Stepstate

Stepstate is a term used to describe the condition of a system after a discrete step in a process. It is commonly employed in fields that model dynamics in steps, such as digital design, control theory, simulations, and debugging. A stepstate consists of the values of relevant state variables at the end of the step, which may include position, velocity, clock cycle, sensor readings, or energization patterns in hardware.

In software development and debugging, the stepstate refers to the program state after a single executed step, such as after stepping over a line or into a function. It helps engineers observe how variables change and how control flow evolves on a per-step basis.

In control systems and motion hardware, stepstate is used to describe the discrete condition of a controller or actuator after a step input or at a particular step in a sequence. For example, in a stepper motor drive, the stepstate maps to a coil energization pattern at a given step of the motor sequence.

In discrete-time simulations, stepstate denotes the state vector at time t_k, where t_k = k * dt. The concept supports recording state transitions and propagating dynamics from one step to the next.

Stepstate is a generic label rather than a standardized interface, so its exact meaning depends on the context and the variables tracked by the model. See also finite-state machine, discrete-time simulation, stepper motor, and debugger terminology.