# Description Part 16 §B.3 places `HasSubStateMachine` on the parent **state** node, but the fluent builder attached it to the state-machine **root** because `FluentFiniteStateMachineState` never materialized state nodes at all. Investigating #3821 showed the gap was wider than the reference placement: 1. **No state nodes existed.** The NodeId written into `CurrentState/Id` — `new NodeId(stateId, ElementNamespaceIndex)` — was **dangling**: no node with that id was in the address space. 2. **`AvailableStates` was never populated**, so `GetAvailableStatesAsync` returned empty against a fluent-built server. 3. **The whole client discovery chain was therefore dead.** `ObserveEffectiveStateAsync` enumerates `AvailableStates` and browses `HasSubStateMachine` from each state node — it found nothing. The client side was already spec-correct; only the server deviated. 4. **`HasSubStateMachine` is non-hierarchical** (a subtype of `NonHierarchicalReferences`, `i=32`). Using it as the sub-SM's `BaseInstanceState.ReferenceTypeId` left the sub-SM unreachable from a hierarchical browse of the machine. ## What changed **Element nodes are materialized.** Definition-mode machines now create one `StateType` node per declared state and one `TransitionType` node per declared transition — each a `HasComponent` child carrying `StateNumber` / `TransitionNumber`, with the §B.4 `FromState` / `ToState` / `HasEffect` references and `HasCause` added by `WithCause`. `AvailableStates`, `AvailableTransitions` and `LastTransition` are populated, so `CurrentState/Id` and `LastTransition/Id` resolve to real, browsable nodes. NodeIds are per-instance, so several machines built from one definition coexist. **`HasSubStateMachine` moved to the state node**, with the inverse `SubStateMachineOf`, and the sub-SM is attached as a `HasComponent` child (fixing 4). **Core gains element-id mapping hooks.** `GetCurrentStateId` / `UpdateStateVariable` / `UpdateTransitionVariable` hard-coded the numeric form and were non-virtual, so a subclass could not redirect them. They now route through `public virtual` `GetStateNodeId` / `GetStateId` / `GetTransitionNodeId` / `GetTransitionId`, whose defaults reproduce the previous `(elementId, ElementNamespaceIndex)` convention **exactly** — every stack-shipped and generator-emitted machine is unaffected, and there is a regression test asserting that. **Generated machines report their model namespace.** The generator now emits an `ElementNamespaceUri` override on `FiniteStateMachineType` subtypes, taken from the nearest type that actually *declares* state children — a subtype that only adds behaviour inherits its elements, and their namespace, from its base. **Ordering and validation fixes.** `WithSubStateMachine` and `WithInitialState` are now order-independent (previously, attaching a sub-SM before setting the initial state left the child suspended until the parent left and re-entered the state — silently). `WithSubStateMachine` validates `parentStateId`, and the builder rejects duplicate element browse names, since element NodeIds are now derived from them. ## A defect this surfaced Code that assembles nodes with the generated `CreateInstanceOf<Type>` factories never calls `NodeState.CreateAsPredefinedNode`, so `OnBeforeCreate` / `OnAfterCreate` are skipped for the entire subtree — and `OnAfterCreate` is the only place a state machine resolves its element namespace. It is also where `ConditionState` binds its `Enable` / `Disable` / `AddComment` handlers and `AlarmConditionState` binds the shelving methods, so the impact is broader than state machines. This PR fixes only the two call sites it depends on — DI's `SoftwareUpdateFacetWiring` and Robotics' `RoboticsOperationBuilder`. **The repository-wide audit is deliberately left out of scope and tracked in #4320** (24 files call these factories; none completed the lifecycle). The Robotics regression had no test coverage at all, so an assertion on `CurrentState/Id` was added and verified to fail without the fix. ## Breaking changes - Sub-state machines are **no longer browsable from the state-machine root**. Callers passing a machine's `ObjectId` to `GetSubStateMachineAsync` must pass a state NodeId instead — from `GetAvailableStatesAsync` or a snapshot's `CurrentStateId`. - `CurrentState/Id` for fluent machines changes from the numeric form to the materialized node's id. Code reading a numeric id out of it should call `FiniteStateMachineState.GetStateId` rather than parsing the identifier. - Generated machines qualify `CurrentState/Id` / `LastTransition/Id` with