Documentation for initialisation/login code (#31297)

* Documentation in MatrixChat and Lifecycle

* State transition diagram for `View`

Author: richvdh

src/Lifecycle.ts

@@ -599,6 +599,9 @@ async function abortLogin(): Promise<void> {
 }
 
 /** Attempt to restore the session from localStorage or indexeddb.
+ *
+ * If the credentials are found, and the session is successfully restored,
+ * emits {@link Action.OnLoggedIn}, {@link Action.WillStartClient} and {@link Action.StartedClient}.
  *
  * @returns true if a session was found; false if no existing session was found.
  *
@@ -787,6 +790,8 @@ async function createOidcTokenRefresher(credentials: IMatrixClientCreds): Promis
  * optionally clears localstorage, persists new credentials
  * to localstorage, starts the new client.
  *
+ * Emits {@link Action.OnLoggedIn}, {@link Action.WillStartClient} and {@link Action.StartedClient}.
+ *
  * @param {IMatrixClientCreds} credentials The credentials to use
  * @param {Boolean} clearStorageEnabled True to clear storage before starting the new client
  * @param {Boolean} isFreshLogin True if this is a fresh login, false if it is previous session being restored
@@ -1019,6 +1024,12 @@ export function isLoggingOut(): boolean {
  * Starts the matrix client and all other react-sdk services that
  * listen for events while a session is logged in.
  *
+ * By the time this method is called, we have successfully logged in if necessary, and the client has been set up with
+ * the access token.
+ *
+ * Emits {@link Acction.WillStartClient} before starting the client, and {@link Action.ClientStarted} when the client has
+ * been started.
+ *
  * @param client the matrix client to start
  * @param startSyncing - `true` to actually start syncing the client.
  * @param clientPegOpts - Options to pass through to {@link MatrixClientPeg.start}.

src/Views.ts

@@ -6,7 +6,76 @@ SPDX-License-Identifier: AGPL-3.0-only OR GPL-3.0-only OR LicenseRef-Element-Com
 Please see LICENSE files in the repository root for full details.
 */
 
-/** constants for MatrixChat.state.view */
+/**
+ * Constants for MatrixChat.state.view.
+ *
+ * The `View` is the primary state machine of the application: it has different states for the various setup flows
+ * that the user may find themselves in. Once we have a functioning client, we can transition to the `LOGGED_IN` state
+ * which is the "normal" state of the application.
+ *
+ * An incomplete state transition diagram follows.
+ *
+ *                      (initial state)
+ *                    ┌─────────────────┐ Lock held by other instance  ┌─────────────────┐
+ *                    │    LOADING      │─────────────────────────────►│ CONFIRM_LOCK_   │
+ *                    │                 │◄─────────────────────────────│     THEFT       │
+ *                    └─────────────────┘ Lock theft confirmed         └─────────────────┘
+ *     Session recovered │ │         │
+ *        ┌──────────────┘ │         └────────────────┐
+ *        │  ┌─────────────┘                          │  No previous session
+ *        │  │  Token/OIDC login succeeded            │
+ *        │  │                                        ▼
+ *        │  │                               ┌─────────────────┐
+ *        │  │                               │     WELCOME     │           (from all other states
+ *        │  │                               │                 │             except LOCK_STOLEN)
+ *        │  │                               └─────────────────┘                   │
+ *        │  │                  "Create Account" │       │ "Sign in"               │ Client logged out
+ *        │  │          ┌────────────────────────┘       │                         │
+ *        │  │          │                                │    ┌────────────────────┘
+ *        │  │          │                                │    │
+ *        │  │          ▼          "Create an            ▼    ▼        "Forgot
+ *        │  │ ┌─────────────────┐  account"      ┌─────────────────┐   password"    ┌─────────────────┐
+ *        │  │ │    REGISTER     │◄───────────────│      LOGIN      │───────────────►│ FORGOT_PASSWORD │
+ *        │  │ │                 │───────────────►│                 │◄───────────────│                 │
+ *        │  │ └─────────────────┘ "Sign in here" └─────────────────┘ Complete /     └─────────────────┘
+ *        │  │          │                                   │         "Sign in instead"       ▲
+ *        │  │          └────────────────────────────────┐  │                                 │
+ *        │  └────────────────────────────────────────┐  │  │                                 │
+ *        │                                           ▼  ▼  ▼                                 │
+ *        │                                       ┌──────────────────┐                        │
+ *        │                                       │ (postLoginSetup) │                        │
+ *        │                                       └──────────────────┘                        │
+ *        │     ┌────────────────────────────────────┘     │      │                           │
+ *        │     │ E2EE not enabled           ┌─────────────┘      └──────┐                    │
+ *        │     │                            │ Account has               │ Account lacks      │
+ *        │     │                            │ cross-signing             │ cross-signing      │
+ *        │     │                            │ keys                      │ keys               │
+ *        │     │  Client started and        ▼                           ▼                    │
+ *        │     │  force_verification ┌─────────────────┐         ┌─────────────────┐         │
+ *        │     │  pending            │  COMPLETE_      │         │   E2E_SETUP     │         │
+ *        │     │  ┌─────────────────►│      SECURITY   │         │                 │         │
+ *        │     │  │                  └─────────────────┘         └─────────────────┘         │ "Forgotten
+ *        │     │  │  ┌───────────────────────┘                           │                   │  your
+ *        │     │  │  │   ┌───────────────────────────────────────────────┘                   │  password?"
+ *        │     │  │  │   │                                                                   │
+ *        │     │  │  │   │                                  (from all other states           │
+ *        │     │  │  │   │                                    except LOCK_STOLEN)            │
+ *        │     │  │  │   │                                               └──────────────┐    │
+ *        ▼     ▼  │  ▼   ▼                                         Soft logout error    ▼    │
+ *       ┌─────────────────┐                                                         ┌─────────────────┐
+ *       │   LOGGED_IN     │                         Re-authentication succeeded     │  SOFT_LOGOUT    │
+ *       │                 │◄────────────────────────────────────────────────────────│                 │
+ *       └─────────────────┘                                                         └─────────────────┘
+ *
+ *       (from all other states)
+ *                │
+ *                │ Session lock stolen
+ *                ▼
+ *       ┌─────────────────┐
+ *       │  LOCK_STOLEN    │
+ *       │                 │
+ *       └─────────────────┘
+ */
 enum Views {
     // a special initial state which is only used at startup, while we are
     // trying to re-animate a matrix client or register as a guest.

