A component lifecycle is term used to describe the series of states that a component passes through during the following phases:

• initialization
• execution
• termination

The declaration of a state transition model is handled though an XML document collocated with the component class using the [classname].xgraph filename convention.

The initialization and termination phases can be expressed in terms of a state-transition graph. On initialization a component is establish in an initial state. That state may declare initialization transitions to be applied automatically as a part of the deplioyment process (for example the transition from an initial state to an "initialized" state and the subsequent transition from "initialized" to "started". Metro does not imply or assume any specific lifecycle interfaces - intead, we depend on the component implementation to declare the state transition graph that it requires.

The lifecycle graph declares a state heirachy and transition available in any given state. During runtime, a component may (as a result of initialization) be established in a particular runtime state. That state is referred to as the current state. The current state establish a chain of states (the current state, the current state's parent state, the parent's paranet state, etc.). Any transition declared on any of the states within the state chain are considered as available transitions. Transitions may be tagged as implict initialization transitions or implicit termination transitions. On component deployment initialization transitions are fired (possibly resulting in a state change and the emergence of new implicit initialization transitions (which are automatically invoked). On decommissioning on a component the runtime will automatically invoke termination transitions, iuncluding new termination transitions comming into scope as a result of a termination state change.

dpml:state

The following example state transition graph is taken from a component wrapping a legacy application that has a classic start/stop lifecycle. The graph declares an initialization trigger that states that the component must transition to the started state and that the transition is preconditioned by the successfull invocation of the start method. On transition, the component is established in the started state which establishes the termination conditions (i.e. if started, then termination is defined by the termination event declared under the started state). On termination the Metro runtime invokes the termination event which is declared as the application of the stop transition. The stop transition applies the stop method on the component implemention and the successfull completion of the transition establishes the component in the stopped state (which in this example graph establishes the potential to restart the component via execution of the start transition).

<state xmlns="dpml:state">

  <trigger event="initialization">
    <transition name="start" target="started">
      <operation name="startup" method="start"/>
    </transition>
  </trigger>

  <state name="started">
    <trigger event="termination">
      <apply id="stop"/>
    </trigger>
    <transition name="stop" target="../stopped">
      <operation name="stop" method="stop"/>
    </transition>
  </state>

  <state name="stopped">
    <transition name="start" target="../started">
      <operation name="start" method="start"/>
    </transition>
  </state>

</state>