their companion-spec namespace instead of the OPC UA one. Documented in `docs/WhatsNewIn2.0.md` and `docs/StateMachines.md`. ## Notes for reviewers - Adding `virtual` to the `FiniteStateMachineState` members is a binary (not source) breaking change — assumed acceptable on the 2.0 line, but worth confirming against the compatibility policy. - Address-space cost is one node plus one property per declared state and transition, per machine instance; called out in the docs for servers instantiating many machines. - `AvailableTransitions` is modelled as a `HasComponent` `BaseDataVariable` (matching the standard NodeSet and what the client's browse path expects), not a Property. ## Related Issues - Fixes #3821 - Surfaced #4320 (node create lifecycle audit — not addressed here) ## Checklist - [ ] I have signed the [CLA](https://opcfoundation.org/license/cla/ContributorLicenseAgreementv1.0.pdf) and read the [CONTRIBUTING](https://github.com/OPCFoundation/UA-.NETStandard/blob/master/CONTRIBUTING.md) doc. - [x] I have added tests that prove my fix is effective or that my feature works and increased code coverage. - [x] I have added all necessary documentation. - [x] I have verified that my changes do not introduce (new) build or analyzer warnings. - [ ] I ran **all** tests locally using the **UA.slnx** solution against at least .net **framework** and .net **10**, and all passed. - [ ] I fixed **all** failing and flaky tests in the CI pipelines and **all** CodeQL warnings. - [ ] I have addressed **all** PR feedback received. ### Test runs (net10.0) | Suite | Result | |---|---| | `Opc.Ua.Server.Tests` (full) | 4734 passed, 5 skipped | | `Opc.Ua.SourceGeneration.Core.Tests` | 3780 passed | | `Opc.Ua.SourceGeneration.Tests` | 132 passed | | `Opc.Ua.SourceGeneration.Stack.Tests` | 94 passed | | `Opc.Ua.Types.Tests` | 8763 passed | | `Opc.Ua.Robotics.Tests` | 540 passed | | `Opc.Ua.Robotics.Intent.Tests` | 22 passed | | `Opc.Ua.Di.Tests` | 424 passed | | `Opc.Ua.ISA95.Tests` | 136 passed | | `Opc.Ua.Aas.Tests` | 670 passed | | `Opc.Ua.Positioning.Tests` | 69 passed | | `Opc.Ua.Client.Tests` (StateMachines) | 36 passed | Only net10.0 was run locally; the .NET Framework leg is left to CI, hence the unchecked box above. --------- Co-authored-by: Claude Opus 5 <noreply@anthropic.com> Co-authored-by: copilot-swe-agent[bot] <198982749+Copilot@users.noreply.github.com> Co-authored-by: marcschier <11168470+marcschier@users.noreply.github.com>
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Part 16 State Machines
This guide describes the generic, extensible OPC UA Part 16 state-
machine support layered on top of the source-generated ObjectType
proxies and the existing FiniteStateMachineState server base.
For the formal model, see OPC UA Part 16 — State Machines.
Two-mode unified builder
The server side ships one fluent builder — StateMachineBuilder —
with two complementary modes that can be mixed in a single chain:
| Mode | Entry point | Use when … |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | StateMachineBuilder.Create(parent, ctx, nodeId, name) |
You need a state machine that isn't already declared as a generator-emitted *StateMachineState subclass. Declare states, transitions, and cause mappings declaratively. |
| Lifecycle | StateMachineBuilder.For<TState>(stateMachine, ctx) or INodeBuilder<TState>.AsStateMachine() |
You already have a FiniteStateMachineState subclass (stack-shipped, generator-emitted, or vendor) and want to attach behavior (enter/exit/transition hooks, method-to-cause bindings, auto-transitions). |
Both modes share the same lifecycle surface (WithInitialState,
OnEnterState, OnExitState, OnTransition, OnBeforeTransition,
WithCause, WithTimedTransition, ConfigureStateMachine). Async
overloads — OnEnterStateAsync, OnExitStateAsync,
OnTransitionAsync — accept Func<ISystemContext, TState, CancellationToken, ValueTask> (or the four-arg form for transition
observers) and are invoked fire-and-forget on the thread pool
from the synchronous transition path. The handler therefore runs on
a fully-async path (no GetAwaiter().GetResult() / Wait() /
.Result anywhere) without blocking the transition or the calling
client. Exceptions thrown from an async handler are captured and
logged via Debug.WriteLine. Pre-transition guards
(OnBeforeTransition, When*) intentionally remain sync-only
because they must veto the transition synchronously before the
state-machine state mutation completes. The definition methods
(AddState, AddTransition, OnCause, UseElementNamespace) are
only available in definition mode.
