State Machines
A state machine is a computational model used to design and describe systems that can be in one of a finite number of states at any given time, transitioning between states in response to inputs or events. It provides a structured way to model behavior, ensuring predictable and manageable control flow, often visualized with state diagrams. This concept is fundamental in software engineering for implementing logic in applications like user interfaces, game development, and embedded systems.
Developers should learn state machines to handle complex, state-dependent logic cleanly and avoid spaghetti code, especially in scenarios like UI workflows, network protocols, or game AI where behavior changes based on conditions. They are crucial for building reliable, testable systems that are easy to debug and maintain, as they enforce explicit state management and reduce errors from unhandled transitions.