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State Machine Table

A State Machine table is one of two variants of a State Machine (the other is the State Machine diagram). It displays the information of the State Machine in table form, and is a method of specifying the discrete behavior of a finite state-transition system; that is, what state the State Machine moves to and the conditions under which the transition takes place.

State Machine Table Display

You can display the state transition in the table as one of two different types of relationship:

Type

Description

See also

State - Trigger

The rows indicate the current states and the columns indicate trigger events.

The cell at the intersection of a row and column identifies the target state in the transition if the trigger occurs, and the condition (or guard) of the transition, or the other way around if you prefer, in a Trigger - State format.

 Example State-Trigger Table

State - Next State

The rows and columns both indicate states, and the cell at the intersection of a row and column indicates:

  • The event that triggers a transition from the current (row) state to the next (column) state
  • The condition (or guard) of the event, and
  • The effect of the transition

Example State-Next State Table

Select the display format

Step

Action

1

Right-click on the diagram background and select the 'Statechart Editor' option.

2

Select the appropriate display option:

  • Diagram
  • Table (State-Next State)
  • Table (State-Trigger)
  • Table (Trigger-State)

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