An object state is the basic organizing structure of the object state transition description. An object state in the IDEF3 process method is any physical or conceptual thing that is recognized and referred to by participants in the domain as a part of their description of what happens in their domain. Identifying, characterizing, and naming object states is a necessary step in the creation of IDEF3 OSTN descriptions.
Object states appear as labeled circles.
Description
A textual description, or glossary, associated with the Object Schematic. Any descriptive information that does not logically fit into the other fields in the document can be placed here.
Object Name
The name of the Object.
Object State Set
The set of object states that make up the state transition represented by the diagram.
Entry Condition Sets
Entry From State: States that the object is in before it enters the current state.
Entry From Facts: Facts that are true when the object enters the current state.
Entry From Constraints: Constraints on the object entering the current state.
State Description Conditions
Facts: Noteworthy, non-constraining facts involving the objects that participate in the relationship represented by the dashed link.
Constraints: Noteworthy constraints that hold between the source and destination elements or between some of their constituent objects.
Exit Condition Sets
Exit To State: States that the object will be in after it leaves the current state.
Exit To Facts: Facts that are true when the object leaves the current state.
Exit To Constraints: Constraints on the object leaving the current state.