statealso

Statealso is a neologism used in the field of state-machine and workflow modeling to describe a secondary or parallel state associated with a primary state. Unlike standard parallel composition, which models independent concurrent regions, statealso denotes a conditional or supplementary state that accompanies the main state under specific guards or contexts.

Origin and scope: The term is not part of any formal standard. It has emerged in speculative discussions and in some domain-specific modeling conversations as a concise way to capture optional or auxiliary system configurations without introducing additional regions. Its use is typically limited to conceptual explanations or lightweight modeling notation rather than mainstream practice.

Notation and semantics: In a model that uses statealso, transitions into the primary state may be annotated with a statealso flag or with a parallel component that becomes active when a guard is true. The effect is that the system can be in the main state while also being in the accompanying state, potentially affecting outputs or allowed transitions. The exact syntax and interpretation vary between tools and authors, contributing to inconsistencies in implementation.

Examples: In a mobile app, in the primary state Online, a statealso DarkMode could be active when the user has dark mode enabled, influencing UI rendering. In a workflow, a statealso AuditNeeded might accompany the Review state to indicate a required audit that runs alongside the review process.

Relation to other concepts: Statealso is related to, but distinct from, orthogonal regions in statecharts, parallel states in Petri nets, and substate hierarchies. It remains controversial because it can blur boundaries of state composition and complicate tooling.

Criticism and status: Critics argue that it adds ambiguity and complexity. Proponents view statealso as a compact way to model conditional auxiliary states. Adoption remains limited, and it is not part of standard modeling languages.