State machines as mixins

Abstract

Mainstream object modelling techniques use Statechart Diagrams as a means of modelling object behaviour. Research into how statecharts can be used in the context of class generalization hierarchies has focused on applying the Liskov Substitution Principle (LSP) to statecharts. This approach is problematic, and we describe three reservations. We propose an alternative approach based on mixin-style composition of state transition diagrams. This avoids the problems we note in the LSP based approach; and is also a basis for separating descriptions of behaviour inherent to the modelled domain from behaviour that is not inherent, but a requirement of the system.