UML Diagrams |
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Summary: A short tutorial on using UML diagrams, particularly class diagrams, in object-oriented design.
Unified Modeling Language ("UML") is the industry standard "language" for describing, visualizing, and documenting object-oriented (OO) systems. UML is a collection of a variety of diagrams for differing purposes. Each type of diagram models a particular aspect of OO design in an easy to understand, visual manner. The UML standard specifies exactly how the diagrams are to be drawn and what each component in the diagram means. UML is not dependent on any particular programming language, instead it focuses one the fundamental concepts and ideas that model a system. Using UML enables anyone familiar with its specifications to instantly read and understand diagrams drawn by other people. There are UML diagram for modeling static class relationships, dynamic temporal interactions between objects, the usages of objects, the particulars of an implementation, and the state transitions of systems
In general, a UML diagram consists of the following features:
UML class diagrams model static class relationships that represent the fundamental architecture of the system. Note that these diagrams describe the relationships between classes, not those between specific objects instantiated from those classes. Thus the diagram applies to all the objects in the system.
A class diagram consists of the following features:
Here is an example of a UML class diagram that holds most of the more common features:
UML Class Diagram |
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Originally published in Connexions (CNX): https://web.archive.org/web/20130323202153/http://cnx.org/content/m11658/latest/
© 2023 by Stephen Wong