void traceTree(myString &inputString) // creates tree of all possible traces
  {
    myVector<State> currentStates{this->q0}; // keeps track of current states
    myVector<State> tempVector;
    myVector<State> newStates;
    myVector<State> epsilonStates;
    myString *temp = &inputString;

    if (temp->isEmpty()) // inputString is the emptyString
    {
      tempVector = epsilonTrans(this->q0); // check for epsilon transitions from start state
      currentStates.insert(currentStates.begin(), tempVector.begin(), tempVector.end());
      std::cout << std::endl;
      std::cout << this->q0 << std::endl;
      for (auto x : currentStates)
        std::cout << x << " ";
    }

    std::cout << std::endl;
    // step through NFA with the input string
    while (temp->isEmpty() != true)
    {
      newStates.clear(); // prepare to get new set of states from transFunc
      epsilonStates.clear();

      for (State x : currentStates)
      {
        std::cout << x << " ";
        tempVector = transFunc(x, temp->charObject()); // generate new sets of states from input char w/ each current state
        newStates.insert(newStates.end(), tempVector.begin(), tempVector.end());
      }
      std::cout << std::endl; // epsilon transitions from current states will be on next level of tree

      for (State x : currentStates)
      {
        tempVector = epsilonTrans(x); // check whether there are epsilon transitions from current states
        epsilonStates.insert(epsilonStates.end(), tempVector.begin(), tempVector.end());
      }
      if (epsilonStates.size() > 0)
      {
        for (State x : epsilonStates) // print all epsilon transitions
          std::cout << x << " ";
        std::cout << std::endl;
      }

      currentStates = newStates; // update current states for next iteration through
      currentStates.insert(currentStates.end(), epsilonStates.begin(), epsilonStates.end());
      temp = temp->next(); // move to next character in the string
    }
    for (State x : currentStates)
      std::cout << x << " ";
    std::cout << std::endl;
  }