QStateMachine

Note

This class was introduced in Qt 4.6

Synopsis

Functions

• def addDefaultAnimation (animation)
• def addState (state)
• def cancelDelayedEvent (id)
• def clearError ()
• def configuration ()
• def error ()
• def errorString ()
• def globalRestorePolicy ()
• def isAnimated ()
• def isRunning ()
• def postDelayedEvent (event, delay)
• def postEvent (event[, priority=NormalPriority])
• def removeDefaultAnimation (animation)
• def removeState (state)
• def setAnimated (enabled)
• def setGlobalRestorePolicy (restorePolicy)

Virtual functions

• def beginMicrostep (event)
• def beginSelectTransitions (event)
• def endMicrostep (event)
• def endSelectTransitions (event)

Slots

• def start ()
• def stop ()

Signals

• def started ()
• def stopped ()

Detailed Description

The PySide.QtCore.QStateMachine class provides a hierarchical finite state machine.

PySide.QtCore.QStateMachine is based on the concepts and notation of Statecharts . PySide.QtCore.QStateMachine is part of The State Machine Framework .

A state machine manages a set of states (classes that inherit from PySide.QtCore.QAbstractState ) and transitions (descendants of PySide.QtCore.QAbstractTransition ) between those states; these states and transitions define a state graph. Once a state graph has been built, the state machine can execute it. PySide.QtCore.QStateMachine ‘s execution algorithm is based on the State Chart XML (SCXML) algorithm. The framework’s overview gives several state graphs and the code to build them.

Use the PySide.QtCore.QStateMachine.addState() function to add a top-level state to the state machine. States are removed with the PySide.QtCore.QStateMachine.removeState() function. Removing states while the machine is running is discouraged.

Before the machine can be started, the initial state must be set. The initial state is the state that the machine enters when started. You can then PySide.QtCore.QStateMachine.start() the state machine. The PySide.QtCore.QStateMachine.started() signal is emitted when the initial state is entered.

The machine is event driven and keeps its own event loop. Events are posted to the machine through PySide.QtCore.QStateMachine.postEvent() . Note that this means that it executes asynchronously, and that it will not progress without a running event loop. You will normally not have to post events to the machine directly as Qt’s transitions, e.g., PySide.QtCore.QEventTransition and its subclasses, handle this. But for custom transitions triggered by events, PySide.QtCore.QStateMachine.postEvent() is useful.

The state machine processes events and takes transitions until a top-level final state is entered; the state machine then emits the PySide.QtCore.QState.finished() signal. You can also PySide.QtCore.QStateMachine.stop() the state machine explicitly. The PySide.QtCore.QStateMachine.stopped() signal is emitted in this case.

The following snippet shows a state machine that will finish when a button is clicked:

button = QPushButton()

machine = QStateMachine()
s1 = QState()
s1.assignProperty(button, "text", "Click me")

s2 = QFinalState()
s1.addTransition(button, SIGNAL('clicked()'), s2)

machine.addState(s1)
machine.addState(s2)
machine.setInitialState(s1)
machine.start()

This code example uses PySide.QtCore.QState , which inherits PySide.QtCore.QAbstractState . The PySide.QtCore.QState class provides a state that you can use to set properties and invoke methods on PySide.QtCore.QObject s when the state is entered or exited. It also contains convenience functions for adding transitions, e.g., PySide.QtCore.QSignalTransition s as in this example. See the PySide.QtCore.QState class description for further details.

If an error is encountered, the machine will look for an error state , and if one is available, it will enter this state. The types of errors possible are described by the QStateMachine.Error enum. After the error state is entered, the type of the error can be retrieved with PySide.QtCore.QStateMachine.error() . The execution of the state graph will not stop when the error state is entered. If no error state applies to the erroneous state, the machine will stop executing and an error message will be printed to the console.

See also

PySide.QtCore.QAbstractState PySide.QtCore.QAbstractTransition PySide.QtCore.QState The State Machine Framework

class PySide.QtCore.QStateMachine([parent=None])

Parameters:parent – PySide.QtCore.QObject

Constructs a new state machine with the given parent .

