Implement a finite state automaton in OOP

I am thinking about implementing a program with finite state automaton in an OOP language like Java or C++.

What would you think is the best way to implement this with a manageable amount of available states, regarding to good software design?

Is it good to implement for each state an own class? If yes, how to do the bridge 开发者_运维百科between two states?

Thanks for any comment!

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Is this just to flex your programming muscle, or for an actual project etc? In either case it depends on what you want the state machine for: - is it to manage tasks in some sort of workflow - is it to determine application flow state - is it for a business rules engine etc

In the case of a project, I would suggest that, depending on what your target use is, you look for libraries in that domain. Java for example has MANY MANY libraries for workflow/busines flows, as well as tons of rules engines (Drools comes to mind right of the bat, although it is a complex behemoth)

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Try this - the section on design is good and it shows a use for a fsm http://www.ibm.com/developerworks/library/wa-finitemach1/

Another use I've seen is to implement managed objects for a computer service, with the transition "start" moving the object from the "down" to the "starting" state etc using an extennsion of the OMG managed object life-cycle

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The dk.brics.automaton library is good implementation of FSA's in Java. It's build with performance in mind, so it trades in some OOP principles for speed, but i'd recommend you take a look at it.