Understand the Purpose of a Modeling Tool
Many software packages allow you to create a UML class diagram.
These are divided into two main categories:
Graphics tools aren't just designed for UML diagrams but can be used for all diagram types.
CASE tools (computer-aided software engineering) are powerful software design environments. Unlike graphical tools (which only produce a diagram), CASE tools understand UML modeling. They can interpret your model, so certain tasks become much easier, such as verifying the model, generating code from the class diagram, etc. However, it can be challenging to get the hang of using them.
Some of the best-known graphics tools are LibreOffice Draw, diagrams.net, LucidChart, etc.
ArgoUML is one of the best known CASE tools. You can also try Papyrus, a robust modeling environment that works in Windows, macOS, and Linux operating systems. It’s free, open source, and developed by the Eclipse foundation.
Now it's Your Turn!
A graphics tool, such as diagrams.net (previously known as draw.io), is sufficient for your needs.
It’s free and doesn't require installation because it's a web application that you can use from your browser (Firefox, Chrome, Safari, Edge, etc.), and you don’t need to create an account!
It’s also intuitive, popular, and can create diagrams (not just UML). Additionally, it allows you to collaborate with others as you can store diagrams in the cloud (e.g., Google Drive).
It’s very simple to use:
Go to the diagrams.net website.
Click on “Start.”
Choose where to store your file.
You can now start drawing your diagram.
As a reminder, here’s the latest version of the UML diagram that you can try reproducing:
Follow the instructions in the videos below to create the diagram that we’ve been working on.
In the first video, you’ll see the diagrams tool and how to create the different classes.
Once you’ve added the classes, this video shows you how to add relationships between the classes.
Let’s Recap!
In this chapter, you learned:
There are two different types of modeling tools: graphics and CASE (computer-aided software engineering) tools.
How to use the diagrams graphics tool.
Well done, you’ve completed this part. You can now create your very first UML class diagrams. After a quiz to test your knowledge, we will go into more detail. You’re going to learn how to use your conceptual model to create a relational model. Let’s get started!