Quick reference
| Concern | Client entry point | Server entry point |
|---|---|---|
| Read the current state | StateMachineTypeClient.GetCurrentStateAsync |
FiniteStateMachineState.CurrentState |
| Read current state + last transition (finite) | FiniteStateMachineTypeClient.GetCurrentFiniteStateAsync |
FiniteStateMachineState.LastState/LastTransition |
| Observe transitions (stream) | (Finite)StateMachineTypeClient.ObserveFiniteTransitionsAsync |
n/a |
| Wait for a target state | (Finite)StateMachineTypeClient.WaitForStateAsync |
n/a |
| Enumerate states / transitions | FiniteStateMachineTypeClient.GetAvailableStatesAsync / GetAvailableTransitionsAsync |
n/a |
| Build a state machine declaratively | n/a | StateMachineBuilder.Create (definition mode) |
| Attach behavior to an existing FSM | n/a | StateMachineBuilder.For / INodeBuilder.AsStateMachine (lifecycle mode) |
Client side
The source-generated *TypeClient proxies for state-machine types
(StateMachineTypeClient, FiniteStateMachineTypeClient,
ShelvedStateMachineTypeClient, ExclusiveLimitStateMachineTypeClient,
ProgramStateMachineTypeClient, and any vendor subtypes) all inherit
the generic API automatically — implemented as extension methods
that hang off the proxy base.
Read the current state
var proxy = new ShelvedStateMachineTypeClient(session, conditionId, telemetry);
FiniteStateSnapshot snap = await proxy.GetCurrentFiniteStateAsync(ct);
Console.WriteLine($"State: {snap.CurrentState} ({snap.CurrentStateId})");
Console.WriteLine($"Last transition: {snap.LastTransition} ({snap.LastTransitionId})");
Stream transitions
Pair the proxy with the session's streaming subscription:
ManagedSession session = ...;
IStreamingSubscription streaming = session.DefaultStreaming;
await foreach (FiniteStateSnapshot snap in proxy
.ObserveFiniteTransitionsAsync(streaming, ct: ct))
{
Console.WriteLine($"{snap.Timestamp:O} -> {snap.CurrentState}");
}
Each yielded snapshot is refreshed by reading the four state + transition variables in one round-trip, so consumers see consistent typed data per transition.
Wait for a target state
FiniteStateSnapshot reached = await proxy.WaitForStateAsync(
streaming,
targetStateId: new NodeId(Objects.ShelvedStateMachineType_TimedShelved),
timeout: TimeSpan.FromSeconds(30),
ct: ct);
The wait composes ObserveFiniteTransitionsAsync with timeout and
cancellation; an immediate match against the current state is
short-circuited.
Enumerate states + transitions
IReadOnlyList<FiniteStateInfo> states =
await proxy.GetAvailableStatesAsync(ct);
IReadOnlyList<FiniteTransitionInfo> transitions =
await proxy.GetAvailableTransitionsAsync(ct);
Reads the optional AvailableStates / AvailableTransitions NodeId-array
properties and then reads each referenced node's browse name and number.
An absent or invalid availability property produces an empty result.
Alarm shelving alignment
AlarmClient exposes the same API for the ShelvingState child of
every Part 9 alarm condition:
AlarmClient alarms = session.GetAlarmClient(telemetry);
FiniteStateSnapshot snap = await alarms.GetShelvingStateAsync(conditionId, ct);
await foreach (FiniteStateSnapshot s in alarms
.ObserveShelvingTransitionsAsync(conditionId, streaming, ct: ct))
{
// …
}
Both methods delegate to ShelvedStateMachineTypeClient internally —
same proxy-delegation pattern used by the rest of AlarmClient.
