Class Diagrams
A class diagram is a UML diagram that models the static structure of a system, which contain classifiers and their relationships to each other. A class diagram can depict some or all of the classes in a model. Conversely, a single model can support many class diagrams and a single classifier can appear in more than one diagram.
Class diagrams typically contain classes that represent the abstraction of a concept. They also contain other classifiers such as interfaces, signals, and enumerations. Class diagrams also use multiple variations of association relationships to indicate which classifiers need to share data with other classifiers. You can also use other relationships on class diagrams such as generalizations, realizations, and dependencies.
Class diagrams are often the foundation for component and deployment diagrams, which contain components and nodes, respectively, instead of classes.
Using Class Diagrams
Class diagrams are helpful because they are very effective for visualizing, specifying, and documenting structural features in models. For example, during analysis and design you can create class diagrams to:
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Capture the structure of the classifiers that form the system's architecture.
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Model the structural aspects of a model using attributes, operations, and signals.
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Show the common classifier roles and responsibilities that define the system's behavior.
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Show the implementation classes in a package, the structure and behavior of one or more classes, or a view of inheritance hierarchy.
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Show the workers and entities in a business object model.
You can also use class diagrams during the implementation phase of the software development lifecycle to forward and reverse engineer your models and source code.
Related Topics
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