State Machine Diagrams and Specifications

The state/activity model icon that appears in the browser can be thought of as a "container" for statechart and activity diagrams and all of their model elements. A state/activity model owns statecharts and activity diagrams and is represented semantically with a state machine. A state machine can be defined as a behavior that specifies the valid sequences of activities that an object or interaction goes through during its life in response to events, together with its responses and actions.

Rational Rose automatically creates one state/activity model when you create a statechart or activity diagram. A state/activity model can be relocated to a new owner, such as a class operation or a use case, by dragging it to a new location in the browser. Rational Rose limits you to only one state/activity model per owner.

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Creating and Displaying a State Machine Diagram

To create a state/activity model:

1 Click Browse > State Machine Diagram.

2 Double-click New.

3 Name the diagram.

4 Specify the type of diagram you want to create: Activity or Statechart.

5 Click OK.

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State Machine Specification

A State Machine Specification allows you to display and modify the properties and relationships of a state/activity model. A state/activity model contains statechart and activity diagrams.

To view the State Machine Specification, double-click the state/activity model in the browser.

Changes made either through the specification or directly on the icon are automatically updated throughout the model.

Specification Content

The State Machine Specification consists of the General tab.