src/components/structures/MatrixChat.tsx

@@ -202,7 +202,10 @@ interface IState {
     hideToSRUsers: boolean;
     syncError: Error | null;
     serverConfig?: ValidatedServerConfig;
+
+    /** Has our MatrixClient started? */
     ready: boolean;
+
     threepidInvite?: IThreepidInvite;
     roomOobData?: object;
     pendingInitialSync?: boolean;
@@ -225,7 +228,13 @@ export default class MatrixChat extends React.PureComponent<IProps, IState> {
     private firstSyncPromise: PromiseWithResolvers<void>;
 
     private screenAfterLogin?: IScreen;
+
+    /** True if we have successfully completed an OIDC or token login.
+     *
+     * XXX it's unclear if this is ever cleared, so what happens if the user logs out and then logs back in?
+     */
     private tokenLogin?: boolean;
+
     // What to focus on next component update, if anything
     private focusNext: FocusNextType;
     private subTitleStatus: string;
@@ -386,6 +395,26 @@ export default class MatrixChat extends React.PureComponent<IProps, IState> {
         await Lifecycle.onSessionLockStolen();
     }
 
+    /**
+     * Perform actions that are specific to a user that has just logged in (compare {@link onLoggedIn}, which, despite
+     * its name, is called when an already-logged-in client is restored at session startup).
+     *
+     * Called when:
+     *
+     *  - We successfully completed an OIDC or token login, via {@link initSession}.
+     *  - The {@link Login} or {@link Register} components notify us that we successfully completed a non-OIDC login or
+     *    registration.
+     *
+     * In both cases, {@link Action.OnLoggedIn} will already have been emitted, but the call to {@link onLoggedIn} will
+     * have been suppressed (by either {@link tokenLogin} being set, or the view being set to {@link Views.LOGIN} or
+     * {@link Views.REGISTER}).
+     *
+     * {@link onWillStartClient} and {@link onClientStarted} will already have been called (but not necessarily
+     * completed).
+     *
+     * This method either calls {@link onLiggedIn} directly, or switches to {@link Views.E2E_SETUP} or
+     * {@link Views.COMPLETE_SECURITY}, which will later call {@link onCompleteSecurityE2eSetupFinished}.
+     */
     private async postLoginSetup(): Promise<void> {
         const cli = MatrixClientPeg.safeGet();
         const cryptoEnabled = Boolean(cli.getCrypto());
@@ -1369,7 +1398,15 @@ export default class MatrixChat extends React.PureComponent<IProps, IState> {
     }
 
     /**
-     * Called when a new logged in session has started
+     * Called when a new logged in session has started.
+     *
+     * Called:
+     *
+     *  - on {@link Action.OnLoggedIn}, but only when we don't expect a separate call to {@link postLoginSetup}.
+     *  - from {@link postLoginSetup}, when we don't have crypto setup tasks to perform after the login.
+     *
+     * It's never actually called if we have crypto setup tasks to perform after login (which we normally do, unless
+     * crypto is disabled.) XXX: is this a bug or a feature?
      */
     private async onLoggedIn(): Promise<void> {
         ThemeController.isLogin = false;
@@ -1379,6 +1416,16 @@ export default class MatrixChat extends React.PureComponent<IProps, IState> {
         await this.onShowPostLoginScreen();
     }
 
+    /**
+     * Show the first screen after the application is successfully loaded in a logged-in state.
+     *
+     * Called:
+     *
+     *  - by {@link onLoggedIn}
+     *  - by {@link onCompleteSecurityE2eSetupFinished}
+     *
+     * In other words, whenever we think we have completed the login and E2E setup tasks.
+     */
     private async onShowPostLoginScreen(): Promise<void> {
         this.setStateForNewView({ view: Views.LOGGED_IN });
         // If a specific screen is set to be shown after login, show that above
@@ -2043,7 +2090,7 @@ export default class MatrixChat extends React.PureComponent<IProps, IState> {
         PerformanceMonitor.instance.stop(PerformanceEntryNames.REGISTER);
     };
 
-    // complete security / e2e setup has finished
+    /** Called when {@link Views.E2E_SETUP} or {@link Views.COMPLETE_SECURITY} have completed. */
     private onCompleteSecurityE2eSetupFinished = async (): Promise<void> => {
         const forceVerify = await this.shouldForceVerification();
         if (forceVerify) {