Device Integration (DI) software-update alignment
SoftwareUpdateClient (in Opc.Ua.Di.Client) wraps the same generic
API for each of the four child state machines of OPC 10000-100 §10.3
(PrepareForUpdate, Installation, Confirmation, PowerCycle):
var su = new SoftwareUpdateClient(session, suNodeId, telemetry);
FiniteStateSnapshot? state = await su.GetInstallationStateAsync(ct);
await foreach (FiniteStateSnapshot snap in su
.ObserveInstallationTransitionsAsync(streaming, options: null, ct))
{
// …
}
await su.InstallSoftwarePackageAsync("urn:acme", "2.0.0",
ArrayOf.Empty<string>(), default, ct);
See SoftwareUpdate.md for the full SU
facet — including the server-side OnInstallationStateChanged /
OnPrepareStateChanged / OnConfirmStateChanged instrumentation
hooks that the DI server attaches to its built-in FSM lifecycle.
Vendor extensibility
Vendor concrete state machines declared in a NodeSet (e.g.
MyVendor:FoodPreparationStateMachineType : FiniteStateMachineType)
automatically get the generic API. The proxy generator emits a
FoodPreparationStateMachineTypeClient that inherits from
FiniteStateMachineTypeClient, and every extension method
(GetCurrentFiniteStateAsync, ObserveFiniteTransitionsAsync,
WaitForStateAsync, …) applies through the inheritance chain
transparently. Vendor-declared methods (e.g. BeginPreparation) are
emitted as instance methods on the vendor client by the generator.
Server side — definition mode
Use StateMachineBuilder.Create(...) when you need a state machine
that isn't already a generator-emitted subclass. The builder owns a
FluentFiniteStateMachineState instance, populates its state /
transition / cause tables from your declarations, and freezes the
definition the moment you read StateMachine or attach the first
lifecycle hook.
using Opc.Ua.Server.StateMachines;
FluentFiniteStateMachineState sm = StateMachineBuilder
.Create(parent, systemContext,
nodeId: new NodeId(/*your numeric id*/, namespaceIndex),
browseName: new QualifiedName("PowerSwitch", namespaceIndex))
.AddState(id: 1, "Off", isInitial: true)
.AddState(id: 2, "On")
.AddTransition(id: 10, "OffToOn", from: 1, to: 2)
.AddTransition(id: 20, "OnToOff", from: 2, to: 1)
.OnCause(causeId: 100, from: 1, transition: 10)
.OnCause(causeId: 200, from: 2, transition: 20)
.WithInitialState(1)
.StateMachine;
The builder validates structural integrity at the freeze step (the
first lifecycle method or StateMachine access): every transition's
from/to must reference declared states, every cause mapping must
reference a declared transition, and state / transition / cause ids
must be unique within their tables.
Server side — lifecycle mode
Use StateMachineBuilder.For(...) (or
INodeBuilder<TState>.AsStateMachine() inside a fluent node-manager
build pipeline) when you already have a state-machine instance —
stack-shipped (ShelvedStateMachineState,
ExclusiveLimitStateMachineState, ProgramStateMachineState),
generator-emitted (MyVendor.FoodPreparationStateMachineState), or
the result of an earlier StateMachineBuilder.Create(...) chain.
Stack-shipped state machine
// Existing ShelvedStateMachineState that lives under an alarm condition:
ShelvedStateMachineState shelving = alarm.ShelvingState;
StateMachineBuilder.For(shelving, systemContext)
.OnEnterState(
Objects.ShelvedStateMachineType_TimedShelved,
(ctx, sm) => logger.LogInformation("Alarm timed-shelved"))
.OnExitState(
Objects.ShelvedStateMachineType_TimedShelved,
(ctx, sm) => logger.LogInformation("Alarm un-timed-shelved"))
.OnTransition((ctx, sm, from, to) =>
logger.LogDebug("Shelving {From} -> {To}", from, to))
.WithTimedTransition(
fromStateId: Objects.ShelvedStateMachineType_OneShotShelved,
timeout: TimeSpan.FromMinutes(15),
transitionId: Objects.ShelvedStateMachineType_OneShotShelvedToUnshelved);
The lifecycle builder layers on top of any pre-existing
OnBeforeTransition / OnAfterTransition delegates the state
machine had — the stack-shipped behavior continues to run, with
your handlers wrapping it.
