Abstract: An appliance programmer, in particular an automatic washer programmer, employs a memory circuit and a sequence control for establishing a predetermined program. Included in the program are a program modification circuit and a rapid advance circuit whose functions are respectively to automatically modify the program inherent in the programmer and to rapidly step the programmer through its operational program. The memory and sequence control of the programmer are designed so that, absent the program modification circuit, the programmer can effect only a single predetermined program. For this reason the program modification circuit has been designed to enable the programmer to effect other programs. The program modification circuit receives inputs from selected function display lights to indicate that a certain function is being performed and from one or more sensors to indicate that a function has been completed or a condition has been satisfied in the automatic washer.