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behavior

Summary​

Optional section to define state machines that model entity lifecycles and workflow states.

Where it appears​

  • rqml > behavior

Content model​

  • stateMachine (0..n)

stateMachine children:

  • description (0..1)
  • state (1..n)
  • transition (0..n)

state children:

  • description (0..1)
  • onEntry (0..1)
  • onExit (0..1)
  • invariant (0..1)

transition children:

  • description (0..1)
  • trigger (0..1)
  • guard (0..1)
  • action (0..1)

Attributes​

stateMachine:

  • id (IdType, required)
  • name (string, required)
  • entityRef (IdType, optional) — references a domain entity
  • initial (IdType, required) — references the initial state

state:

  • id (IdType, required)
  • name (string, required)
  • type (StateKindType, optional, default: normal) — one of initial, normal, final

transition:

  • id (IdType, required)
  • from (IdType, required) — references source state
  • to (IdType, required) — references target state
  • event (string, optional) — event name that triggers this transition

Example (minimal)​

<behavior>
  <stateMachine id="SM-DOC" name="Document Status" initial="ST-DRAFT">
    <state id="ST-DRAFT" name="Draft" type="initial"/>
    <state id="ST-PUBLISHED" name="Published" type="final"/>
    <transition id="TR-PUBLISH" from="ST-DRAFT" to="ST-PUBLISHED" event="publish"/>
  </stateMachine>
</behavior>

Example (typical)​

<behavior>
  <stateMachine id="SM-ORDER" name="Order Lifecycle" entityRef="ENT-ORDER" initial="ST-PENDING">
    <description>Valid state transitions for an Order.</description>

    <state id="ST-PENDING" name="Pending" type="initial">
      <description>Order created but not confirmed</description>
      <invariant>Payment not captured</invariant>
    </state>

    <state id="ST-CONFIRMED" name="Confirmed">
      <description>Order confirmed, payment authorized</description>
      <onEntry>Send confirmation email</onEntry>
    </state>

    <state id="ST-SHIPPED" name="Shipped">
      <onEntry>Capture payment; send tracking info</onEntry>
    </state>

    <state id="ST-DELIVERED" name="Delivered" type="final"/>

    <state id="ST-CANCELLED" name="Cancelled" type="final">
      <onEntry>Release authorization; restore inventory</onEntry>
    </state>

    <transition id="TR-CONFIRM" from="ST-PENDING" to="ST-CONFIRMED" event="confirm">
      <guard>Payment authorization successful</guard>
      <action>Reserve inventory</action>
    </transition>

    <transition id="TR-SHIP" from="ST-CONFIRMED" to="ST-SHIPPED" event="ship">
      <guard>All items packed</guard>
    </transition>

    <transition id="TR-DELIVER" from="ST-SHIPPED" to="ST-DELIVERED" event="deliver"/>

    <transition id="TR-CANCEL-1" from="ST-PENDING" to="ST-CANCELLED" event="cancel"/>

    <transition id="TR-CANCEL-2" from="ST-CONFIRMED" to="ST-CANCELLED" event="cancel">
      <guard>Not yet shipped</guard>
    </transition>
  </stateMachine>
</behavior>

Notes / LLM hints​

  • Use entityRef to link a state machine to the domain entity whose lifecycle it models.
  • The initial attribute must reference a state defined in the same state machine.
  • States with type="final" should have no outgoing transitions.
  • Use guard for conditions and action for side effects on transitions.
  • Link transitions to requirements via trace edges for traceability.
  • Generate state enums from state names; generate transition validators from the transition list.