UML (Unified Modeling Language) is a modeling language used by software developers.[1]UML can be used to develop diagrams and provide users (programmers) with ready-to-use, expressive modeling examples.[note 1] Some UML tools generate program language code from UML.[2] UML can be used for modeling a system independent of a platform language. UML is a graphical language for visualizing, specifying, constructing, and documenting information about software-intensive systems.[3] UML gives a standard way to write a system model, covering conceptual ideas.[4][note 2] With an understanding of modeling, the use and application of UML can make the software development process more efficient.
UML deployment diagram showing a static view of a deployed system This is an example of a deployed view of system in which user communicates to server through web browser
Restaurant Use Case Diagram In this example, the working of that restaurant is used to understand how UML can be used to implement a restaurant system. Here wait staff take order and serve food to patron. Then patron eat food, drink wine and pay bill. In this diagram patron, chef, cashier and wait staff are actors.
Applications of UML in embedded systems
Modeling applications of UML using various diagrams
The following lists of UML diagrams and functionality summaries enable understanding of UML applications in real-world examples.
Structure diagrams and their applications
Structuring diagrams show a view of a system that shows the structure of the objects, including their classifiers, relationships, attributes and operations:
Behaviour diagrams are used to illustrate the behavior of a system, they are used extensively to describe the functionality of software systems. Some Behaviour diagrams are:
Web applications of UML can be used to model user interfaces of web applications and make the purpose of the website clear. Web applications are software-intensive systems[5] and UML is among the efficient choice of languages for modeling them. Web software complexity of an application can be minimized using various UML tools.
UML-based web engineering aims at offering a UML profile that matches the needs of web development better. The following are examples:
Representation of web applications using a set of models
Web app use case model
Web app implementation model
Web app deployment model
Web app security model
Web app site map
To model pages, hyperlinks, and dynamic content on the client and server side.
For modeling server side aspects of web page with one class and client side aspect with another and distinguishing the two by using UML's extension mechanism to define stereotype's and icons for each server and client page.
Stereotypes in UML are used to define new semantics for modeling element.
Forms in HTML can also be modeled using various UML constructs.
UML can be used to express the execution of the system’s business logic in those Web-specific elements and technologies.
Embedded systems
Software in embedded systems design needs to be looked carefully for software specification and analysis. Unified Modeling Language and extension proposals in the realtime domain can be used for the development of new design flows. UML can be used for specification, design and implementation of modern embedded systems. UML can also be used for modelling the system from functional requirements through executable specifications and for that purpose it is important to be able to model the context for an embedded system – both environmental and user-driven.[6][failed verification]
Some key concepts of UML related to embedded systems:
UML is not a single language, but a set of notations, syntax and semantics to allow the creation of families of languages for particular applications.
Extension mechanisms in UML like profiles, stereotypes, tags, and constraints can be used for particular applications.
Use-case modelling to describe system environments, user scenarios, and test cases.
UML has support for object-oriented system specification, design and modelling.
Growing interest in UML from the embedded systems and realtime community.
Support for state-machine semantics which can be used for modelling and synthesis.
UML supports object-based structural decomposition and refinement.
A specific UML profile, called MARTE for Modeling and Analysis of Real-Time and Embedded systems, provides some extensions dedicated to the domain.
An object-modeling language is a standardized set of symbols used to model a software system using an object-oriented framework. The symbols can be either informal or formal ranging from predefined graphical templates to formal object models defined by grammars and specifications.
The unified modeling language (UML) is a general-purpose visual modeling language that is intended to provide a standard way to visualize the design of a system.
In software and systems engineering, the phrase use case is a polyseme with two senses:
A usage scenario for a piece of software; often used in the plural to suggest situations where a piece of software may be useful.
A potential scenario in which a system receives an external request and responds to it.
In computing, a visual programming language or block coding is a programming language that lets users create programs by manipulating program elements graphically rather than by specifying them textually. A VPL allows programming with visual expressions, spatial arrangements of text and graphic symbols, used either as elements of syntax or secondary notation. For example, many VPLs are based on the idea of "boxes and arrows", where boxes or other screen objects are treated as entities, connected by arrows, lines or arcs which represent relations.
