	CS 635 Advanced Object-Oriented Design & Programming Spring Semester, 2004 State & Chain of Responsibility
	Previous Lecture Notes Index Next © 2004, All Rights Reserved, SDSU & Roger Whitney San Diego State University -- This page last updated 23-Feb-04

References
Design Patterns: Elements of Resuable Object-Oriented Software, Gamma, Helm, Johnson, Vlissides, Addison Wesley, 1995, pp. 305-314, 223-232

The Design Patterns Smalltalk Companion, Alpert, Brown, Woolf, Addision-Wesley, 1998, pp. 327-338, 225-245.


Doc 10, State & Chain of Responsibility Slide # 2

State

Example - SPOP

Simple Post Office Protocol
SPOP is used to download e-mail from a server

SPOP supports the following command:

USER <username>
PASS <password>
LIST
RETR <message number>
QUIT

USER & PASS Commands

USER with a username must come first
PASS with a password or QUIT must come after USER

If the username and password are valid, then the user can use other commands

LIST Command
Arguments: a message-number (optional)

If it contains an optional message number then returns the size of that message

Otherwise return size of all mail messages in the mailbox


Doc 10, State & Chain of Responsibility Slide # 3

RETR Command
Arguments: a message-number

Returns: the mail message indicated by the number

QUIT Command
Arguments: none

Updates mail box to reflect transactions taken during the transaction state, then logs user out

If session ends by any method except the QUIT command, the updates are not done


Doc 10, State & Chain of Responsibility Slide # 4

The Switch Statement

class SPop
   {
   static final int HAVE_USER_NAME = 2;
   static final int START = 3;
   static final int AUTHORIZED = 4;
   private int state = START;
   
   String userName;
   String password;
   
   public void user( String userName ) {
      switch (state) {
         case START:  {
            this.userName = userName;
            state = HAVE_USER_NAME;
            break;
         } 
         case HAVE_USER_NAME:  
         case AUTHORIZED:{
            endLastSessionWithoutUpdate();
            goToStartState()
            }
         }
      }
Doc 10, State & Chain of Responsibility Slide # 5

Implementation with Switch Statement Cont.

   public void pass( String password )
      {
      switch (state)
         {
         case START:  {
            giveWarningOfIllegalCommand();
            }
         case HAVE_USER_NAME: {
            this.password = password;
            if ( validateUser() )
               state = AUTHORIZED;
            else {
               sendErrorMessageOrWhatEver();
               userName = null;
               password = null;
               state = START;
            }
         case AUTHORIZED: {
            endLastSessionWithoutUpdate();
            goToStartState()
         }
         }
      }
   etc.   
   }


Doc 10, State & Chain of Responsibility Slide # 6

Using Polymorphism Implementation

class SPop {
   private SPopState state = new Start();
      
   public void user( String userName ) {
      state = state.user( userName );
   }
   
   public void pass( String password ) {
      state = state.pass( password );
   }
   
   public void list( int messageNumber ) {
      state = state.list( massageNumber );
   }
   
   etc.


Doc 10, State & Chain of Responsibility Slide # 7

SPopStates Defines default behavior

abstract class SPopState {
   public SPopState user( String userName ) {
      return goToStartState(); 
   }
   
   public SPopState pass( String password ) {
      return goToStartState(); 
   }
   
   public SPopState list( int massageNumber ) {
      return goToStartState(); 
   }
   
   public SPopState retr( int massageNumber ) {
      return goToStartState(); 
   }
   
   public SPopState quit(  ) {
      return goToStartState(); 
   }
   protected SPopState goToStartState()  {
      endLastSessionWithoutUpdate();
      return new StartState();
   }
}


Doc 10, State & Chain of Responsibility Slide # 8

SpopStates - Continued

class Start extends SPopState {
   public SPopState user( String userName ) {
      return new HaveUserName( userName );
   }
}
   
class HaveUserName extends SPopState {
   String userName;
   
   public HaveUserName( String userName ) {
      this.userName = userName;
   }
      
   public SPopState pass( String password ) {
      if ( validateUser( userName, password )
         return new Authorized( userName );
      else
         return goToStartState();
   }
}


Doc 10, State & Chain of Responsibility Slide # 9

State

Intent

Allow an object to alter its behavior when its internal state changes. The object will appear to change it class.