PySide.QtCore.QStateMachine.Error

This enum type defines errors that can occur in the state machine at run time. When the state machine encounters an unrecoverable error at run time, it will set the error code returned by PySide.QtCore.QStateMachine.error() , the error message returned by PySide.QtCore.QStateMachine.errorString() , and enter an error state based on the context of the error.

Constant	Description
QStateMachine.NoError	No error has occurred.
QStateMachine.NoInitialStateError	The machine has entered a PySide.QtCore.QState with children which does not have an initial state set. The context of this error is the state which is missing an initial state.
QStateMachine.NoDefaultStateInHistoryStateError	The machine has entered a PySide.QtCore.QHistoryState which does not have a default state set. The context of this error is the PySide.QtCore.QHistoryState which is missing a default state.
QStateMachine.NoCommonAncestorForTransitionError	The machine has selected a transition whose source and targets are not part of the same tree of states, and thus are not part of the same state machine. Commonly, this could mean that one of the states has not been given any parent or added to any machine. The context of this error is the source state of the transition.

See also

PySide.QtCore.QState.setErrorState()

PySide.QtCore.QStateMachine.EventPriority

This enum type specifies the priority of an event posted to the state machine using PySide.QtCore.QStateMachine.postEvent() .

Events of high priority are processed before events of normal priority.

Constant	Description
QStateMachine.NormalPriority	The event has normal priority.
QStateMachine.HighPriority	The event has high priority.

PySide.QtCore.QStateMachine.RestorePolicy

This enum specifies the restore policy type. The restore policy takes effect when the machine enters a state which sets one or more properties. If the restore policy is set to RestoreProperties , the state machine will save the original value of the property before the new value is set.

Later, when the machine either enters a state which does not set a value for the given property, the property will automatically be restored to its initial value.

Only one initial value will be saved for any given property. If a value for a property has already been saved by the state machine, it will not be overwritten until the property has been successfully restored.

Constant	Description
QStateMachine.DontRestoreProperties	The state machine should not save the initial values of properties and restore them later.
QStateMachine.RestoreProperties	The state machine should save the initial values of properties and restore them later.

See also

QStateMachine.globalRestorePolicy QState.assignProperty()

PySide.QtCore.QStateMachine.addDefaultAnimation(animation)

Parameters:animation – PySide.QtCore.QAbstractAnimation

Adds a default animation to be considered for any transition.

PySide.QtCore.QStateMachine.addState(state)

Parameters:state – PySide.QtCore.QAbstractState

Adds the given state to this state machine. The state becomes a top-level state.

If the state is already in a different machine, it will first be removed from its old machine, and then added to this machine.

See also

PySide.QtCore.QStateMachine.removeState() PySide.QtCore.QState.setInitialState()

PySide.QtCore.QStateMachine.beginMicrostep(event)

Parameters:event – PySide.QtCore.QEvent

This function is called when the state machine is about to do a microstep.

The default implementation does nothing.

PySide.QtCore.QStateMachine.beginSelectTransitions(event)

Parameters:event – PySide.QtCore.QEvent

This function is called when the state machine is about to select transitions based on the given event .

The default implementation does nothing.

PySide.QtCore.QStateMachine.cancelDelayedEvent(id)

Parameters:id – PySide.QtCore.int Return type:PySide.QtCore.bool

Cancels the delayed event identified by the given id . The id should be a value returned by a call to PySide.QtCore.QStateMachine.postDelayedEvent() . Returns true if the event was successfully cancelled, otherwise returns false.

See also

PySide.QtCore.QStateMachine.postDelayedEvent()

PySide.QtCore.QStateMachine.clearError()

Clears the error string and error code of the state machine.

PySide.QtCore.QStateMachine.configuration()

Return type:

Returns the maximal consistent set of states (including parallel and final states) that this state machine is currently in. If a state s is in the configuration, it is always the case that the parent of s is also in c. Note, however, that the machine itself is not an explicit member of the configuration.

PySide.QtCore.QStateMachine.endMicrostep(event)

Parameters:event – PySide.QtCore.QEvent

This function is called when the state machine has finished doing a microstep.

The default implementation does nothing.

