In an activity diagram, an object in state is an object that is manipulated by a number of successive activities. Each appearance of the object indicates a different phase in its life.
To distinguish an object in one phase from that same object in another phase, the state of the object in each phase can be appended in square brackets after the object name (for example, PurchaseOrder[approved]). Object flow arrows connect objects in state to action states, states, and control flow transitions.
Name an Object In State shape and add other property values
Open the element's UML Properties dialog box by double-clicking the icon that represents the element in the tree view or the shape that represents the element in a diagram.
Tip
Control which property values display on a shape in a diagram by right-clicking the shape, and then clicking Shape Display Options. In the UML Shape Display Options dialog box, select and clear options to display or hide property values.
Control which property values are displayed on the Object In State shape
Right-click the shape, click Shape Display Options, and then select or clear options to show or hide values.