Business process modeling (BPM) in business process management and systems engineering is the activity of representing processes of an enterprise, so that the current business processes may be analyzed, improved, and automated. BPM is typically performed by business analysts, who provide expertise in the modeling discipline; by subject matter experts, who have specialized knowledge of the processes being modeled; or more commonly by a team comprising both. Alternatively, the process model can be derived directly from events' logs using process mining tools.
A UML tool is a software application that supports some or all of the notation and semantics associated with the Unified Modeling Language (UML), which is the industry standard general-purpose modeling language for software engineering.
Domain-specific modeling (DSM) is a software engineering methodology for designing and developing systems, such as computer software. It involves systematic use of a domain-specific language to represent the various facets of a system.
Specification and Description Language (SDL) is a specification language targeted at the unambiguous specification and description of the behaviour of reactive and distributed systems.
Object-oriented analysis and design (OOAD) is a technical approach for analyzing and designing an application, system, or business by applying object-oriented programming, as well as using visual modeling throughout the software development process to guide stakeholder communication and product quality.
StarUML is a software engineering tool for system modeling using the Unified Modeling Language, as well as Systems Modeling Language, and classical modeling notations. It is published by MKLabs and is available on Windows, Linux and MacOS.
Activity diagrams are graphical representations of workflows of stepwise activities and actions with support for choice, iteration and concurrency. In the Unified Modeling Language, activity diagrams are intended to model both computational and organizational processes, as well as the data flows intersecting with the related activities. Although activity diagrams primarily show the overall flow of control, they can also include elements showing the flow of data between activities through one or more data stores.
UMLet is an open-source Java-based UML tool designed for teaching the Unified Modeling Language and for quickly creating UML diagrams. It is a drawing tool rather than a modelling tool as there is no underlying dictionary or directory of reusable design objects. UMLet is distributed under the GNU General Public License.
Model-driven engineering (MDE) is a software development methodology that focuses on creating and exploiting domain models, which are conceptual models of all the topics related to a specific problem. Hence, it highlights and aims at abstract representations of the knowledge and activities that govern a particular application domain, rather than the computing concepts.
Executable UML is both a software development method and a highly abstract software language. It was described for the first time in 2002 in the book "Executable UML: A Foundation for Model-Driven Architecture". The language "combines a subset of the UML graphical notation with executable semantics and timing rules." The Executable UML method is the successor to the Shlaer–Mellor method.
The systems modeling language (SysML) is a general-purpose modeling language for systems engineering applications. It supports the specification, analysis, design, verification and validation of a broad range of systems and systems-of-systems.
The Toolkit for Conceptual Modeling (TCM) is a collection of software tools to present specifications of software systems in the form of diagrams, tables, trees, and the like. TCM offers editors for techniques used in Structured Analysis as well as editors for object-oriented (UML) techniques. For some of the behavior specification techniques, an interface to model checkers is offered. More in particular, TCM contains the following editors.
A profile in the Unified Modeling Language (UML) provides a generic extension mechanism for customizing UML models for particular domains and platforms. Extension mechanisms allow refining standard semantics in strictly additive manner, preventing them from contradicting standard semantics.
EAST-ADL is an Architecture Description Language (ADL) for automotive embedded systems, developed in several European research projects. It is designed to complement AUTOSAR with descriptions at higher level of abstractions. Aspects covered by EAST-ADL include vehicle features, functions, requirements, variability, software components, hardware components and communication. Currently, it is maintained by the EAST-ADL Association in cooperation with the European FP7 MAENAD project.
The Interaction Flow Modeling Language (IFML) is a standardized modeling language in the field of software engineering. IFML includes a set of graphic notations to create visual models of user interactions and front-end behavior in software systems.
Prosa UML Modeller assists software developers to design applications visually by using Unified Modeling Language. Unified Modeling Language - UML , is a standardized graphic notation developed to create visual models of object oriented software systems.
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