p5-FSA-Rules

Build simple rules-based state machines in Perl

This class implements a simple state machine pattern, allowing you to quickly build rules-based state machines in Perl. As a simple implementation of a powerful concept, it differs slightly from an ideal DFA model in that it does not enforce a single possible switch from one state to another. Rather, it short circuits the evaluation of the rules for such switches, so that the first rule to return a true value will trigger its switch and no other switch rules will be checked. (But see the strict attribute and parameter to new().) It differs from an NFA model in that it offers no back-tracking. But in truth, you can use it to build a state machine that adheres to either model--hence the more generic FSA moniker.