Introduction to Unified Modeling

Language (UML)

By Rick Mercer with help from

The Unified Modeling Language User Guide, Grady
Booch, James Rumbaugh, Ivar Jacobsen , Addison Wesley,
1999, ISBN 0-201-57168-4
The Unified Modeling Language (UML)

UML or Unified Modeling Language comes

from Rumbaugh, Booch, and Jacobson (the
three amigos) who combined efforts to
standardize on one modeling language
This is primarily a graphical communication
mechanism for developers and customers
We will learn some, but not all, of the UML
 it is very complex, few understand all of it

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UML

The main purpose of UML is to

 support communication about the analysis and
design of the system being developed
 support the movement from the problem domain in
the "world" to the solution domain in the machine
two views of the same system
• one view has diagrams
• source code is another view

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UML is a Modeling Language
 UML
 graphical notation to describe software design
 has rules on how to draw models of
classes
associations between classes
message sends between objects
 has become the de facto industry standard
Not official, but everyone uses it
 Like a blueprint to show what is going on during analysis,
design and implementation
Some Projects require UML documentation

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UML Defined by the Authors
The Unified Modeling Language User Guide,
Booch, Rumbaugh, Jacobson states:
The UML is a language for
 visualizing
 specifying
 constructing
 documenting
the artifacts of a software intensive system

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First up: Class Diagrams

A class diagram
 expresses class definitions to be implemented
 lists name, attributes, and methods for each class
 shows how instances will connect to one others
UML allows different levels of detail on both
the attributes and the methods of one class
 could be just the the class name in a rectangle
 or like the general form shown on the next slide

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 Software Specification (Class Name)

attribute
attribute : type
attribute : type = initial value
classAttribute
derivedAttribute
...

method1()
method2(parameter : Type) : return type
abstractMethod()
+publicMethod()
-privateMethod()
#protectedMethod()
classMethod()
...
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 AccountCollection

- allAccounts : HashMap

+AccountCollection ()
+getAccountWithID (ID: String) : Account
+add(accountToAdd: Account) : boolean
+iterator() : Iterator

Note: iterator is needed by the

bank manager

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Sterotypes

Stereotype is a UML element that allows

designers to extend the UML vocabulary
 Often used to distinguish an abstract class name
from an interface, both of which are written in
italic
<<interface>>
Iterator
+hasNext(): boolean
+next(): Object
+remove(): void

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Different levels of detail

Tips for modeling

 Express as much or as little detail as needed
 Often, a rectangle with a name is enough
perhaps a method or an attribute clarifies
 Simple is good
 Sketches on paper or white board are effective

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Relationships

Three Relationships in UML

1) Dependency
2) Association
3) Generalization
Understanding these relationships is more
important than the lines that UML uses

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1) Dependency: A Uses Relationship

Dependencies
 occurs when one object depends on another
 if you change one object's interface, you need to
change the dependent object
 arrow points from dependent to needed objects
CardReader
Jukebox
CDCollection

SongSelector
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2)Association: Structural Relationship

Association
 a relationship between classes indicates some
meaningful and interesting connection
 Can label associations with a hyphen connected
verb phrase which reads well between concepts
association

getAccountWithID
Jukebox JukeboxAccountCollection
1 1

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Associations

Associations imply
 our knowledge that a relationship must be
preserved for some time (1 ms to forever)
Between what objects do we need to remember a
relationship?
• Does a Transaction need to remember Account?
• Would AccountCollection need to remember
Accounts?
Stores
AccountCollection Account
1 1..*

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Notation and Multiplicity Adornments
UML Association:
 a line between two concepts and a name
 they are bi-directional * T
zero or more;
"many"
 can have a multiplicity
 exist in class diagrams 1..*
T one or more

1..52
T one to fifty two

5
Multiplicity T exactly five

adornments
3, 5, 8 exactly three,
T
five or eight
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Multiplicity

Multiplicity defines how many instances of

type A can be associated with one instance of
type B at some point can differ
Game Player
1 2..6

Mother Child
1 1+

performs-in Actor is associated

Actor Film with 0 to many films.
* * A film is associated
can label associations with 0 to many actors
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Depends on Context

Are all three associations possible?

Car Wheel
1 4

Car Wheel
1 5

Car Wheel
1 3

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Association Names Upcase / hyphenate
 Read this Type-VerbPhrase-Type (POST is a Point of Sale Terminal)

Store
1
Contains

1.. *
POST Captures Sale Paid-by Payment
1 1.. * 1 1
 Not yet worrying about messages, instance variables, data flow,
or classes yet
 Just shows which objects have associations

Airline
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1
Aggregation: A Special Association

Aggregation: whole/part relationships

 An association that models HAS-A relationships
 The objects can exist independently or each other
 No one object is more important than the other
 Place an open diamond on the whole
 Could mean School has a HashMap of Students
School Student
1..* *

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Composition: A Special Association
Composition: Stronger relationship
 One can not exist without the other
 If the school folds, students live on
but the departments go away also
 If a department closes, the school can go on AIC e.g.

School Department
1 1..*
1..*

 Model aggregation* or composition? When in doubt, use association (just

Student
a simple line)

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Sequence Diagrams

A class diagram shows a fixed (static) view of

a system
A sequence diagram represents a dynamic
view of a system by attempting to capture
messages sends over time
 Can document a scenario such as
User Selects Song

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Sequence Diagrams

Objects are lined up on top in rectangles

Object names :theJukebox
Dashed lines represent lifetime of objects
Rectangles are activation lines
 When the object has control
 Activation bar of the receivers of the message is
smaller than the sender's activation bar
Not much detail written

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http://www.ifi.uio.no/in219/verktoy/doc/html/doc/user/mg/dgmsuml6.htm
l

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http://www.visual-paradigm.com/
VPGallery/diagrams/Sequence.html

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