State machines in C

Question

What is the best way to write a state machine in C?
I usually write a big switch-case statement in a for(;;), with callbacks to re-enter the state machine when an external

Answer 1

The best way is largely subjective, but a common way is to use a "table-based" approach where you map state codes (enums or some other integral type) to function pointers. The function returns your next state and other associated data and you loop through this until the terminal state is reached. This might in fact be what you are describing as your approach above.