Statum

Statum is a zero-boilerplate library for finite-state machines in Rust, with compile-time state transition validation. It provides two attribute macros:

• #[state] for defining states (as enums).
• #[machine] for creating a state machine struct that tracks which state you’re in at compile time.

Quick Start (Minimal Example)

Here’s the simplest usage of Statum without any extra features:

use statum::{state, machine};

// 1. Define your states as an enum.
#[state]
pub enum LightState {
    Off,
    On,
}

#[machine]
pub struct Light<S: LightState> {
    name: String, // Contextual, Machine-wide fields go here, like clients, configs, an identifier, etc.
}

// 3. Implement transitions for each state.
impl Light<Off> {
    pub fn switch_on(self) -> Light<On> {
        self.transition()
    }
}

impl Light<On> {
    pub fn switch_off(self) -> Light<Off> {
        self.transition()
    }
}

fn main() {
    // 4. Create a machine with the "Off" state.
    // note: you dont need the ::<Off> here, it is inferred
    // but it is shown here for clarity
    let light = Light::<Off>::new("desk lamp".to_owned());

    // 5. Transition from Off -> On, On -> Off, etc.
    let light = light.switch_on();
    let light = light.switch_off();
}

How It Works

• #[state] transforms your enum, generating one struct per variant (like Off and On), plus a trait LightState.
• #[machine] injects extra fields (marker, state_data) to track which state you’re in, letting you define transitions that change the state at the type level.

That’s it! You now have a compile-time guaranteed state machine where invalid transitions are impossible.

---

Additional Features & Examples

1. Adding Debug, Clone, or Other Derives

By default, you can add normal Rust derives on your enum and struct. For example:

#[state]
#[derive(Debug, Clone)]
pub enum LightState {
    Off,
    On,
}

#[machine]
#[derive(Debug, Clone)]
pub struct Light<S: LightState> {
    name: String,
}

Important: If you place #[derive(...)] above #[machine], you may see an error like:

error[E0063]: missing fields `marker` and `state_data` in initializer of `Light<_>`
   |
14 | #[derive(Debug, Clone)]
   |          ^ missing `marker` and `state_data`

That’s because the derive macro for Clone, Debug, etc., expands before #[machine] has injected these extra fields. To avoid this, either:

• Put #[machine] above the derive(s), or
• Remove the conflicting derive(s) from the same item.

For example, this works:

#[machine]
#[derive(Debug, Clone)]
pub struct Light<S: LightState> {
    name: String,
}

This does not:

#[derive(Debug, Clone)] //note the position of the derive
#[machine]
pub struct Light<S: LightState> {
    name: String,
}

---

2. serde Integration

Statum can optionally propagate Serialize/Deserialize derives if you enable the "serde" feature and derive those on your #[state] enum. For example:

[dependencies]
statum = { version = "x.y.z", features = ["serde"] }
serde = { version = "1.0", features = ["derive"] }

Then, in your code:

use statum::state;

#[state]
#[derive(Debug, serde::Serialize, serde::Deserialize)]
pub enum DocumentState {
    Draft,
    Published,
}

If you enable Statum’s "serde" feature, any #[derive(Serialize)] and #[derive(Deserialize)] you put on the enum will get passed through to the expanded variant structs. If you do not enable that feature, deriving those traits will likely fail to compile.

---

3. Complex Transitions & Data-Bearing States

Defining State Data

States can hold data. For example:

#[state]
pub enum ReviewState {
    Draft,
    InReview(ReviewData), // State data
    Published,
}

#[derive(Debug)]
pub struct ReviewData {
    reviewer: String,
    notes: Vec<String>,
}

#[machine]
pub struct Document<S: ReviewState> {
    id: String,
    content: String,
}

// ...

impl Document<Draft> {
    pub fn submit_for_review(self, reviewer: String) -> Document<InReview> {
        let data = ReviewData { reviewer, notes: vec![] };
        self.transition_with(data) // Note: when we have state data, we use self.transition_with(...) instead of self.transition()
    }
}

// ...

We use self.transition_with(data) instead of self.transition() to transition to a state that carries data.

Accessing State Data

Use .get_state_data() or .get_state_data_mut() to interact with the state-specific data:

impl Document<Review> {
    fn add_note(&mut self, note: String) {
        if let Some(review_data) = self.get_state_data_mut() {
            review_data.notes.push(note);
        }
    }

    fn reviewer_name(&self) -> Option<&str> {
        self.get_state_data().map(|data| data.reviewer.as_str())
    }

    fn approve(self) -> Document<Published> {
        self.transition()
    }
}

---

4. Reconstructing State Machines from Persistent Data

State machines in real-world applications often need to persist their state—saving to and loading from external storage like databases. Reconstructing a state machine from this data must be both robust and type-safe. Statum's #[validators] macro simplifies this process, ensuring seamless integration between your persistent data and state machine logic.

