Working with Context

Context is the data that accompanies your state machine throughout its lifecycle. It persists across transitions and can be read or modified by behaviors.

Defining Initial Context

Set initial context values in your machine configuration:

MachineDefinition::define(
    config: [
        'initial' => 'idle',
        'context' => [
            'count' => 0,
            'items' => [],
            'user' => null,
        ],
        'states' => [...],
    ],
);

Reading Context

In Actions

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use Tarfinlabs\EventMachine\Behavior\ActionBehavior; use Tarfinlabs\EventMachine\ContextManager; 
class IncrementCountAction extends ActionBehavior
{
    public function __invoke(ContextManager $context): void
    {
        $currentCount = $context->get('count');
        $context->set('count', $currentCount + 1);
    }
}

In Guards

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use Tarfinlabs\EventMachine\Behavior\GuardBehavior; use Tarfinlabs\EventMachine\ContextManager; 
class HasItemsGuard extends GuardBehavior
{
    public function __invoke(ContextManager $context): bool
    {
        $items = $context->get('items');
        return count($items) > 0;
    }
}

From State Object

$machine = OrderMachine::create();
$state = $machine->send(['type' => 'ADD_ITEM', 'item' => $item]);

$count = $state->context->get('count');
$items = $state->context->get('items');

Writing Context

Using set()

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use Tarfinlabs\EventMachine\ContextManager; $context = new ContextManager(); $userData = ['name' => 'Alice']; $items = ['item1']; $newItem = 'item2'; 
$context->set('count', 5);
$context->set('user', $userData);
$context->set('items', [...$items, $newItem]);

Using Magic Properties

The ContextManager supports magic property access:

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use Tarfinlabs\EventMachine\ContextManager; $context = new ContextManager(); 
// Reading
$count = $context->count;

// Writing
$context->count = 5;

Context Methods

Method	Description
get(string $key)	Get a value by key
set(string $key, mixed $value)	Set a value
has(string $key, ?string $type = null)	Check if key exists (optionally with type)
remove(string $key)	Remove a key
computedContext()	Override in subclasses to define computed key-value pairs for API responses
toResponseArray()	Returns toArray() merged with computedContext() — used by endpoints and State::toArray()

Checking Existence

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use Tarfinlabs\EventMachine\ContextManager; $context = new ContextManager(); $context->set('user', new stdClass()); 
if ($context->has('user')) {
    // Key exists
}

// Check existence with type
if ($context->has('user', User::class)) {
    // Key exists and value is instance of User
}

Custom Context Classes

For type safety and validation, create a custom ContextManager:

use Tarfinlabs\EventMachine\ContextManager;
use Spatie\LaravelData\Attributes\Validation\Required;
use Spatie\LaravelData\Attributes\Validation\Min;

class OrderContext extends ContextManager
{
    public function __construct(
        #[Required]
        public int $total = 0,

        #[Required, Min(0)]
        public int $itemCount = 0,

        public ?string $customerId = null,

        public array $items = [],

        public ?string $couponCode = null,
    ) {}
}

Using Custom Context

Reference it in your configuration:

MachineDefinition::define(
    config: [
        'initial' => 'cart',
        'context' => OrderContext::class,  // Reference the class
        'states' => [...],
    ],
);

Benefits of Custom Context

1. Type Safety: Properties have explicit types
2. Validation: Uses Laravel Data validation attributes
3. IDE Support: Full autocomplete and type hints
4. Documentation: Self-documenting structure

Accessing Custom Context

With custom context classes, access properties directly:

class AddItemAction extends ActionBehavior
{
    public function __invoke(OrderContext $context): void
    {
        // Direct property access with types
        $context->itemCount++;
        $context->total += $this->getItemPrice();
    }
}

Context Validation

Automatic Validation

Context is validated:

1. When the machine initializes
2. After every action executes

If validation fails, a MachineContextValidationException is thrown.