Applicability

Use the State pattern in either of the following cases:

An object's behavior depends on its state, and it must change its behavior at run-time depending on that state.

Operations have large, multipart conditional statements that depend on the object's state. Often, several operations will contain this same conditional structure.


Doc 10, State & Chain of Responsibility Slide # 10

Issues

How much State in the State

In Example:

SPop is the Context
SPopState is the abstract State
Start, HaveUserName are ConcreteStates

All the state & all real behavior is in SPopState & subclasses

This is an extreme example

In general the Context will have data & methods

Besides State & State methods
This data will not change states

That is only some aspects of the Context will alter its behavior


Doc 10, State & Chain of Responsibility Slide # 11

Issue

Who defines the state transitions?

The Context

If the states will be used in different state machines with different transitions

If the criteria changing states is fixed

class SPop
   {
   private SPopState state = new Start();
      
   public void user( String userName )
      {
      state.user( userName );
      state = new HaveUserName( userName );
      }
   public void pass( String password )
      {
      if ( state.pass( password ) )
         state = new Authorized( );
      else
         state = new Start();
      }


Doc 10, State & Chain of Responsibility Slide # 12

Who defines the state transitions?
The State

More flexible to let State subclasses specify the next state

class SPop
   {
   private SPopState state = new Start();
      
   public void user( String userName )
      {
      state = state.user( userName );
      }
   
   public void pass( String password )
      {
      state = state.pass( password );
      }
   
   public void list( int messageNumber )
      {
      state = state.list( massageNumber );
      }


Doc 10, State & Chain of Responsibility Slide # 13

Issue

Sharing State Objects

Multiple contexts (SPops) can use the same state object if the state object has no instance variables

A state object can have no instance variables if:

The object has no need for instance variables or
The object stores its instance variables elsewhere


Doc 10, State & Chain of Responsibility Slide # 14

Storing Instance Variables Elsewhere
Variant 1
SPop stores them and passes them to states

class SPop
   {
   private SPopState state = new Start();
   
   String userName;
   String password;
      
   public void user( String newName )
      {
      this.userName = newName;
      state.user( newName );
      }
   
   public void pass( String password )
      {
      state.pass( userName , password );
      }


Doc 10, State & Chain of Responsibility Slide # 15

Storing Instance Variables Elsewhere
Variant 2
SPop stores them and states get data from SPop

class SPop {
   private SPopState state = new Start();
   
   String userName;
   String password;
      
   public String userName() { return userName; }
   
   public String password() { return password; }
   
   public void user( String newName ) {
      this.userName = newName ;
      state.user( this );
   }
   etc.

class HaveUserName extends SPopState {
   public SPopState pass( SPop mailServer ) {
      String useName = mailServer.userName();
      etc.
   }
}
Doc 10, State & Chain of Responsibility Slide # 16

Issue

Creating and Destroying State Objects

Options:

Create state object when needed, destroy it when it is no longer needed

Create states once, never destroy them (singleton)


Doc 10, State & Chain of Responsibility Slide # 17

Issue

Changing the Context Class for Real

Some languages allow an object to change its class

CLOS (Common Lisp Object System)
Cincom's VisualWorks Smalltalk

   | context |
   context := Start new.
   context changeClassTo: HaveUserName.
   context changeClassTo: Authorized.

So why not forget State pattern and use:

In VisualWorks Smalltalk

Problems arise if ConcreteStates have fields

In CLOS the State pattern may not be needed


Doc 10, State & Chain of Responsibility Slide # 18

Consequences

It localize state-specific behavior and partitions for different states

It makes state transitions explicit

State objects can be shared


Doc 10, State & Chain of Responsibility Slide # 19

State Verses Strategy

How to tell the difference

Rate of Change Strategy

Context object usually contains one of several possible ConcreteStrategy objects

State

Context object often changes its ConcreteState object over its lifetime

Exposure of Change
Strategy

All ConcreteStrategies do the same thing, but differently

Clients do not see any difference in behavior in the Context

State

ConcreteState act differently

Clients see different behavior in the Context


Doc 10, State & Chain of Responsibility Slide # 20

Chain of Responsibility

Intent

Avoid coupling the sender of a request to its receiver by giving more than one object a chance to handle the request. Chain the receiving objects and pass the request along the chain until an object handles it.

