diff -r 058bb3dc685f -r 0b59724cb3f2 cubicweb/sobjects/textparsers.py
--- /dev/null	Thu Jan 01 00:00:00 1970 +0000
+++ b/cubicweb/sobjects/textparsers.py	Sat Jan 16 13:48:51 2016 +0100
@@ -0,0 +1,90 @@
+# copyright 2003-2011 LOGILAB S.A. (Paris, FRANCE), all rights reserved.
+# contact http://www.logilab.fr/ -- mailto:contact@logilab.fr
+#
+# This file is part of CubicWeb.
+#
+# CubicWeb is free software: you can redistribute it and/or modify it under the
+# terms of the GNU Lesser General Public License as published by the Free
+# Software Foundation, either version 2.1 of the License, or (at your option)
+# any later version.
+#
+# CubicWeb is distributed in the hope that it will be useful, but WITHOUT
+# ANY WARRANTY; without even the implied warranty of MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS
+# FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE.  See the GNU Lesser General Public License for more
+# details.
+#
+# You should have received a copy of the GNU Lesser General Public License along
+# with CubicWeb.  If not, see <http://www.gnu.org/licenses/>.
+"""Some parsers to detect action to do from text
+
+Currently only a parser to look for state change instruction is provided.
+Take care to security when you're using it, think about the user that
+will provide the text to analyze...
+"""
+
+__docformat__ = "restructuredtext en"
+
+import re
+
+from cubicweb import UnknownEid
+from cubicweb.view import Component
+
+
+class TextAnalyzer(Component):
+    """analyze and extract information from plain text by calling registered
+    text parsers
+    """
+    __regid__ = 'textanalyzer'
+
+    def parse(self, caller, text):
+        for parsercls in self._cw.vreg['components'].get('textparser', ()):
+            parsercls(self._cw).parse(caller, text)
+
+
+class TextParser(Component):
+    """base class for text parser, responsible to extract some information
+    from plain text. When something is done, it usually call the
+
+      .fire_event(something, {event args})
+
+    method on the caller.
+    """
+    __regid__ = 'textparser'
+    __abstract__ = True
+
+    def parse(self, caller, text):
+        raise NotImplementedError
+
+
+class ChangeStateTextParser(TextParser):
+    """search some text for change state instruction in the form
+
+         :<transition name>: #?<eid>
+    """
+    instr_rgx = re.compile(':(\w+):\s*#?(\d+)', re.U)
+
+    def parse(self, caller, text):
+        for trname, eid in self.instr_rgx.findall(text):
+            try:
+                entity = self._cw.entity_from_eid(int(eid))
+            except UnknownEid:
+                self.error("can't get entity with eid %s", eid)
+                continue
+            if not hasattr(entity, 'in_state'):
+                self.error('bad change state instruction for eid %s', eid)
+                continue
+            iworkflowable = entity.cw_adapt_to('IWorkflowable')
+            if iworkflowable.current_workflow:
+                tr = iworkflowable.current_workflow.transition_by_name(trname)
+            else:
+                tr = None
+            if tr and tr.may_be_fired(entity.eid):
+                try:
+                    trinfo = iworkflowable.fire_transition(tr)
+                    caller.fire_event('state-changed', {'trinfo': trinfo,
+                                                        'entity': entity})
+                except Exception:
+                    self.exception('while changing state of %s', entity)
+            else:
+                self.error("can't pass transition %s on entity %s",
+                           trname, entity)