vSphere Design Standards

An object is represented by an icon + name pair

Within the UI, objects are represented by icons and text, usually appearing jointly with the icon on the left of the text. 
 

Every object has a set of actions

The Actions menu provides access to all actions available on the object, including those contributed by different solutions. An object has just one menu, which users open by right-clicking the object. See Actions Menu.
 

The most important actions belong in a toolbar

You can make the most important actions more prominent and accessible in a toolbar, a dedicated piece of real estate at the top a datagrid.  The toolbar can have up to seven actions, typically represented by icons. See Toolbars.

The display of actions depends on the current context

Actions are disabled when they don't apply in the current context.  Common reasons for disabling an action are the user doesn't have permission to perform an action or the action is not available due to the state of the object. 

See Disabling Versus Removing a Menu Item.

All actions are enabled if objects are in mixed state

If the user selects multiple objects, and the objects are in mixed states, all actions are enabled--even if an action is not available for a particular state.  See Single Versus Multiple Selection of Objects.