## Global read, local write

Discrete variables can only be declared in automata, and may only be assigned (given a value, written) by that automaton. They may however be read globally. Consider the following CIF specification:

    automaton customer:
      location:
        initial;
        edge queue1.enter when queue1.count <= queue2.count;
        edge queue2.enter when queue2.count <= queue1.count;
    end

    automaton queue1:
      event enter, leave;

      disc int count = 0;

      location:
        initial;
        edge enter when count < 2 do count := count + 1;
        edge leave when count > 0 do count := count - 1;
    end

    automaton queue2:
      event enter, leave;

      disc int count = 0;

      location:
        initial;
        edge enter when count < 2 do count := count + 1;
        edge leave when count > 0 do count := count - 1;
    end

This specification models a supermarket, and features a customer and two queues. Customers arrive and enter either of the queues. Eventually customers leave the queue.

Both queues (automata `queue1` and `queue2`) are identical, except for their names. They maintain the `count`, which represents the number of customers in the queue. A queues is full if it contains two customers. Customers can thus only `enter` a queue if less than two customers are present. Similarly, it is only possible for a customer to leave a queue if there is a customer in the queue.

Customers decide to which queue they go, based on the number of customers already present in those queues. A customer only enters the first queue if that queue has less than or the same number of customers as the second queue. Similarly, a customer only enters the second queue if that queue has less than or the same number of customers as the first queue. If the queues have the same number of customers, the customer can choose either queue.

The `enter` event declared in the first queue (`queue1`) is used by both the `customer` automaton and the `queue1` automaton. The event is thus only possible (enabled) if both automata can participate. Both automata restrict the occurrence of the event using a guard. The event is thus only possible if both guards hold. That is, a custom never enters the first queue if it is full, but it also never enters that queue if it has more customers than the second queue.

The state space of this specification is as follows:

The states are labeled with the counts of the first and second queues.

The `customer` automaton uses the values of the variables of the queue automata, and thus reads variables of other automata. This is allowed, due to the global read concept of CIF. This concept allows for short guards, that directly and intuitively represent the condition under which an event may take place.

The global read concept should only be used when it is intuitive. In the supermarket example, the customer can physically see how many customers are in the queues. It is therefore intuitive to directly refer to the `count` variables of the queue automata. If however the customer would not be able to physically observer the queues, then the customer would not be able to directly base its decision of which queue to join, on that information. In that latter case, it may not be a good idea to model the guard in such way.

The local write concept means that discrete variables can only be written by the automata in which they are declared. It is not allowed for the `customer` and `queue2` automata to write (change the value of) the `count` variable of the `queue1` automaton. Only the `queue1` automaton may write that variable. The local write concept prevents that multiple automata write to the same variable, as part of a synchronizing event, potentially causing conflicting values to be assigned to that variable. This leads to several benefits, most notably simpler semantics.