Inside a fluent node-manager build pipeline
public sealed class MyNodeManager : FluentNodeManagerBase
{
protected override void OnConfigure(INodeManagerBuilder builder)
{
builder
.Node(BrowsePaths.SoftwareUpdate.Installation)
.As<DI.InstallationStateMachineState>()
.AsStateMachine()
.OnEnterState(StateNumbers.Installing,
(ctx, sm) => StartInstall(ctx))
.OnTransition((ctx, sm, from, to) =>
_logger.LogInformation("Install: {From} -> {To}", from, to))
.WithTimedTransition(
fromStateId: StateNumbers.Installing,
timeout: TimeSpan.FromMinutes(10),
transitionId: StateNumbers.InstallingToFailed,
causeId: StateNumbers.TimeoutCause);
}
}
AsStateMachine() pulls the ISystemContext from
nodeBuilder.Builder.Context. The INodeBuilder<TState> typed view
ensures the underlying node is a FiniteStateMachineState subclass
at compile time — no runtime casts.
Lifecycle ordering
For every transition the dispatcher fires handlers in this order:
DispatchBefore:
builder guards (in registration order)
↓ veto on any failure
[original OnBeforeTransition, if any]
↓ framework state update (LastState ← CurrentState, CurrentState ← newState)
DispatchAfter:
[original OnAfterTransition, if any]
↓
OnExitState(from) (each registered handler, in order)
↓
OnTransition(from, to) (each observer, in order)
↓
OnEnterState(to) (each registered handler, in order)
Builder guards run before any pre-existing
OnBeforeTransition — so they can veto without the original
side-effectful pre-handler running. Builder observers run after
the original OnAfterTransition so stack-shipped audit / change
notifications complete first.
If multiple handlers are registered for the same state or
transition, they fire in the order they were added. Exceptions
thrown by an individual handler do not interrupt the dispatch — they
are caught and logged via Debug.WriteLine.
How the source-generator integrates
- Client: every state-machine
*TypeClientproxy (generated from the standard NodeSet and every vendor NodeSet you feed through the generator) inherits the streaming + read + browse API automatically. No hand-written client per state-machine type. - Server: when a NodeSet declares a concrete subtype of
FiniteStateMachineType(vendor or standard), the generator emits a*StateMachineStateserver class with the hardcodedStateTable/TransitionTable/TransitionMappings/CauseMappingsoverrides. Hook behavior onto that instance viaStateMachineBuilder.For(...)— no need to redeclare the tables.
The unified builder gives you a clean migration path:
- Have a generator-emitted FSM type? Lifecycle mode only. Build
the instance the usual way, then attach behavior with
StateMachineBuilder.For(...). - Need an ad-hoc state machine with no generated subclass?
Definition mode.
StateMachineBuilder.Create(...)constructs aFluentFiniteStateMachineStateand lets you chain definitions and lifecycle hooks in one expression.
Guard clauses (fluent sugar)
The lifecycle builder offers a coarse OnBeforeTransition that
fires for every transition; the When* family provides per-trigger
sugar that compiles down to the same pipeline but scopes the
predicate automatically.
