Authors
David Harel
Publication date
1987/6/1
Journal
Science of computer programming
Volume
8
Issue
3
Pages
231-274
Publisher
Elsevier
Description
We present a broad extension of the conventional formalism of state machines and state diagrams, that is relevant to the specification and design of complex discrete-event systems, such as multi-computer real-time systems, communication protocols and digital control units. Our diagrams, which we call statecharts, extend conventional state-transition diagrams with essentially three elements, dealing, respectively, with the notions of hierarchy, concurrency and communication. These transform the language of state diagrams into a highly structured and economical description language. Statecharts are thus compact and expressive—small diagrams can express complex behavior—as well as compositional and modular. When coupled with the capabilities of computerized graphics, statecharts enable viewing the description at different levels of detail, and make even very large specifications manageable and …
Total citations
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