Context, State, and Hooks

Managing state effectively is critical for dynamic logic engines. neuron-js uses the ExecutionContext to achieve this.

ExecutionContext

The ExecutionContext is a shared object that travels with the execution flow.

• Storage: It typically holds a state object (the primary data being processed) and a messages list (for logging/audit trails).
• Mutations: Actions can return a modified version of the context. This allows an action to "enrich" the state for subsequent elements.
• Access: Both Conditions and Actions have full access to the context, allowing them to make decisions or perform tasks based on the current state of the system.

ExecutionResult

When a script finishes (or fails), the Synapse returns an ExecutionResult. This object contains:

• Success Flag: Whether the execution completed without runtime errors.
• Final Context: The state after all successful actions have run.
• Metadata: Information such as the number of rules executed and any error/info messages collected during the run.

Lifecycle Hooks

Hooks allow external systems to monitor and react to the execution engine's internal states.

Common Hook Events:

• ON_SCRIPT_START / ON_SCRIPT_END
• ON_RULE_START / ON_RULE_END
• ON_CONDITION_START / ON_ACTION_START
• ON_ERROR (Generic or specific to elements)

Use Cases for Hooks:

• Logging: Send execution logs to a centralized system (e.g., ELK stack).
• Telemetry: Track how many times certain rules are firing.
• Debugging: Inspect the context at specific breakpoints in the execution.