Class Structure

Sample Object Structure


Doc 10, State & Chain of Responsibility Slide # 21

Participants

Handler

Defines the interface for handling the requests

May implement the successor link

ConcreteHandler

Handles requests it is responsible for

Can access its successor

Handles the request if it can do so, otherwise it forwards the request to its successor

Consequences

Reduced coupling

Added flexibility in assigning responsibilities to objects

Not guaranteed that request will be handled


Doc 10, State & Chain of Responsibility Slide # 22

Motivation

Context Help System


Doc 10, State & Chain of Responsibility Slide # 23

When to Use

When more than on object may handle a request, and the handler isn't known a priori

When you want to issue a request to one of several objects without specifying the receiver explicitly

When the set of objects that can handle a request should be specified dynamically


Doc 10, State & Chain of Responsibility Slide # 24

How does this differ from Decorator?


Doc 10, State & Chain of Responsibility Slide # 25

Chain of Command
Like the military

A request is made

It goes up the chain of command until someone has the authority to answer the request


Doc 10, State & Chain of Responsibility Slide # 26

Implementation Issues

The successor chain

Use existing links in the program

The concrete handlers may already have pointers to their successors, so just use them

Define new links

Give each handler a link to its successor


Doc 10, State & Chain of Responsibility Slide # 27

Representing Requests

Each request can be a hard-coded

abstract class HardCodedHandler
   {
   private HardCodedHandler successor;
      
   public HardCodedHandler( HardCodedHandler aSuccessor)
      { successor = aSuccessor; }
      
   public void handleOpen()
      { successor.handleOpen(); }
      
   public void handleClose()
      { successor.handleClose(); }
      
   public void handleNew( String fileName)
      { successor.handleClose( fileName ); }
   }


Doc 10, State & Chain of Responsibility Slide # 28

Representing Requests

A single method implements all requests

abstract class SingleHandler {
   private SingleHandler successor;
      
   public SingleHandler( SingleHandler aSuccessor) {
      successor = aSuccessor;
   }
      
   public void handle( String request) {
      successor.handle( request );
   }
}
      
class ConcreteOpenHandler extends SingleHandler {
   public void handle( String request) {
      switch ( request ) {
         case "Open" : do the right thing;
         case "Close" : more right things;
         case "New" : even more right things;
         default: successor.handle( request );
      }
   }
}
Doc 10, State & Chain of Responsibility Slide # 29

Representing Requests

Single handle method with Request Object for parameters

abstract class SingleHandler {
   private SingleHandler successor;
      
   public SingleHandler( SingleHandler aSuccessor)
      {successor = aSuccessor; }
      
   public void handle( Request data)
      { successor.handle( data ); }
}
      
class ConcreteOpenHandler extends SingleHandler {
   public void handle( Open data)
      { // handle the open here }
}
   
class Request {
   private int size;
   private String name;
   public Request( int mySize, String myName)
      { size = mySize;  name = myName; }
   
   public int size() { return size; }
   public String name() { return name;}
}
   
class Open extends Request
   {// add Open specific stuff here}
   
class Close extends Request
   { // add Close specific stuff here}


Doc 10, State & Chain of Responsibility Slide # 30

Object-Oriented Recursion

Recursive Delegation
A method polymorphically sends its message to a different receiver

Eventually a method is called that performs the task

The recursion then unwinds back to the original message send


Doc 10, State & Chain of Responsibility Slide # 31

Example

class BinarySearchTree {
   Node root
   
   boolean containsKey( Object key ) {
      return root.containsKey(key);
   }
   
   String toString() {
      return "Tree( " + root.toString() + ")";
   }
   blah
}
Doc 10, State & Chain of Responsibility Slide # 32

Example Continued

class BinaryNode implements Node {
   Node left;
   Node right;
   Object key;
   Object value;
   
   boolean containsKey( Object key ) {
      if this.key == key
         return true;
      if this.key < key
         return right.containsKey(key);
      if this.key > key
         return left.containsKey( key);
   }
   
   String toString() {
      return "( " + left.toString() + key + right.toString() + ")";
   }
   blah
}
class NullNode implements Node {
   
   boolean containsKey( Object key ) {
      return false;
   }
   
   String toString() {
      return " ";
   }
   blah
}

Previous visitors since 23-Feb-04 Next