CSE291 - Introduction To Software

Engineering
(Fall 2019)

Sequence Diagrams
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Beginnings of a Method

Systems
Model
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Interaction Models

All systems involve interaction of some kind…

• This can be user interaction, which involves user inputs and outputs
• Interaction between the system being developed and other systems
• Or interaction between the components of the system

Use case modeling, which is mostly used to model interactions

between a system and external actors (users or other systems).

Sequence diagrams, which are used to model interactions between

system components, although external agents may also be included.
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UML Sequence Diagrams

• Sequence diagrams are used to model interactions between

the actors and the objects in a system and the interaction
between the objects themselves.

• It shows the sequence of interactions that take place during

particular use case.

• Typically used to understand the logical flow of system.

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Sequence Diagram Key Parts

• In a sequence diagram, objects and actors are listed along the top of
the diagram, with a dotted line drawn vertically from these.

• Interactions between objects are indicated by annotated arrows/

Labelled arrows

• The annotations on the arrows indicate the calls to the objects

• The rectangle on the dotted line indicates the life line of object
concerned (the time that object involved in computation)

• Read the sequence of interactions from top to bottom.

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Sequence Diagram Notation

Object1 name:classname Object 2name:classname

Actors Objects

In a sequence diagram, objects and actors are aligned along the top of
the diagram. with a dotted line drawn vertically from these.
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Sequence Diagram Notation

:Object 1 :Object 2
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Sequence Diagram Notation

:Object 1 :Object 2

The rectangle on the dotted line indicates the life line of object concerned
(Indicate when an object is performing an action)
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Sequence Diagram Notation

:Object 1 :Object 2

message

Interactions between objects are indicated by annotated arrows/

Labelled arrows
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Sequence Diagram Notation

:Object 1 :Object 2

message

message

Sequence
Vertical position signifies sequence – earlier messages appear
nearer the top.
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Developing Sequence Diagrams

• Identify the relevant objects involved in the computation
• Establish the role of each object
• Decide messages between objects
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Sequence Diagram
• Tracks a sequence of events in a scenario
• Identifies all objects involved

Objects
O1 O2 O3 O4 O5 indicates
that the
E1 event
E2 effects the
Events object
E3

E4
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Sequence Diagram (make a phone call)

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A Simpler Example - Sending an email

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E-mail Interface
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Working From a Scenario

Sending an email

1. Press “New ” email icon

2. Enter person’s name in “To” section
3. Type subject
4. Type contents
5. Press Send button
6. System looks up email address in address book
7. System submits the email to the email server
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Starting The Diagram

• If this is an interactive scenario, we always have an actor
driving it

: user
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Add Objects
The first interaction is with the icon bar, which we can treat as an
Object
: icon bar

: user
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Add Message
The user talks to the icon bar

: icon bar

: user
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Label The Communication

: icon bar

: user
click send mail

Remember that actors can only communicate with interface

objects such as screens, menus and icon bars.
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The icon bar has some work to do.

It creates an email page.

: icon bar : email page

: user
click send mail create

Now the user can see the email page and use it.
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The next three steps are filling in the details on

the email page

: icon bar : email page

: user
click send mail create

fill in to box
fill in subject box
fill in contents box
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The User then clicks Send

: icon bar : email page

: user
click send mail create

fill in to box
fill in subject box
fill in contents box

send
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Now consider how to do the sending

: icon bar : email page : address book

: user
click send mail create

fill in to box
fill in subject box
fill in contents box

send
look up email address

We can choose to get the email page to look up the email

address from an address book object
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: icon bar : email page : address book

: user
click send mail create

fill in to box
fill in subject box
fill in contents box

send
look up email address
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We can choose to get the email page to submit the email

to the email server

: icon bar : email page : address book : email server

: user
click send mail create

fill in to box
fill in subject box
fill in contents box

send
look up email address

submit email
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And if we think carefully, the email page always closes after

the send.
: icon bar : email page : address book : email server

: user
click send mail create

fill in to box
fill in subject box
fill in contents box

send
look up email address

submit email

close
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Now we go through and change the messages to

operations on the object

: icon bar : email page : address book : email server

: user
send mail( ) create

fill in to box
fill in subject box
fill in contents box

send
look up email address

submit email

close
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And so on, all the way through

: icon bar : email page : address book : email server

: user
send mail( ) create( )

enterTo( )
enterSubject( )
enterContents( )

send( )
getEmailAddress( )

submitEmail( )

close( )
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Exercise
Consider the following scenario and draw sequence diagram for
online book shop.

“Online customer can search book catalog, view description of

a selected book, add book to shopping cart, do checkout”.
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Sequence Fragment

• A sequence fragment is represented as a box that frames a

section of interactions between objects in a sequence
diagram.

• It is used to show complex interactions such as alternative

flows and loops in a more structured way.

• On the top left corner of the fragment sits an operator. This

– the fragment operator – specifies what sort of a fragment
it is.
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Alternative Fragment
• The alternative fragment is used when a choice needs to be
made between two or more message sequences. It models
the “if then else” logic.

• The alternative fragment is represented by a large rectangle

or a frame; it is specified by mentioning ‘alt’ inside the
frame’s name box

• To show two or more alternatives, the larger rectangle is

then divided using a dashed line

Each operand has a guard to test against and it is placed at

the top left corner of the operand.
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An alternative fragment provides several guarded alternative fragments 

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Option Fragment
• The option fragment is used to indicate a sequence that will
only occur under a certain condition, otherwise, the
sequence won’t occur. It models the “if then” statement.

• Similar to the alternative fragment, the option fragment is

also represented with a rectangular frame where ‘opt’ is
placed inside the name box.

• Unlike the alternative fragment, an option fragment is not

divided into two or more operands. Option’s guard is placed
at the top left corner.
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An optional fragment is only executed if some guard condition is

true
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Home Task

• Loop Fragment
• Reference fragment