---

Using #[validators] to Reconstruct State Machines

Here's a quick example to illustrate how #[validators] helps reconstruct state machines from persistent data:

#[state]
#[derive(Clone, Debug, Serialize)]
pub enum TaskState {
    New,
    InProgress(DraftData),
    Complete,
}

#[derive(Clone, Debug, Serialize)]
pub struct DraftData {
    version: u32,
}

#[machine]
#[derive(Clone, Debug, Serialize)]
struct TaskMachine<S: TaskState> {
    client: String,
    name: String,
    priority: u8,
}

#[derive(Clone)]
struct DbData {
    id: String,
    state: String,
}

#[validators(state = TaskState, machine = TaskMachine)]
impl DbData {
    fn is_new(&self) -> Result<(), statum::Error> {
        if self.state == "new" {
            //Note: that we have access to the fields of TaskMachine here!
            println!("Client: {}, Name: {}, Priority: {}", client, name, priority);
            Ok(())
        } else {
            Err(statum::Error::InvalidState)
        }
    }

    fn is_in_progress(&self) -> Result<DraftData, statum::Error> {
        if self.state == "in_progress" {
            println!("Client: {}, Name: {}, Priority: {}", client, name, priority);
            Ok(DraftData { version: 1 })
        } else {
            Err(statum::Error::InvalidState)
        }
    }

    fn is_complete(&self) -> Result<(), statum::Error> {
        if state == "complete" {
            println!("Client: {}, Name: {}, Priority: {}", client, name, priority);
            Ok(())
        } else {
            Err(statum::Error::InvalidState)
        }
    }
}

fn main() {
    let db_data = DbData {
        id: "123".to_owned(),
        state: "in_progress".to_owned(),
    };

    // Reconstruct the state machine
    let task_machine = db_data.to_machine().unwrap();

    // Match on the state machine wrapper to access state-specific logic
    match task_machine {
        TaskMachineWrapper::New => println!("Task is new"),
        TaskMachineWrapper::InProgress(data) => println!("Task is in progress with version: {}", data.version),
        TaskMachineWrapper::Complete => println!("Task is complete"),
    }
}

In this example, the #[validators] macro ensures that:

1. Fields of the machine (client, name, priority) are automatically available inside validator methods.
2. db_data.to_machine() calls the macro-generated to_machine method to determine the appropriate state and reconstruct the state machine.
3. Using match on TaskMachineWrapper, the reconstructed machine's state determines the behavior, ensuring type-safe and intuitive handling

---

Why Validators?

The #[validators] macro exists to solve a key problem: connecting persistent data to state machines in a type-safe, ergonomic, and flexible way. Here’s why it’s essential:

1. Bridging Persistent Data and States
   Persistent data, like database records, must be interpreted to determine the correct state of a machine. Validators provide a clear and structured way to define how a given record maps to each state.

2. Simplifying Validation Logic
   Validators allow you to define state-specific conditions and encapsulate them in dedicated methods. This makes complex logic easier to manage and reduces boilerplate code.

3. Direct Access to Machine Fields
   Instead of manually passing fields to validation methods, the #[validators] macro automatically makes them available. This simplifies the code and keeps validation logic focused on its purpose.

4. Ensuring Completeness and Safety
   By centralizing validation logic in a single #[validators]-annotated block:

   • Each state is guaranteed to have a corresponding validator.
   • Rust's type system ensures the logic is correct and consistent.

5. Constructing State-Specific Data
   Validators can generate data specific to certain states (e.g., DraftData for InProgress). This encapsulation ensures the state machine is reconstructed with integrity and minimal duplication.

---

Macro-Generated Reconstruction

The #[validators] macro also generates a to_machine method that automates the process of:

1. Validating the state using the corresponding methods.
2. Constructing the state machine with the correct state and any state-specific data.

---

Tip: If your validators are async, ensure you call .to_machine() with .await to avoid compilation errors.

---

Common Errors and Tips

1. missing fields marker and state_data

   • Usually means your derive macros (e.g., Clone or Debug) expanded before Statum could inject those fields. Move #[machine] above your derives, or remove them.

2. cannot find type X in this scope

   • Ensure that you define your #[machine] struct before you reference it in impl blocks or function calls.

3. Feature gating

   • If you’re using #[derive(Serialize, Deserialize)] on a #[state] enum but didn’t enable the serde feature in Statum, you’ll get compile errors about missing trait bounds.

---

Lint Warnings (unexpected_cfgs)

If you see warnings like:

= note: no expected values for `feature`
= help: consider adding `foo` as a feature in `Cargo.toml`

it means you have the unexpected_cfgs lint enabled but you haven’t told your crate “feature = foo” is valid. This is a Rust nightly lint that ensures you only use #[cfg(feature="...")] with known feature values.

To fix it, either disable the lint or declare the allowed values in your crate’s Cargo.toml:

[lints.rust.unexpected_cfgs]
check-cfg = [
  'cfg(feature, values("serde"))'
]
level = "warn"

License

Statum is distributed under the terms of the MIT license. See LICENSE for details.