note
	description:
		"General finite-state automata"
	legal: "See notice at end of class.";
	status: "See notice at end of class.";
	date: "$Date$";
	revision: "$Revision$"

deferred class
	AUTOMATON

feature -- Access

	greatest_input: INTEGER;
			-- Greatest input used for the transitions from state
			-- to state (the smallest one is zero)

	start_number: INTEGER;
			-- Unique start state used for the beginning of
			-- the automaton's operation

feature -- Measurement

	nb_states: INTEGER;
			-- Number of states in the automaton

feature -- Status setting

	set_start (n: INTEGER)
			-- Select state `n' as the starting state.
		require
			no_other_start: start_number = 0 or start_number = n;
			is_in_automaton: n <= nb_states and n >= 1
		do
			start_number := n
		end;

	set_transition (source, input_doc, target: INTEGER)
			-- Set transition from source to target on `input_doc'.
		deferred
		end;

	set_final (state, f: INTEGER)
			-- Make `state' final for regular expression `f'.
		deferred
		end;

	set_state
			-- Make a new state.
		deferred
		end

note
	copyright:	"Copyright (c) 1984-2009, Eiffel Software and others"
	license:	"Eiffel Forum License v2 (see http://www.eiffel.com/licensing/forum.txt)"
	source: "[
			 Eiffel Software
			 5949 Hollister Ave., Goleta, CA 93117 USA
			 Telephone 805-685-1006, Fax 805-685-6869
			 Website http://www.eiffel.com
			 Customer support http://support.eiffel.com
		]"

end