Scriptcase What is UML?

UML is the acronym for Unified Modeling Language and, contrary to what one might think, is not a development method. It was created solely to assist in the graphical view of objects used in development projects that have object-oriented programming as standard modeling.

Offer a simplified view of objects, classes, attributes, and relationships between objects is one of several functions of the UML. Its focus is to support the practice of software engineering, facilitating the understanding of the logic applied in the application.

The various diagrams that UML offers help to understand the operation of any system that is programmed using OOP, either the structure and logic used in software programming or even the way the software interacts with the environment in which it operates.

Two large groups classify the diagrams used in UML, as follows:

Structural diagrams

By default, all structural diagrams refer to the inside part (code) of the software, taking into account their vital points and the parties interaction. Classes, objects, attributes, types of relationships between objects or any other kind of related information to application program is found in these models of diagram:

• Class: Diagram that shows the set of classes with their attributes and methods and relationships between the project classes;

• Object: Diagram that provides a vision of the values stored by the objects of a class diagram in a given time of execution of the software process;

• Components: diagram that indicates the software components and their relationships;

• Implementation: Diagram that determines the system hardware requirements;

• Packages: Diagram that represents the lumped subsystems;

• Structure: Diagram depicting the internal structure of a classifier.

Behavioral diagrams

In behavioral diagrams, you can understand the software’s interaction with the environment where it will be implemented. Issues related to processes, for example, can be analyzed and validated using each of the diagrams shown below:

• Use Case: Diagram showing the use of software applied in real scenarios. In many cases, general and informal phases to lifting and system requirements analysis;

• State Machine: Diagram accompanying the changes undergone by an object within a process;

• Activities: Diagram showing the steps to be taken to complete an activity;

• Interaction: They are divided into:

– Sequence: Displays the temporal order in which messages are exchanged between objects;

– General interaction: Provides an overview within the system or business process;

– Communication: Diagram showing how objects are bound;

– Time: Diagram showing the change of state or condition of an instance of a class or its role over time.

Check out more content on our blog!
Learn all about Scriptcase.