UML in a Nutshell: A Desktop Quick Reference

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"O'Reilly Media, Inc.", 1998 - Computers - 273 pages

Modeling languages have been used by system developers for decades to specify, visualize, construct, and document systems; rough sketches using stick figures and arrows and scribbled routing conditions go back still further. But the Unified Modeling Language (UML), for the first time in the history of systems engineering, gives practitioners a common language that applies to a multitude of different systems, domains, and methods or processes. It does not guarantee project success, but enables you to communicate solutions in a consistent, standardized, and tool-supported language.

All indications suggest that the industry is rushing to the UML. Created by leading software engineering experts Grady Booch, James Rumbaugh, and Ivar Jacobson (now of Rational Software Corporation), and accepted as a standard by the Object Management Group (OMG) in 1997, the language has already achieved more success than any previous contenders. With a firm conceptual and pragmatic basis, it is well suited to supporting projects in modern languages like C++ and Java. And standardization lays the groundwork for tools as well as standard methods or processes.

This book presents the UML, including its extension mechanisms and the Object Constraint Language (OCL), in a clear reference format. For those new to the language, a tutorial quickly brings you to the point where you can use the UML. The book is concise and precise, breaking down the information along clean lines and explaining each element of the language. Introductory chapters also convey the purpose of the UML and show its value to projects and as a means for communication.

Topics include:

  • The role of the UML in projects
  • The object-oriented paradigm and its relation to the UML
  • Tutorial with realistic examples
  • An integrated approach to UML diagrams
  • Class and Object, Use Case, Sequence, Collaboration, Statechart, Activity, Component, and Deployment Diagrams
  • Extension Mechanisms
  • The Object Constraint Language (OCL)
 

Selected pages

Contents

Introduction
3
What Constitutes the Unified Modeling Language?
7
The Evolution of the Unified Modeling Language
9
The Big Picture
15
Problems and Solutions
25
Problem Solving
34
Object Orientation
39
Paradigms
44
Communicates Relationships
164
Uses Relationships
165
Sequence Diagrams
167
Interactions
168
Lifelines
169
Activations
170
Messages
172
Collaboration Diagrams
177

Object Orientation
49
Objects and Classes
52
Links and Associations
57
Scenarios and Interactions
62
Variations and Summary
65
Using the Unified Modeling Language
69
A Unified Modeling Language Tutorial
71
Class Diagrams
75
Object Diagrams
82
Sequence Diagrams
85
Collaboration Diagrams
94
Statechart Diagrams
98
Activity Diagrams
102
Component Diagrams
104
Other Notation and Information
105
UML Overview
111
Metamodel
114
Architectural Views and Diagrams
116
Mechanisms
118
Problems Solutions and Problem Solving
121
The Unified Modeling Language Quick Reference
127
Diagramming and Model Organization
129
TypeInstance Correspondence
135
Packages
136
The Role of Tools
138
Class and Object Diagrams
139
Classes
140
Objects
147
Associations
149
Links
154
Compositions
156
Use Case Diagrams
159
Actors
160
Use Cases
161
Collaborations
178
Association Roles
180
Multiroles
181
Message Flows
182
Statechart Diagrams
187
States
188
Transitions
192
Events
197
Actions
200
Activity Diagrams
205
Swimlanes
206
Action States
207
Action Flows
208
Component Diagrams
211
DevelopmentTime Relationships
213
Deployment Diagrams
215
Nodes
216
RunTime Relationships
217
Becomes Relationships
218
Extension Mechanisms
219
Standard Stereotypes
220
Properties
229
Constraints
231
Tagged Values
236
UML Extension for the Objectory Process for Software Engineering
237
UML Extension for Business Modeling
239
The Object Constraint Language
243
Object Properties
245
Collections
247
Standard Types
250
References
263
Books
264
Index
267
Copyright

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Page ix - Jacobson (the Three Amigos). The language has gained significant industry support from various organizations via the UML Partners Consortium and has been submitted to and approved by the Object Management Group (OMG) as a standard. The UML represents the evolutionary unification of the three most prominent methodologists' experience with other industry engineering best practices.

About the author (1998)

Alhir is a practitioner (consultant, conference/public speaker, and published author) as well as an IT Project Management Certified Professional and e-Business Certified Professional.

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