StateMachineBuilder.Create(parent, ctx, nodeId, browseName)
.AddState(1, "Off", isInitial: true)
.AddState(2, "On")
.AddTransition(10, "OffToOn", from: 1, to: 2)
.AddTransition(20, "OnToOff", from: 2, to: 1)
.WhenTransition(10, (ctx, sm) => HasPermission(ctx))
.WhenCause(causeId: 100, (ctx, sm) => sm.SafetyInterlockClear)
.WhenEnter(toStateId: 2, (ctx, sm) => sm.PreflightOk,
denyStatus: StatusCodes.BadInvalidState)
.WhenExit(fromStateId: 2, (ctx, sm) => sm.ShutdownComplete);
| Method | Scope | Available in |
|---|---|---|
OnBeforeTransition(Func<ctx, sm, transitionId, causeId, ServiceResult>) |
Every transition (caller filters) | Both modes |
WhenTransition(transitionId, predicate[, denyStatus]) |
Transition matches transitionId |
Both modes |
WhenCause(causeId, predicate[, denyStatus]) |
Cause matches causeId |
Both modes |
WhenEnter(toStateId, predicate[, denyStatus]) |
Transition would enter toStateId |
Definition mode only |
WhenExit(fromStateId, predicate[, denyStatus]) |
Machine is leaving fromStateId |
Both modes |
Returning false from a predicate vetoes the transition with
BadUserAccessDenied (or the caller-supplied denyStatus).
Multiple guards on the same trigger AND together — the first
predicate returning false wins, and its denyStatus flows
through to DoTransition's return.
All guards (On* + When*) share one pipeline in registration
order — the FIRST failing guard wins. This means a When* guard
declared before an OnBeforeTransition guard runs first.
WhenEnter is definition-mode-only because the builder needs the
transition table to map toStateId to the matching transition ids.
In lifecycle mode the table is protected on the FSM; use
WhenTransition with the explicit transition id instead.
Sub-state machines (hierarchical state)
OPC UA Part 16 §5.2.3 supports nested state machines via the
HasSubStateMachine reference. Standard alarms use this pattern
(ExclusiveLimitAlarmType.LimitState is itself an
ExclusiveLimitStateMachineType distinguishing
HighHigh / High / Low / LowLow while the parent alarm is
Active). Vendor process-control servers compose hierarchical
state machines extensively.
Server side — WithSubStateMachine
The unified builder attaches a sub-state-machine to a parent state.
The dispatcher auto-manages the lifecycle: parent enters → child
activates (and resets to its initial state unless
preserveOnReentry: true is supplied); parent exits → child is
suspended and rejects subsequent transitions until the next
parent re-entry.
FluentFiniteStateMachineState parent = StateMachineBuilder
.Create(parentNode, ctx, parentNodeId, browseName)
.AddState(1, "Active", isInitial: true)
.AddState(2, "Inactive")
.AddTransition(12, "ActiveToInactive", from: 1, to: 2)
.AddTransition(21, "InactiveToActive", from: 2, to: 1)
// Attach a sub-state-machine to the Active parent state.
.WithSubStateMachine(
parentStateId: 1,
browseName: new QualifiedName("LimitState", ns),
configure: child => child
.AddState(10, "HighHigh", isInitial: true)
.AddState(11, "High")
.AddState(12, "Low")
.AddState(13, "LowLow")
.AddTransition(110, "HighHighToHigh", from: 10, to: 11),
preserveOnReentry: false)
.StateMachine;
Available in definition mode only — in lifecycle mode the parent FSM already declares its sub-state machines as part of the type definition. Observe them through the client-side sub-SM accessors below.
WithSubStateMachine and WithInitialState are order-independent:
whichever is called second brings the sub-SM in line with the
parent's current state. (WithInitialState goes through SetState,
which is not a transition and so still runs no user lifecycle
handler — but it does re-arm timed transitions and synchronize
sub-state machines.)
A state declared with isInitial: true is applied automatically when
the machine is created and its state node is materialized as an
InitialStateType (OPC 10000-16 §4.4.10), so the minimal example
above is fully functional without an explicit WithInitialState
call; call WithInitialState to start in a different state. A
sub-state machine's declared initial state is applied only while its
parent is in the attached state.
While suspended, the child FSM's CurrentState and LastTransition
read with Bad_StateNotActive (per OPC 10000-16 §4.4.6), and its
DoTransition / DoCause return BadStateNotActive. The flag is
exposed publicly as FluentFiniteStateMachineState.IsSuspended for
diagnostics.
The resulting address space follows Part 16 §4.4.16 and the standard NodeSets:
LimitAlarm --HasComponent--> Active (StateType)
Active --HasSubStateMachine--> LimitState
LimitAlarm --HasComponent--> LimitState
HasSubStateMachine is a non-hierarchical reference, so it
cannot double as the parent/child reference — the sub-SM is a
HasComponent child of the state machine and the spec reference
hangs off the parent state node.
