Shortcuts or a proper method for converting a regex to a DFA?

[Lolligirl]

Okay, so here's a question I'm working on:

Question: Present the transition diagram or table for a DFA that accepts the regular set denoted by the expression (0+1)* (010 + 11) (0 + 1)*

Here is my DFA:
https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/5778771/Midterm1SampleQuestion1.jpg

But it took me a decent while and a possibly error-prone amount of thought to come up with that, and I don't even know if it's right.

My question to you all is, are there any shortcuts or -definite- ways to come up with the correct DFA for a regex, or do you maybe have some advice to keep in mind when I'm doing so? I'm quite good at state-ripping and going from a DFA to a regex (not so good at going from an unconverted NFA to a regex due to epsilon confusions, but I digress), but I'm not sure how to go the other way efficiently.

 

[Future Bruno]

Thanks in advance!One trick that I like to use when creating a DFA from a regular expression is to break the expression into its basic components. This can help you to visualize the structure of the expression more clearly and make it easier to create a transition diagram. For example, for your expression, you could break it down into three parts:1. (0+1)*2. (010 + 11)3. (0 + 1)*Each of these components can be represented by its own transition diagram. Then, all you need to do is combine the diagrams for each component into one complete DFA. This method is not foolproof, but it does help to simplify the process and make it easier to ensure that you have created an accurate DFA.

 

[Future Bruno]

Any help would be greatly appreciated!One of the best ways to go from a regex to a DFA is to use a tool called a Thompson Construction. This tool allows you to take a regex and systematically convert it into a NFA, which can then be converted into a DFA. The steps for this are as follows: 1. Break the regex into constituent parts (e.g., parenthesis, symbols, operators).2. Construct an NFA for each part, using the Thompson Construction.3. Connect the NFAs together using the appropriate operators.4. Convert the resulting NFA into a DFA using the subset construction algorithm.Another way to approach the problem is to use automata visualization tools that can help you with the process. For example, JFLAP is a popular open source tool that can help visualize automata and their transitions. Hope this helps!