C#  

Elevate Your C# Projects with FSM_API: A New Approach to State Management

FSM_API

Are you a C# developer tired of tangled if-else chains and convoluted switch statements? Meet FSM_API, a high-performance, open-source library designed to bring clarity and control to your application logic using Finite State Machines (FSMs). Built for pure C#, it's ready to streamline complex behaviors in anything from backend services and desktop apps to games and simulations.

FSM_API takes the classic FSM pattern and supercharges it with modern features:

  • Decoupled Logic: The FSM logic is cleanly separated from your application's data. This means you define a single "blueprint" for a behavior and can use it to control many different objects (or "contexts") independently.

  • Runtime Safety: A robust Cascading Degradation System catches exceptions within your FSM's actions and conditions. Instead of crashing your application, it can gracefully shut down a problematic instance, ensuring stability.

  • Flexible Updates: You have granular control over when your FSMs "tick" or process their logic. You can choose to update an FSM every frame, at a fixed rate, or only when triggered by a specific event.

A Glance at the Code: Making a Light Switch FSM

The library uses a fluent, declarative API that makes FSM definitions highly readable. This example shows how to define a simple LightSwitch FSM that transitions between On and Off states.

// 1. Define a simple context for your data modelpublic class LightSwitch : IStateContext
{
    public bool IsOn = false;
    public bool IsValid => true; // FSM API will not operate on this if IsValid is false.
    public string Name { get; set; } = "KitchenLight";
}
// 2. Define and build your FSM blueprint
FSM_API.Create.CreateFiniteStateMachine("LightSwitchFSM", processRate: 1, processingGroup: "MainLoop")
    .State("Off", 
        onEnter: (ctx) => { if (ctx is LightSwitch l) l.IsOn = false; }, 
        onUpdate: null, 
        onExit: null)
    .State("On", 
        onEnter: (ctx) => { if (ctx is LightSwitch l) l.IsOn = true; }, 
        onUpdate: null, 
        onExit: null)
    .WithInitialState("Off") // Must set an initial state
    .Transition("Off", "On", (ctx) => ((LightSwitch)ctx).IsOn)
    .Transition("On", "Off", (ctx) => !((LightSwitch)ctx).IsOn)
    .BuildDefinition();
// 3. Create a live instance for your contextvar kitchenLight = new LightSwitch();
var handle = FSM_API.Create.CreateInstance("LightSwitchFSM", kitchenLight, "MainLoop");
// 4. Tick the FSM from your application's main loop
FSM_API.Interaction.Update("MainLoop");

Key Features at a Glance

CapabilityFSM_API ✅Traditional FSM ❌
Framework agnostic✅❌
Runtime-modifiable definitions✅❌
Deferred mutation safety✅❌
Named FSMs & Processing Groups✅❌
Built-in diagnostics & thresholds✅❌
Pure C# with no external deps✅❌

Empowering a Unified Logic Architecture

FSM_API's core is a pure C# library, making it portable and independent of any game engine or framework. We have two Unity integrations submitted and pending review to the Unity Asset Store, and finally, the source code is available on NuGet.org.

Whether you're building game AI, managing a backend workflow, or simplifying a complex UI, FSM_API provides a clear, maintainable, and robust solution.

NuGet Package: https://www.nuget.org/packages/TheSingularityWorkshop.FSM_API

Note. Download the zip file from the top of this article.

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