Manual Validation

$context->selfValidate();  // Throws on failure

Validation Rules

Using Laravel Data attributes:

use Spatie\LaravelData\Attributes\Validation\Required;
use Spatie\LaravelData\Attributes\Validation\Min;
use Spatie\LaravelData\Attributes\Validation\Max;
use Spatie\LaravelData\Attributes\Validation\Email;

class UserContext extends ContextManager
{
    public function __construct(
        #[Required, Min(1)]
        public int $balance = 0,

        #[Required, Email]
        public string $email = '',

        #[Max(100)]
        public string $name = '',
    ) {}
}

Context in Events

Events can carry payload that updates context:

// Sending an event with payload
$machine->send([
    'type' => 'UPDATE_SETTINGS',
    'settings' => [
        'theme' => 'dark',
        'notifications' => true,
    ],
]);

Access event payload in actions:

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use Tarfinlabs\EventMachine\Behavior\ActionBehavior; use Tarfinlabs\EventMachine\Behavior\EventBehavior; use Tarfinlabs\EventMachine\ContextManager; 
class UpdateSettingsAction extends ActionBehavior
{
    public function __invoke(
        ContextManager $context,
        EventBehavior $event
    ): void {
        $settings = $event->payload['settings'];
        $context->set('theme', $settings['theme']);
        $context->set('notifications', $settings['notifications']);
    }
}

Required Context in Behaviors

Declare required context keys for behaviors:

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use Tarfinlabs\EventMachine\Behavior\ActionBehavior; use Tarfinlabs\EventMachine\ContextManager; 
class ProcessPaymentAction extends ActionBehavior
{
    public static array $requiredContext = [
        'total',
        'customerId',
    ];

    public function __invoke(ContextManager $context): void
    {
        // Guaranteed to have 'total' and 'customerId'
        $total = $context->get('total');
        $customerId = $context->get('customerId');
    }
}

If required context is missing, an exception is thrown before the behavior executes.

Context Persistence

Context changes are persisted to the database with each transition:

// Initial state
$machine = OrderMachine::create();
// Context: { count: 0 }

// After transition
$machine->send(['type' => 'INCREMENT']);
// Context: { count: 1 }

// Later, restore from database
$machine = OrderMachine::create(state: $rootEventId);
// Context: { count: 1 } - restored!

Complete Example

// Context class
class ShoppingCartContext extends ContextManager
{
    public function __construct(
        public array $items = [],
        public int $total = 0,
        public ?string $coupon = null,
        public int $discount = 0,
    ) {}

    public function addItem(array $item): void
    {
        $this->items[] = $item;
        $this->recalculateTotal();
    }

    public function recalculateTotal(): void
    {
        $this->total = array_sum(array_column($this->items, 'price'));
        $this->total -= $this->discount;
    }
}

// Machine definition
MachineDefinition::define(
    config: [
        'id' => 'cart',
        'initial' => 'browsing',
        'context' => ShoppingCartContext::class,
        'states' => [
            'browsing' => [
                'on' => [
                    'ADD_ITEM' => ['actions' => 'addItemAction'],
                    'REMOVE_ITEM' => ['actions' => 'removeItemAction'],
                    'APPLY_COUPON' => ['actions' => 'applyCouponAction'],
                    'CHECKOUT' => [
                        'target' => 'checkout',
                        'guards' => 'hasItemsGuard',
                    ],
                ],
            ],
            'checkout' => [...],
        ],
    ],
    behavior: [
        'actions' => [
            'addItemAction' => AddItemAction::class,
            'removeItemAction' => RemoveItemAction::class,
            'applyCouponAction' => ApplyCouponAction::class,
        ],
        'guards' => [
            'hasItemsGuard' => HasItemsGuard::class,
        ],
    ],
);

// Usage
$cart = ShoppingCartMachine::create();

$state = $cart->send([
    'type' => 'ADD_ITEM',
    'item' => ['name' => 'Widget', 'price' => 1999],
]);

echo $state->context->total; // 1999

Testing Context

OrderMachine::test(['total' => 500, 'currency' => 'TRY'])
    ->assertContext('total', 500)
    ->assertContextHas('currency')
    ->send('APPLY_DISCOUNT')
    ->assertContext('total', 450)
    ->assertContextIncludes(['total' => 450, 'currency' => 'TRY']);

Full Testing Guide

See TestMachine Context Assertions for more examples.