Chapter 4: Working with Templates

• About Templates
• Tool Categories
• Diagram Types
• Link Tool Design
• Place Tool Design
• Tool Icon Design
• Tool Semantics
• Generic Editing Tasks
  • To create a new notation template
  • To modify an existing template
  • To modify a diagram type
  • To create a new tool model
  • To create a new stereotype model
  • To delete an extra tool or stereotype model
  • To modify an existing tool model
  • To modify a tool icon
  • To modify a tool’s properties
  • To modify a tool’s default size
  • To modify the drawables in tool models
  • To modify the shaft of a link tool model
  • To apply a different template to the current project

About Templates

Unlike project files, you cannot directly open a template file. (If you open (or double-click) a template file in the Windows Explorer, UMLStudio will create a new project based on that template for you.) However, you can indirectly view and edit the contents of a template via any project that is based on that template.

When you open a project, the explorer pane contains a template folder directly below the Models folder, that gives you access to the template. This folder has the same name as the notation template on which the project is based (e.g., UML.not).

As of version 2.0, a user-specified default template is used for creating a new project when UMLStudio is first launched. The shipped software uses UML.not as the default template. The user can specify the default template using the Tools:Options dialog.

A template file contains the following:

• The definition of 8 diagram types. Each diagram type specifies the symbols (links and places) that can be used to create diagrams of that type.

• The definition of 10 or more link tools. Each link tool is defined as a model consisting solely of primitive drawables.

• The definition of 14 or more place tools. Each place tool is also defined as a model consisting solely of primitive drawables.

• An icon for each of the tools.

If you modify the tool definition in a template, your changes will be immediately reflected in an open project that is based on that template.

Because templates separate the definition of a notation from the definition of the drawings created in that notation, they provide you with considerable flexibility. You can, for example, quickly and consistently change your diagrams by simply adjusting the template.

In addition to the templates shipped with UMLStudio, you can design your own templates and share them with others. Templates are a great way of enforcing consistency of drawings in an organization.

Tool Categories

• Standard tools are those that are directly visible in the custom toolbar. Each template provides 10 standard link tools and 14 standard place tools. These tools can be customized, but they cannot be deleted.

• Extra tools are those that are available via the extra links menu and the extra places menu in the custom toolbar. New extra tools can be added by the user, and existing ones in the template can be customized or deleted.

• Stereotypes are variations of standard and extra tools. If a standard tool has defined stereotypes, then these will appear in a small popup menu when the cursor is positioned on the tool in the custom toolbar. If an extra tool has defined stereotypes, then these will appear in the extra menu, directly below the extra tool itself.

Diagram Types

When the user creates a diagram of a given type, only those link and place tools that are part of the diagram type will be available for editing. The other tools will be disabled in the custom toolbar.

UMLStudio supports 8 diagram types:

• The default type represents unrestricted diagrams used for arbitrary modeling.

• The class type represents diagrams that depict class relationships.

• The use-case type represents diagrams that depict actors, use-cases, and their relationships.

• The sequence type represents diagrams that depict interactions among objects in time sequence.

• The collaboration type represents diagrams that depict message exchanges between objects.

• The state type represents diagrams that depict the sequence of states an object goes through during its life-time.

• The activity type represents special state diagrams in which the states represent actions.

• The implementation type represents diagrams that depict the implementation structures of a system.

The definition of a diagram type can be modified through its property sheet.

Link Tool Design

Drawables that you place in the left partition specify the link attachment at the source. Similarly, drawables that you place in the right partition specify the link attachment at the destination. Drawables that you place in the middle partition specify the middle attachment of the link. The default size of the link is shown in the locater page of the info pane. You can drag the knob at the bottom-right corner of this view to change the default size:

If you want the link to have an editable label, place an editable text box primitive in the middle attachment. If you put more than one editable text box in the middle attachment, only one of them will be used.

When designing or modifying a link tool model, you should ensure that each drawable appears completely within one of the 3 partitions. A drawable that overlaps the partition boundaries is regarded as not belonging to the link and is therefore ignored by UMLStudio.

Place Tool Design

The default size of the place tool is shown in the locater page of the info pane. You can drag the knob at the bottom-right corner of this view to change the default size:

If you want the place to have an editable name, place an editable text box primitive in its model. If you put more than one editable text box in the place model, only one of them will be used.

It is generally unusual for a place tool not to have an editable name. In such a case, places created using the tool will still have proper names; this is because every place has a named master. However, you will not be able to directly edit the place name, but you will be able to edit the name via the place’s property sheet.

Tool Icon Design

To view the icon design of a custom tool, select its button from the custom toolbar (if it’s not already selected) and press the Tool Icon Edit button. A magnified view of the tool’s icon design is displayed in the drawing pane. For example, the icon design of the UML Actor place tool looks like this:

The default size of the icon is shown in the locater page of the info pane:

You can use the primitive tools to draw pixels into the icon design. Holding down the control key while drawing causes the pixels to be erased instead.

Tool Semantics

A place tool’s semantics may take one of the following values:

• Unspecified, which means that the place semantics is unspecified.
• Class, which means that the place behaves like a class, and may have attributes, methods, and exceptions.
• Package, which means that the place represents a package of other things (i.e., is a place holder).