Server side — materialized state and transition nodes
To give HasSubStateMachine a state node to hang off — and to make
CurrentState/Id and LastTransition/Id resolve to something a
client can actually browse — FluentFiniteStateMachineState
materializes a node per declared state and transition when the machine
is created. All of them are HasComponent children of the machine.
States — one StateType node each, carrying a StateNumber
property equal to the numeric state id. CurrentState/Id points at
the node for the current state and tracks it across transitions, and
the optional AvailableStates property lists them, so
GetAvailableStatesAsync works against a fluent-built server.
Transitions — one TransitionType node each, carrying a
TransitionNumber property and the Part 16 §4.4.11 references:
FromState/ToStateto the two state nodes;HasEffecttoTransitionEventType, unless the transition was declared withhasEffect: false— forward-only, matching how companion NodeSets declare it (the target is a standard node owned by another node manager, so no inverse edge is registered there);HasCauseto the method node, added byWithCause(methodNodeId)for every transition the cause can trigger.
AvailableTransitions lists them, and the optional LastTransition
variable is materialized too — without it the base class has nowhere
to record a completed transition and ObserveFiniteTransitionsAsync
has nothing to subscribe to.
NodeIds are per instance, derived from the machine's own NodeId,
so several machines built from one definition coexist in a single
address space. Use sm.GetStateId(nodeId) / sm.GetTransitionId(nodeId)
and their inverses sm.GetStateNodeId(stateId) /
sm.GetTransitionNodeId(transitionId) to move between a NodeId and
the numeric id used by AddState / AddTransition / OnCause and
the lifecycle hooks — never parse the NodeId's identifier directly.
Element nodes land in the namespace given to UseElementNamespace,
or in the state machine's own namespace when that was not called or
the URI is not registered with the server (the element namespace
defaults to the OPC UA namespace, which must never host vendor
nodes).
Because element NodeIds are derived from browse names, browse names
must be unique across states and transitions (and must not shadow the
standard CurrentState / LastTransition / AvailableStates /
AvailableTransitions children); the builder rejects duplicates when
the definition freezes.
Cost is one node plus one property per declared state and transition, per machine instance — worth weighing for servers that instantiate many machines.
Client side — sub-SM observation
FiniteStateMachineTypeClient parent =
new FiniteStateMachineTypeClient(session, alarmId, telemetry);
// The state NodeId comes from AvailableStates ...
IReadOnlyList<FiniteStateInfo> states =
await parent.GetAvailableStatesAsync(ct);
NodeId activeStateId = states.First(s => s.BrowseName.Name == "Active").NodeId;
// ... or from a snapshot's CurrentStateId, to reach the sub-SM of
// whatever state the machine is in right now.
FiniteStateMachineTypeClient? limitSm =
await parent.GetSubStateMachineAsync(
parentStateNodeId: activeStateId, telemetry, ct);
if (limitSm != null)
{
FiniteStateSnapshot snap = await limitSm.GetCurrentFiniteStateAsync(ct);
Console.WriteLine($"Limit state: {snap.CurrentState}");
}
// Observe combined parent + sub-SM transitions:
await foreach (FiniteStateSnapshot snap in parent
.ObserveEffectiveStateAsync(streaming, telemetry, ct: ct))
{
Console.WriteLine($"Parent: {snap.CurrentState}");
if (snap.SubMachine != null)
{
Console.WriteLine($" Sub: {snap.SubMachine.CurrentState}");
}
}
FiniteStateSnapshot gains an optional
SubMachine: FiniteStateSnapshot? field carrying the snapshot of
the parent's currently-active sub-SM (or null if none).
ObserveEffectiveStateAsync yields a combined snapshot each time
either the parent transitions or the parent's currently-active
sub-SM transitions:
- On every parent transition the yield carries the latest known
snapshot of the sub-SM attached to the new state (or
nullif none). - On every sub-SM transition that occurs while the parent is in the state that owns the sub-SM, the yield carries the new sub-SM snapshot. Sub-SM transitions occurring while the parent is in a different state are silently discarded.
