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Properties of Elements in Activity Diagrams

  • Article

On a UML activity diagram in Visual Studio Ultimate, each element on the diagram has properties. To see the properties of an element, right-click the element on the diagram or in UML Model Explorer and then click Properties. The properties appear in the Properties window.

Note

This topic is about the properties of elements on UML activity diagrams. For information about how to read UML activity diagrams, see UML Activity Diagrams: Reference. For more information about how to draw UML activity diagrams, see UML Activity Diagrams: Guidelines.

Properties of Elements

Property

Default

Element

Description

Name

A default name

All

Identifies the element.

Qualified Name

Package :: Name

All

Identifies the element uniquely. Prefixed with the qualified name of the package that contains it.

Work Items

0 associated

All

The number of work items associated with this element. To associate work items, see Link Model Elements and Work Items.

Description

(none)

All

You can make general notes about the element here.

Color

(default for the type)

All

The color of the shape.

Body

(none)

Action

Specifies the action in detail.

Language

(none)

Action

The language of the expression in Body.

Local Postconditions

(none)

Action, Send, Accept, Call Behavior, Call Operation

Constraints that must be satisfied when execution ends. The goal achieved by the action.

Local Preconditions

(none)

Action, Send, Accept, Call Behavior, Call Operation

Constraints that must be satisfied before execution begins.

Is Synchronous

True

Call Behavior, Call Operation

  • If true, the action waits until the activity terminates.

Behavior

(none)

Call Behavior

  • The activity invoked.

Operation

(none)

Call Operation

  • The operation invoked.

Is Unmarshall

False

Accept Event

  • If true, there can be several typed output pins, and data is unmarshaled onto them. If false, all data appear on one pin.

Upper Bound

*

Object Node, Activity Parameter

0 indicates that data must pass directly along the flow.

* indicates that data can be stored in the flow.

Selection

(none)

Object Node, Activity Parameter, Input Pin, Output Pin, Object Flow

Invokes a process that filters the data. This process can be defined in another diagram.

Ordering

(none)

Object Node, Activity Parameter, Input Pin, Output Pin

  • How multiple tokens are stored.

Is Control

False

Input Pin, Output Pin

  • If true, the flow on this pin is a control flow. If false, it is an object flow.

Type

(none)

Input Pin, Output Pin, Object Node, Activity Parameter

  • The type of objects transmitted.

  • The type can be a primitive type such as Integer, or a classifier defined elsewhere in the model. If you enter the name of a type that is not defined, it will appear in the Unspecified Types section of UML Model Explorer.

Multiplicity

1

Input Pin, Output Pin

  • Can be a single value, or a range [n..m].

  • Lower bound n - the action cannot start (for an input pin) or stop (for an output pin) until there are n objects waiting on the pin.

  • Upper bound m - The action cannot consume or produce more than m objects in one execution. * means that there is no limit.

Transformation

(none)

Object Flow

  • Invokes a process that transforms the data. This process can be defined in another diagram.

Is Multicast

False

Object Flow

  • Indicates that there might be several recipient objects or components.

Is MultiReceive

False

Object Flow

  • Indicates that there might be several recipient objects or components.

Is Single Execution

False

Activity Diagram

  • If set, there is at most one execution of this diagram at a time.

See Also

Concepts

UML Activity Diagrams: Reference

UML Activity Diagrams: Guidelines