A UML Class Diagram Tutorial

The UML Class diagram is a graphical notation used to construct and visualize object oriented
systems.

A UML class diagram is made up of:

 A set of classes and
 A set of relationships between classes

What is a class?
A class in an object oriented system provides a crisp abstraction of a well defined set of
responsibilities.

A class consists of three parts: (Refer to the figure on the right)

 Class Name: The graphical representation of a

o The name of the class appears in the Class
first partition.
 Class Attributes:
o Attributes are shown in the second
partition.
o The attribute type is shown after the
colon.
o Attributes map onto member
variables (data members) in code.
 Class Operations (Methods):
o Operations are shown in the third
partition. They are services the class
provides.
o The return type of a method is
shown after the colon at the end of
the method signature.
o The return type of method
parameters are shown after the colon
following the parameter name.
o Operations map onto class methods
in code

We can observe the following for MyClassName

 MyClassName has 3 attributes and 3 operations
 Parameter p3 of op2 is of type int
 op2 returns a float
 op3 returns a pointer (denoted by a *) to Class6

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Visibility and Access for attributes and operations of a class

The +, - and # symbols before an attribute and operation name in a class denote the visibility of
the attribute and operation.
+ denotes public attributes or operations
- denotes private attributes or operations
# denotes protected attributes or operations

We can observe that

 attribute1 and op1 of MyClassName are public
 attribute3 and op3 are protected.
 attribute2 and op2 are private.

Access for each of these visibility types is shown below for members of different classes.

Access public private protected

(+) (-) (#)
Members of the same class yes yes yes
Members of derived classes yes no yes
Members of any other class yes no no

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Operation (Method) Parameter Directionality

Each parameter in an operation (method) may be denoted as in, out or inout which specifies its
direction with respect to the caller. This directionality is shown before the parameter name.

These are briefly explained below:

Parameter direction Description

in states that p1 and p2 are passed to op1 by the caller.
They are both in parameters.
inout states that p3 is passed to op2 by the caller and is then
possibly modified by op2 and is passed back out.
p3 is an inout parameter.
out states that p6 is not set by the caller but is modified by
op3 and is passed back out.
p6 is an out parameter.

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Relationships between classes
A class may be involved in one or more relationships with other classes.

A relationship can be one of the following types: (Refer to the figure on the right for the
graphical representation of relationships)
Relationship Type Graphical Representation
Inheritance (or Generalization):
 Represents an “is-a” relationship.
 An abstract class name is shown in
italics.

 SubClass1 and SubClass2 are

specializations of SuperClass.

Association
 Simple association:
o A structural link between
two peer classes.
o There is an association
between Class1 and Class2

 Aggregation: A special type of

association. It represents a “part-
of” relationship.
o Class2 is part of Class1.
o Many instances (denoted by
the *) of Class2 can be
associated with Class1.
o Objects of Class1 and Class2
have separate lifetimes.

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 Composition: A special type of
aggregation where parts are
destroyed when the whole is
destroyed.
o Objects of Class2 live and
die with Class1.
o Class2 cannot stand by itself.

 Dependency:
o Exists between two classes if
changes to the definition of
one may cause changes to
the other (but not the other
way around).
o Class1 depends on Class2

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A class diagram may also have notes attached to classes or relationships. Notes are shown in
grey.
An Example

The following can be observed from the above diagram:

1. Shape is an abstract class. It is shown in Italics.
2. Shape is a superclass. Circle, Rectangle and Polygon are derived from Shape. In other words, a
Circle is-a Shape. This is a generalization / inheritance relationship.
3. There is an association between DialogBox and DataController.
4. Shape is part-of Window. This is an aggregation relationship. Shape can exist without Window.
5. Point is part-of Circle. This is a composition relationship. Point cannot exist without a Circle.
6. Window is dependent on Event. However, Event is not dependent on Window.
7. The attributes of Circle are radius and center. This is an entity class.
8. The method names of Circle are area(), circum(), setCenter() and setRadius().
9. The parameter radius in Circle is an in parameter of type float.
10. The method area() of class Circle returns a value of type double.
11. The attributes and method names of Rectangle are hidden. Some other classes in the diagram
also have their attributes and method names hidden.

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Exercise 1

Consider the following UML Class Diagram snippets. Choose the type of relationship between
classes given below.

1. InventoryItem and Book

a. Dependency
b. Generalization(Inheritance)
c. Association
d. Composition
e. Aggregation
f. No relationship exists
2. Book and DVD
a. Dependency
b. Generalization(Inheritance)
c. Association
d. Composition
e. Aggregation
f. No relationship exists
3. Student and Course
a. Dependency
b. Generalization(Inheritance)
c. Association
d. Composition
e. Aggregation
f. No relationship exists

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 4. Student and Schedule
a. Dependency
b. Generalization(Inheritance)
c. Association
d. Composition
e. Aggregation
f. No relationship exists
5. ClientDisplay and Supplier
a. Dependency
b. Generalization(Inheritance)
c. Association
d. Composition
e. Aggregation
f. No relationship exists
6. Department and Company
a. Dependency
b. Generalization(Inheritance)
c. Association
d. Composition
e. Aggregation
f. No relationship exists
7. InventoryItem and DVD
a. Dependency
b. Generalization(Inheritance)
c. Association
d. Composition
e. Aggregation
f. No relationship exists

Exercise 2: True or False? True/False

You can use a dependency relationship to represent precedence, where one model
element must precede another.
An aggregation is a special type of association in which objects are assembled or
configured together to create a more complex object.
An association represents a non-structural relationship that connects two classes.
A composition association relationship connects a Student class with a Schedule
class, which means that if you remove the student, the schedule is also removed.
Because child classes in generalizations inherit the attributes, operations, and
relationships of the parent, you must only define for the child the attributes,
operations, or relationships that are distinct from the parent.

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