# States
## Introduction
States are collection of variables which can be used to represent a component or screen configuration. States can be used for a variety of situations including:
* Defining the appearance of a UI element such as Enabled, Disabled, Highlighted, and Pushed
* Defining positions for interpolation and animation such as OffScreen and OnScreen
* Defining start/end or empty/full states for interpolation such as AmmoFull and AmmoEmpty
* Defining appearance in response to game-specific status such as NotJoined and PlayerJoined
* Defining layout for responsive designs, such as MobileLayout, TabletLayout, DesktopLayout, and UltraWideLayout
Every element automatically includes a `Default` state which cannot be removed. This state is automatically selected and any changes made to a component happen on the Default state unless a different state is selected.
Default state in a component named DefaultComponent
Additional states can be created in Screens, Components, and Standard elements. These states must be created in Categories. For more information, see the [Categories page](https://docs.flatredball.com/gum/gum-tool/gum-elements/states/categories).
## Adding States to a Category
To add states to a category:
1. Right-click on the desired category
2. Select Add State
Right click Add State item
3. Enter a name for the new state
Once the state has been created it can be selected and variables can be changed to add them to the new state.
