A system is made up of activities that can be put to work responding to stimuli generated by its environment. Each step leads from one status to another, starting from the initial status. The essential feature of STATEMATE is that reactions to external and internal events, and changes that occur in a given step, can be sensed only after completion of the step. Events are connected to entering, being in, or exiting a state. Conflicts may occur when several actions in the same step call for changing the value of a common variable (racing conditions). The way the history of an execution can be interpreted is given by a short algorithm. The same technique is used to describe the execution of a single step, which is the heart of all of the dynamic analysis tools of STATEMATE. Two models are given for the way time is connected to the execution of steps. An appendix relates STATEMATE to other similar works. This paper is an excellent presentation of the use of statecharts for programming. Syntax is ignored. The authors claim that “one of the central considerations in deciding upon a useful semantics is simplicity and clarity. A user need not see the details of the mathematical definition, but he or she must be able to understand how it works in a relatively intuitive way.” They have reached their goal. The paper is simple, clear, and well documented, with a good presentation of the state of the art in complex system specification and modeling. It is easy to read and is worth reading for those who have to design such systems. It is a valuable contribution to software engineering.
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