Under the hood all discovered sub-SMs are subscribed once up-front and
their notifications are multiplexed through a Channel<T>; sub-SM
events are filtered against the parent's currently-active state.
Client side — typed sub-SM accessors (generated)
For every <opc:Object> child declared on a generator-emitted
ObjectType, the source generator now emits a typed, lazily-resolved
accessor on the parent type's client. For state-machine types, this
gives ergonomic access to known sub-SMs without needing to know the
state NodeId:
// Generated on AlarmConditionTypeClient:
ShelvedStateMachineTypeClient? shelving = await alarm
.GetShelvingStateAsync(telemetry, ct);
// Generated on ExclusiveLimitAlarmTypeClient:
ExclusiveLimitStateMachineTypeClient? limit = await alarm
.GetLimitStateAsync(telemetry, ct);
Properties of the generated accessor:
- Typed — returns the concrete sub-SM proxy type, not the generic
FiniteStateMachineTypeClient. - Lazy — first call resolves the child NodeId via
TranslateBrowsePathsToNodeIdsagainst the parent'sObjectId. Optional children (ModellingRule="Optional") that aren't exposed by the server yieldnull. - Cached — subsequent calls return the same instance without another browse round-trip. The cache is per-parent-instance.
Vendor models that add their own <opc:Object> children on a custom
ObjectType benefit automatically; the generator emits the same shape
for every Object child it encounters.
Fluent builder behavior — HasSubStateMachine is on the state node
Earlier fluent-builder implementations attached HasSubStateMachine to the state machine
root, because the fluent builder did not materialize state nodes.
It now sits on the parent state node per Part 16 §4.4.16, and the
root reference is gone.
Callers that passed the state machine's ObjectId to
GetSubStateMachineAsync must pass a state NodeId instead — from
GetAvailableStatesAsync or from a snapshot's CurrentStateId.
Extensibility recipes
- Add convenience properties. Subclass
FluentFiniteStateMachineState, overrideCreateChildrenif you need vendor-specific child variables, and callStateMachineBuilder.For<MyVendorFsm>(instance, ctx)to attach behavior. - Bind a method node to a cause.
WithCause(methodNodeId)installs anOnCallMethod2handler that callsDoCause(...). The cause id is derived from the method NodeId's numeric identifier (OPC UA convention); the cause→transition mapping is whatever the underlying FSM declared (OnCause(...)in definition mode or hardcoded in a stack/vendor subclass). - Drive auto-transitions.
WithTimedTransition(fromStateId, timeout, transitionId, causeId)arms aSystem.Threading.Timeron every entry intofromStateId(including the initial state) and cancels it on exit. The timer firesDoTransition(...)on a thread-pool thread, so the standard transition machinery (events, audit, observers) runs as expected. - Escape hatch.
ConfigureStateMachine(Action<TState>)is invoked synchronously with the underlying state machine. Use it for properties or methods the builder doesn't surface directly.
Tests
tests/Opc.Ua.Server.Tests/StateMachines/StateMachineBuilderTests.csvalidates definition-mode chaining, validation, and freeze semantics.tests/Opc.Ua.Server.Tests/StateMachines/StateMachineBuilderLifecycleTests.csexercises every lifecycle method, including timed transitions and the layering behavior on top of pre-existing delegates.tests/Opc.Ua.Server.Tests/StateMachines/FluentFiniteStateMachineStateTests.cscovers the table projections.- The Part 9 conformance tests in
tests/Opc.Ua.History.Tests/AlarmsAndConditions*.csexerciseAlarmClient.GetShelvingStateAsyncandObserveShelvingTransitionsAsyncend-to-end against the reference server.
See also
- Subscriptions and Monitored Items — the
IStreamingSubscriptionsurface the observation methods consume. - Alarms and conditions — Part 9 alarm client that exposes the shelving-state-machine helpers.
- Device Integration (DI) software-update facet
— the four DI SU state machines, the typed
SoftwareUpdateClient.StateMachinepartial, and the server-sideOn*StateChangedinstrumentation hooks. - Source-generated NodeManagers —
how vendor NodeSets get their
*TypeClientproxies emitted.