The UML standard specifies eight principle diagrams, all of which are supported by ArgoUML.
Use case diagram. Used to capture and analyse the requirements for any OOA&D project. See Chapter 16, Use Case Diagram Artifact Reference for details of the ArgoUML use case diagram and the artifacts it supports.
Class diagram. This diagram captures the static structure of the system being designed, showing the classes, interfaces and datatypes and how they are related. Variants of this diagram are used to show package structures within a system (the package diagram) and the relationships between particular instances (the object diagram).
The ArgoUML class diagram provides support for class and package diagrams. See Chapter 17, Class Diagram Artifact Reference for details of the artifacts it supports. The current implementation has no support for object diagrams.
Behavior diagrams. There are four such diagrams (or strictly speaking, five, since the use case diagram is a type of behavior diagram), which show the dynamic behavior of the system at all levels.
Statechart diagram. Used to show the dynamic behavior of a single object (class instance). This diagram is of particular use in systems using complex communication protocols, such as in telecommunications. See Chapter 19, Statechart Diagram Artifact Reference for details of the ArgoUML statechart diagram and the artifacts it supports.
Activity diagram. Used to show the dynamic behavior of groups of objects (class instance). This diagram is an alternative to the statechart diagram, and is better suited to systems with a great deal of user interaction. See Chapter 21, Activity Diagram Artifact Reference for details of the ArgoUML activity diagram and the artifacts it supports.
Interaction diagrams. There are two diagrams in this category, used to show the dynamic interaction between objects (class instances) in the system.
Sequence diagram. Shows the interactions (typically messages or procedure calls) between instances of classes (objects) and actors against a timeline. Particularly useful where the timing relationships between interactions are important. See Chapter 18, Sequence Diagram Artifact Reference for details of the ArgoUML sequence diagram and the artifacts it supports.
Collaboration diagram. Shows the interactions (typically messages or procedure calls) between instances of classes (objects) and actors against the structural relationships between those instances. Particularly useful where it is useful to relate interactions to the static structure of the system. See Chapter 20, Collaboration Diagram Artifact Reference for details of the ArgoUML collaboration diagram and the artifacts it supports.
Implementation diagrams. UML defines two implementation diagrams to show the relationship between the software components that make up a system (the component diagram) and the relationship between the software and the hardware on which it is deployed at run-time (the deployment diagram.
The ArgoUML deployment diagram provides support for both component and deployment diagrams. See Chapter 22, Deployment Diagram Artifact Reference for details of the diagram and the artifacts it supports.
Diagrams
are created using the Create
drop down menu
(see Section 9.6, “The Create Menu”),
or with the tools on the toolbar
(see Section 8.4, “Create operations”).
![]() | Note |
---|---|
ArgoUML uses its deployment diagram to create both UML 1.3 component and deployment diagrams. |
![]() | Caution |
---|---|
State and activity diagrams are associated with a particular class, and can only be created when a class has been selected. |
![]() | Warning |
---|---|
In version 0.14, there is no support for the UML 1.3 object diagram as a variant of the class diagram. However, it is possible to create simple object diagrams within the ArgoUML deployment diagram. |
![]() | Caution |
---|---|
Up until the version 0.14 the sequence diagrams were implemented incorrectly w.r.t. the UML model. For this reason it is in 0.14 no longer possible to create sequence diagrams. In an upcoming release correctly implemented sequence diagrams will be available. |