StateSmith is a cross platform, free/open source tool for generating state machines in multiple programming languages. The generated code is human readable, has zero dependencies and is suitable for use with tiny bare metal microcontrollers, video games, apps, web, computers... It avoids dynamic memory allocations for the safety or performance inclined.
The above is my current plan, but I'll gladly help anyone add a new language. I'm hoping contributors will help me with this effort.
The fundamentals-1 webpage has simple interactive examples that let you explore most StateSmith features.
Want to jump right in and just try it!?
🔥 Tutorial-3 uses new StateSmith features that are easier to use. It is a good starting point for most people. That said, it is brand new and not as battle tested.
Uses PlantUML.
Tutorial-2 uses the older style .csx method (still actively supported). It is a bit more verbose, but has been around longer and is more stable. It also allows for more advanced features for those who need them.
Uses draw.io which is a bit trickier to learn compared to PlantUML.
Our announcements discord channel is updated when new tutorials and features are added.
YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@statesmith
If you are new to state machines, then prepare to level up your toolbox! They are incredibly helpful for certain applications.
Why StateSmith? I couldn't find a quality state machine code generator that met my needs, had an attractive license, and was enjoyable to use.
Before I created StateSmith, it was always a pain trying to manually synchronize a hand written state machine with a drawing. Urgent client requests come in and you update the code, but do you and your team always remember to update the drawing? Probably not and so the rot begins. Documentation trust issues arise and as designs get larger, the effort to ensure the diagram is accurate starts to become quite punishing.
Now that we use StateSmith at my work, I never have to worry about the above. I love generating fully working code from the documentation. Incredibly helpful for teams and communicating with clients.
The StateSmith-examples repo has a growing list of examples showcasing different application uses.
If you like StateSmith and want to help improve it, your help would be very much appreciated! StateSmith is a pretty decent tool right now, but it is going to take a team to elevate it to the next level.
- You can help without writing code. StateSmith needs more user feedback/guidance before it can hit version 1.0.
- If you are up for coding, check out Contributing.
Thanks!
We use StateSmith in a fair number of production projects at my work. It's been super helpful.
StateSmith is generating working code, and has good test (598+) and behavior specification coverage. There are 45+ specification integration tests that read a diagram file, generate executable state machine code, then compile and execute that code in another process and ensure that the state machine behavior is exactly what was expected. This strong test base gives me confidence. It also allows us to refactor and optimize StateSmith without fear of accidentally breaking specified behavior.
Breaking changes and migration steps will be documented in ./CHANGELOG.md and should be pretty minimal.
The StateSmith GitHub wiki has a good amount of documentation right now, but always feel free to ask a question.
Join us on discord.
Feel free to open a github issue.
Or you can use the project's discussion space.