PySide.QtCore.QStateMachine.endSelectTransitions(event)

Parameters:event – PySide.QtCore.QEvent

This function is called when the state machine has finished selecting transitions based on the given event .

The default implementation does nothing.

PySide.QtCore.QStateMachine.error()

Return type:PySide.QtCore.QStateMachine.Error

Returns the error code of the last error that occurred in the state machine.

PySide.QtCore.QStateMachine.errorString()

Return type:unicode

This property holds the error string of this state machine.

PySide.QtCore.QStateMachine.globalRestorePolicy()

Return type:PySide.QtCore.QStateMachine.RestorePolicy

This property holds the restore policy for states of this state machine..

The default value of this property is QStateMachine.DontRestoreProperties .

PySide.QtCore.QStateMachine.isAnimated()

Return type:PySide.QtCore.bool

This property holds whether animations are enabled.

The default value of this property is true.

See also

QAbstractTransition.addAnimation()

PySide.QtCore.QStateMachine.isRunning()

Return type:PySide.QtCore.bool

Returns whether this state machine is running.

PySide.QtCore.QStateMachine.start() , PySide.QtCore.QStateMachine.stop()

PySide.QtCore.QStateMachine.postDelayedEvent(event, delay)

Parameters:

• event – PySide.QtCore.QEvent
• delay – PySide.QtCore.int

Return type:

PySide.QtCore.int

Posts the given event for processing by this state machine, with the given delay in milliseconds. Returns an identifier associated with the delayed event, or -1 if the event could not be posted.

This function returns immediately. When the delay has expired, the event will be added to the state machine’s event queue for processing. The state machine takes ownership of the event and deletes it once it has been processed.

You can only post events when the state machine is running.

See also

PySide.QtCore.QStateMachine.cancelDelayedEvent() PySide.QtCore.QStateMachine.postEvent()

PySide.QtCore.QStateMachine.postEvent(event[, priority=NormalPriority])

Parameters:

• event – PySide.QtCore.QEvent
• priority – PySide.QtCore.QStateMachine.EventPriority

Posts the given event of the given priority for processing by this state machine.

This function returns immediately. The event is added to the state machine’s event queue. Events are processed in the order posted. The state machine takes ownership of the event and deletes it once it has been processed.

You can only post events when the state machine is running.

See also

PySide.QtCore.QStateMachine.postDelayedEvent()

PySide.QtCore.QStateMachine.removeDefaultAnimation(animation)

Parameters:animation – PySide.QtCore.QAbstractAnimation

Removes animation from the list of default animations.

PySide.QtCore.QStateMachine.removeState(state)

Parameters:state – PySide.QtCore.QAbstractState

Removes the given state from this state machine. The state machine releases ownership of the state.

See also

PySide.QtCore.QStateMachine.addState()

PySide.QtCore.QStateMachine.setAnimated(enabled)

Parameters:enabled – PySide.QtCore.bool

This property holds whether animations are enabled.

The default value of this property is true.

See also

QAbstractTransition.addAnimation()

PySide.QtCore.QStateMachine.setGlobalRestorePolicy(restorePolicy)

Parameters:restorePolicy – PySide.QtCore.QStateMachine.RestorePolicy

This property holds the restore policy for states of this state machine..

The default value of this property is QStateMachine.DontRestoreProperties .

PySide.QtCore.QStateMachine.start()

Starts this state machine. The machine will reset its configuration and transition to the initial state. When a final top-level state ( PySide.QtCore.QFinalState ) is entered, the machine will emit the PySide.QtCore.QState.finished() signal.

Note

A state machine will not run without a running event loop, such as the main application event loop started with QCoreApplication.exec() or QApplication.exec() .

See also

PySide.QtCore.QStateMachine.started() PySide.QtCore.QState.finished() PySide.QtCore.QStateMachine.stop() PySide.QtCore.QState.initialState()

PySide.QtCore.QStateMachine.started()

PySide.QtCore.QStateMachine.stop()

Stops this state machine. The state machine will stop processing events and then emit the PySide.QtCore.QStateMachine.stopped() signal.

See also

PySide.QtCore.QStateMachine.stopped() PySide.QtCore.QStateMachine.start()

PySide.QtCore.QStateMachine.stopped()