UML Weekend Crash Course™ - To Parent Directory

SESSION
30
UML Modeling Tools
Session Checklist
✔ Explaining the purpose and function of modeling tools
✔ Explaining evaluation criteria for modeling tools
✔ Evaluating UML modeling tools
You have undoubtedly found that working with the UML diagrams by hand can be timeconsuming
and difficult. The problem increases in complexity when you attempt to
maintain the integration between the models. You are not alone. Many people in the
industry have come to appreciate the value of the modeling tools but have been hindered by
the sheer magnitude of the task.
Explaining the Purpose and Function of Modeling Tools
This is where modeling tools come in. The idea behind these modeling tools is simply that
you should be able to use the power of the computer to draw the diagrams, store the
information about the diagrams, and use the computer to run the cross checks, maintain
the integrity, keep track of versions, and ultimately generate the code.
Unfortunately, the early attempts at these tools did not go well. The developers tried to
anticipate how you should write your code. In trying to account for every possibility, they
delivered tools that generated bloated, unreadable code. The result was that no one trusted
the code or the tools.
The good news for modeling tools came in the form of object-oriented programming. The
elements of the OO diagrams now map so well to elements of OO code that there is little if
any difference between the diagrams and the code.
So what is a modeling tool Figure 30-1 shows you a screenshot of a typical modeling
tool interface. This particular tool is System Architect by Popkin Software, the tool used to
generate most of the diagrams in this book.