[ros-users] [Discourse.ros.org] [ROS Projects] State Machine Visualization

[Nick Fragale]

> Do you have any experience using state machines to write programs?

I used state machines at my first job doing industrial automation. We used [PLC programming](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Programmable_logic_controller) and [PackML](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PackML) structure for our state mahine. It was easy to setup and understand.

Now I'm a mobile robotisist and I am finding SMACH hard to setup and hard to understard :confused: so its good to hear someone is trying to improve it. 

>How do you use the standard visualization of a state machine API when there is a visualization?

After starting my code I run rosrun smach_viewer smach_viewer.py as quick as possible to view my first few transitions. Then I got to the state I'm testing out, something doesn't work so I shut down my code and the SMACH viewer (it would be really nice if I could leave the SMACH viewer open and have it reconnect).

>Any experience of debugging a program using state machines?

I control my state transitions with an xbox controller which I find convenient.






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