Is <ActorRef>.state.context safe to use?

[Sheldonfrith]

It looks like I can access a nested actor's context easily using 'Parent.state.context.ActorRef.state.context' is there any reason I shouldn't do this?

I've seen many discussions in here about how Actors should only communicate via SendParent, however I'd like to avoid storing a whole bunch of state variables in the context of my Parent machine (which spawns many children), but I need to know the state of deeply nested actors from the outside. A direct reference to their context (as above) seems like an extremely convenient way to do it, but I'm wondering if there are potential negative side effects?

Thanks!

[davidkpiano]

It's "fine" in v4, but the downside is requiring you to know the implementation details of the ActorRef in order to "reach in" and get the state.

In v5, there will likely be a standard API for getting the "state snapshot" of an actor:

-Parent.state.context.actorRef.state.context
+Parent.state.context.actorRef.getSnapshot().context

That way, it won't matter what "kind" of actor the actorRef is (whether it's spawned from a promise, observable, something else...), you'll be able to get the most recently emitted state from .getSnapshot().

[Sheldonfrith]

Thanks!