Why UML?


This book uses the UML (Unified Modeling Language) standard to illustrate some of the code. The class boxes shown in earlier sections use UML. The UML is the de facto standard for modeling object-oriented systems. The chief benefit of using UML is that it is universally understood and can be used to quickly express design concepts to other developers.

UML itself is not a methodology; it is a diagramming language. It is a tool that can be used to support documenting any kind of object-oriented system. UML can be used on projects using virtually any methodology.

This book will explain the rudiments of the UML it uses. A good place to obtain a better understanding of UML is the book UML Distilled, by MartinFowler.[3] Also, you can find the latest version of the UML specification online at http://www.omg.org/technology/documents/formal/uml.htm.

[3] See [Fowler2000].

Most of the UML diagrams in this book show minimal detail. I usually omit attributes, and I only show behaviors when they are particularly relevant. By and large, I intend for the UML to give you a quick pictorial representation of the design of the system. The UML representation is not the designit is a model of the design.[4]The design is the code itself.

[4] [Martin2003/Reeves1992].

To the extent that UML helps you understand the design of the system, it is valuable and worthwhile. Once it begins duplicating information that is more readily understood by reading code, UML becomes a burdensome, expensive artifact to maintain. Use UML judiciously and it will be an invaluable tool for communication.



Agile Java. Crafting Code with Test-Driven Development
Agile Javaв„ў: Crafting Code with Test-Driven Development
ISBN: 0131482394
EAN: 2147483647
Year: 2003
Pages: 391
Authors: Jeff Langr

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