• Unspecified, which means that the link semantics is unspecified.
• Inheritance, which means that the link’s source place inherits (i.e., is derived) from its target place.
• Realization, which means that the link’s source place realizes (i.e., implements) its target place.
• Instantiation, which means that the link’s source place is an instantiation of its target place.
• Composition, which means that the link’s source place contains its target place.
• Aggregation, which means that the link’s source place references its target place.
• Association, which means that the link’s source and target places are somehow associated.
• Control-Flow, which means that execution control flows from the link’s source place to its target place.
• Data-flow, which means that data flows from the link’s source place to its target place.
• Transition, which means that there is a state transition from the link’s source place to its target place.
• Dependency, which means that the link’s source place depends on its target place.
• Attachment, which means that the link’s source place is attached to its target place.

• If a place has class semantics, code generation will result in a class of the same name. Conversely, reverse engineering of a class will result in a place created with the first tool in the template that has class semantics.

• If a place has package semantics, code generation will (if appropriate) use it for determining the package hierarchy (e.g., in Java). Conversely, reverse engineering Java code will result in a diagram hierarchy that uses the first place in the template that has package semantics to depict the hierarchy.

• If a link that has inheritance semantics connects a class B to a class A, the code generated for class B will have A as a base class. Conversely, reverse engineering of a class B derived from A, will result in a diagram that uses the first link in the template that has inheritance semantics to depict the relationship.

• If a link that has realization semantics connects a class B to an interface A, the Java code generated for class B will implement interface A. Conversely, reverse engineering of a Java class B that implements an interface A, will result in a diagram that uses the first link in the template that has realization semantics to depict the relationship.

• If a link that has composition semantics connects a class B to a class A, the code generated for class B will have a data member of type A. Conversely, reverse engineering of a class B that has an object of type A as a member, will result in a diagram that uses the first link in the template that has composition semantics to depict the relationship.

• If a link that has aggregation semantics connects a class B to a class A, the code generated for class B will have a data member that is a reference to A. Conversely, reverse engineering of a class B that has a reference to an object of type A as a member, will result in a diagram that uses the first link in the template that has aggregation semantics to depict the relationship.

Generic Editing Tasks

To create a new notation template

• Choose File:New to create a new project using an existing template (choose the template that’s closest to what you want).

• Modify the template as desired (see below).

• Choose File:Save Template to save the modified template under a new name.

• You can discard the project or, if you want to try out your new template, proceed to create models in it.

To modify an existing template

• Choose File:New to create a new project using the template you want to modify.

• Modify the template as desired (see below).

• Choose File:Save Template to save the modified template under the same name.

• You can discard the project or, if you want to try out the modified template, proceed to create models in it.

To modify a diagram type

• In the Diagrams subfolder of the template folder, select the diagram type you want to modify. The property sheet for the diagram type will appear.

• Edit the diagram type properties as desired. The second tab page (Tools) allows you to select the symbols that should be supported by the diagram type.

To create a new tool model

• If you want to create a new link tool model, first select a link (any link) in the custom toolbar, or select the Template\Links folder in the explorer pane.

• If you want to create a new place tool model, first select a place (any place) in the custom toolbar, or select the Template\Places folder in the explorer pane.

• Choose Model:New Tool Model.

The tool model is automatically selected and its design is displayed in the drawing pane. The new tool model is initially named Untitled but can be renamed using the model property sheet.

The tool design is initially empty, so that you can populate it with drawables as you wish.

To create a new stereotype model

• Select the tool for which you want to create a stereotype in the custom toolbar, or select its model in the explorer pane.

• Choose Model:New Stereotype Model.

The stereotype model is automatically selected and its design is displayed in the drawing pane. The new tool model is initially named Untitled but can be renamed using the model property sheet.

The stereotype design is initially empty, so that you can populate it with drawables as you wish.

To delete an extra tool or stereotype model

• You can only delete extra tool models and stereotype models. You cannot delete any of the standard tools.

• Select the tool/stereotype model in the explorer pane (with the template hierarchy).

• Choose Edit:Delete or press the delete key.

To modify an existing tool model

• Select the tool you want to modify from the custom toolbar.

• Press the Tool Design Edit button in the custom toolbar. The nominated tool’s model is automatically selected in the explorer pane and the model is displayed in the drawing pane.

• Edit the model as desired. Editing a tool model is essentially the same as editing a normal model. The only notable restriction is that you can only use primitive tools within a tool model (you cannot use places, links, or tags).

To modify a tool icon

• Select the tool you want to modify from the custom toolbar.

• Press the Tool Icon Edit button in the custom toolbar. A magnified view of the tool’s icon is displayed in the drawing pane.

• Edit the icon as desired using the primitive tools available.

When using clipboard operations, make sure the drawing pane is the active pane. To make the drawing pane active, simply click the mouse pointer inside it.

Changes to a tool’s icon will not be reflected in the custom toolbar until you switch to another model.

To modify a tool’s properties

• Bring up the tool model’s property sheet. You can do this in two ways:
  • Select the tool in the explorer pane and then choose Edit:Properties, or

  • Double-click the tool model’s icon in the explorer pane.

• Make your changes and press the OK button.

To modify a tool’s default size

• Make sure that the tool’s model is the current model.

• Drag the corner knob of the tool’s default size in the locater page of the info pane to the desired size.

To modify the drawables in tool models

• Make sure that the tool’s model is the current model.

• Edit the model’s drawables as you would do with a normal model.

To modify the shaft of a link tool model

• Make sure that no drawable in the link tool’s model is selected.

• Selected the desired color from the line color menu and/or the desired line style from the line style menu.

To apply a different template to the current project

• Choose File:Switch To Template. This will display a dialog box containing the list of available templates.

• Select the template you want to switch to and press the OK button.