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Diagrams symbols in UML , OOAD


I have seen many symbols, notations related to UML and OOA&D. Most of the times those symbols don't have any labels so I am not able to understand what they are. For example, we have symbol for Generalization , Realization, Uses etc.

Is there any book , resource which depicts commonly used symbols and their meaning?


Solution

    • A generalization is an inheritance in the general sense of the term. From the norm :

    a taxonomic relationship between a more general Classifier and a more specific Classifier. Each instance of the specific Classifier is also an instance of the general Classifier. The specific Classifier inherits the features of the more general Classifier.

    • A realization is for instance a specialization of inheritance, an inheritance between a class and an interface. More globally it is, from the norm :

    a specialized Abstraction relationship between two sets of model Elements, one representing a specification (the supplier) and the other represents an implementation of the latter (the client). Realization can be used to model stepwise refinement, optimizations, transformations, templates, model synthesis, framework composition, etc.

    • Uses ? You mean Use cases ?

    Is there any book , resource which depicts commonly used symbols and their meaning?

    There is only one source you can trust on without any doubt : the OMG UML documentation where UML is defined, so typically the superstructure.

    Warning for instance with Wikipedia which is not interested by saying the 'truth' but only by duplicating referenced sources independently of their content (I unfortunately known what I mean, by experience about my Tool BoUML).

    The problem with normative documents is that they are rapidly indigestible. A tutorial can therefore help from time to time ... before returning to the norm to be certain of what one reads.