corda/docs/source/api-states.rst
2017-06-05 13:37:23 +01:00

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API: States
===========
.. note:: Before reading this page, you should be familiar with the key concepts of :doc:`key-concepts-states`.
ContractState
-------------
In Corda, states are classes that implement ``ContractState``. The ``ContractState`` interface is defined as follows:
.. container:: codeset
.. literalinclude:: ../../core/src/main/kotlin/net/corda/core/contracts/Structures.kt
:language: kotlin
:start-after: DOCSTART 1
:end-before: DOCEND 1
Where:
* ``contract`` is the ``Contract`` class defining the constraints on transactions involving states of this type
* ``participants`` is a ``List`` of the ``AbstractParty`` who are considered to have a stake in the state. For example,
all the ``participants`` will:
* Need to sign a notary-change transaction for this state
* Receive any committed transactions involving this state as part of ``FinalityFlow``
The vault
---------
Each node has a vault, where it stores the states that are "relevant" to the node's owner. Whenever the node sees a
new transaction, it performs a relevancy check to decide whether to add each of the transaction's output states to
its vault. The default vault implementation decides whether a state is relevant as follows:
* The vault will store any state for which it is one of the ``participants``
* This behavior is overridden for states that implement ``LinearState`` or ``OwnableState`` (see below)
If a state is not considered relevant, the node will still store the transaction in its local storage, but it will
not track the transaction's states in its vault.
ContractState sub-interfaces
----------------------------
There are two common optional sub-interfaces of ``ContractState``:
* ``LinearState``, which helps represent objects that have a constant identity over time
* ``OwnableState``, which helps represent fungible assets
For example, a cash is an ``OwnableState`` - you don't have a specific piece of cash you are tracking over time, but
rather a total amount of cash that you can combine and divide at will. A contract, on the other hand, cannot be
merged with other contracts of the same type - it has a unique separate identity over time.
We can picture the hierarchy as follows:
.. image:: resources/state-hierarchy.png
LinearState
^^^^^^^^^^^
``LinearState`` models facts that have a constant identity over time. Remember that in Corda, states are immutable and
can't be updated directly. Instead, we represent an evolving fact as a sequence of states where every state is a
``LinearState`` that shares the same ``linearId``. Each sequence of linear states represents the lifecycle of a given
fact up to the current point in time. It represents the historic audit trail of how the fact evolved over time to its
current "state".
The ``LinearState`` interface is defined as follows:
.. container:: codeset
.. literalinclude:: ../../core/src/main/kotlin/net/corda/core/contracts/Structures.kt
:language: kotlin
:start-after: DOCSTART 2
:end-before: DOCEND 2
Where:
* ``linearId`` is a ``UniqueIdentifier`` that:
* Allows the successive versions of the fact to be linked over time
* Provides an ``externalId`` for referencing the state in external systems
* ``isRelevant(ourKeys: Set<PublicKey>)`` overrides the default vault implementation's relevancy check. You would
generally override it to check whether ``ourKeys`` is relevant to the state at hand in some way.
The vault tracks the head (i.e. the most recent version) of each ``LinearState`` chain (i.e. each sequence of
states all sharing a ``linearId``). To create a transaction updating a ``LinearState``, we retrieve the state from the
vault using its ``linearId``.
OwnableState
^^^^^^^^^^^^
``OwnableState`` models fungible assets. Fungible assets are assets for which it's the total amount held that is
important, rather than the actual units held. US dollars are an example of a fungible asset - we do not track the
individual dollar bills held, but rather the total amount of dollars.
The ``OwnableState`` interface is defined as follows:
.. container:: codeset
.. literalinclude:: ../../core/src/main/kotlin/net/corda/core/contracts/Structures.kt
:language: kotlin
:start-after: DOCSTART 3
:end-before: DOCEND 3
Where:
* ``owner`` is the ``PublicKey`` of the asset's owner
* ``OwnableState`` also override the default behavior of the vault's relevancy check. The default vault
implementation will track any ``OwnableState`` of which it is the owner.
* ``withNewOwner(newOwner: PublicKey)`` creates an identical copy of the state, only with a new owner
Other interfaces
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
``ContractState`` has several more sub-interfaces that can optionally be implemented:
* ``QueryableState``, which allows the state to be queried in the node's database using SQL (see
:doc:`persistence`)
* ``SchedulableState``, which allows us to schedule future actions for the state (e.g. a coupon on a bond) (see
:doc:`event-scheduling`)
User-defined fields
-------------------
Beyond implementing ``LinearState`` or ``OwnableState``, the definition of the state is up to the CorDapp developer.
You can define any additional class fields and methods you see fit.
For example, here is a relatively complex state definition, for a state representing cash:
.. container:: codeset
.. literalinclude:: ../../finance/src/main/kotlin/net/corda/contracts/asset/Cash.kt
:language: kotlin
:start-after: DOCSTART 1
:end-before: DOCEND 1
TransactionState
----------------
When a ``ContractState`` is added to a ``TransactionBuilder``, it is wrapped in a ``TransactionState``:
.. container:: codeset
.. literalinclude:: ../../core/src/main/kotlin/net/corda/core/contracts/Structures.kt
:language: kotlin
:start-after: DOCSTART 4
:end-before: DOCEND 4
Where:
* ``data`` is the state to be stored on-ledger
* ``notary`` is the notary service for this state
* ``encumbrance`` points to another state that must also appear as an input to any transaction consuming this
state