MODULE 3: APPLICATION DEVELOPMENT AND EMERGING

TECHNOLOGIES
Introduction
UML stands for Unified Modeling Language, and it is a modeling language that is most often
used for software engineering but has extended its use to business processes and other project
workflows. Essentially, UML is visualizing software through diagrams, specifically one of the
thirteen UML diagrams. This modeling language was created by three software engineers at the
company Rational Software for their projects, and it has become the standard with very few
updates over the years.

A UML diagram is typically used in software engineering and other business processes where
modeling is useful.

Modeling usually involves a static or dynamic model, and sometimes both are used. Some of
the types of UML models are static and some are dynamic, so a developer can use UML for
both types of modeling. Static modeling shows things like classes, objects, interfaces, and the
relationships between these. The class diagrams and object diagrams are both UML types of
static modeling.

Dynamic modeling shows the behavior of the static aspects of a system. This type of modeling
can also be used to show a workflow, passage of time, and different states. In this type of
modeling, something will be changing, whereas in static nothing is changing. In UML, Interaction
diagrams, object diagrams, and activity diagrams are ways to use dynamic modeling.

What is UML?
- stands for Unified Modeling Language, and it is a modeling language that is most often used
for software engineering but has extended its use to business processes and other project
workflows. Essentially, UML is visualizing software through diagrams, specifically one of the
thirteen UML diagrams. This modeling language was created by three software engineers at the
company Rational Software for their projects, and it has become the standard with very few
updates over the years.

- is a general-purpose, developmental, modeling language in the field of software engineering

that is intended to provide a standard way to visualize the design of a system.

- was created to forge a common, semantically and syntactically rich visual modeling language
for the architecture, design, and implementation of complex software systems both structurally
and behaviorally. UML has applications beyond software development, such as process flow in
manufacturing.

What is a UML Diagram used for?

A UML diagram is typically used in software engineering and other business processes where
modeling is useful. There are two main ways UML diagrams are used as a part of these
processes:
Forward design

The modeling and design are all done before coding the software application. Usually, forward
design is used to help developers better see the system they are trying to create.

Backward design

The modeling is done after the code has been written, and the UML diagrams act as
documentation for the workflow of the project. This can help developers see the project
development as it was to improve in the future.

Whether UML diagrams are used before or after coding or project, they provide a way to
visualize many aspects of a project and who is responsible for what activity.

UML and its role in object-oriented modeling and design

There are many problem-solving paradigms or models in Computer Science, which is the study
of algorithms and data. There are four problem-solving model categories: imperative, functional,
declarative and object-oriented languages (OOP). In object-oriented languages, algorithms are
expressed by defining ‘objects’ and having the objects interact with each other. Those objects
are things to be manipulated and they exist in the real world. They can be buildings, widgets on
a desktop, or human beings. Object-oriented languages dominate the programming world
because they model real-world objects. UML is a combination of several object-oriented
notations: Object-Oriented Design, Object Modeling Technique, and Object-Oriented Software
Engineering. UML uses the strengths of these three approaches to present a more consistent
methodology that's easier to use. UML represents best practices for building and documenting
different aspects of software and business system modeling.

UML Diagram Symbols

There are many different types of UML diagrams, and each has a slightly different symbol set.
Class diagrams are perhaps one of the most common UML diagrams used and class diagram
symbols center around defining attributes of a class. For example, there are symbols for active
classes and interfaces. A class symbol can also be divided to show a class's operations,
attributes, and responsibilities.
The visibility of any class members are marked by notations of

Lines are also important symbols to denote relationships between components.

 Generalization and Inheritance are denoted with empty arrowheads.
 Composition is shown with a filled in diamond.
 Aggregation is shown with an empty diamond.
 Dependencies are marked with a dashed line with an arrow.
 Using << >> allows you to indicate properties of that dependency.
 Multiplicity is usually shown with a number at one end of the arrow and a * at the other.

Package diagrams have symbols defining a package that looks like a folder.
Activity diagrams have symbols for activities, states, including separate symbols for an initial
state and a final state. The control flow is usually shown with an arrow and the object flow is
shown with a dashed arrow.

Types of UML Diagrams

The original UML had nine types of diagram, and the second version raised that to thirteen
types of diagram. Each diagram can be divided into two categories: structural diagrams and
behavioral diagrams. A structural diagram will break down the project by the process or way the
project is set up. A behavioral diagram will break down the project by how the system behaves
and how its components and actors are involved. Here are each of the types of UML diagrams
explained.

Structural Diagrams
 Class diagram

This is the most common type of documentation diagram for software. The diagram has three
fields where the first one is the class, then its attributes right beneath it, and finally the behaviors
are in the third field. Then different types of lines connect each class to show the relationships
between the classes.

 Object diagram

This diagram is, in a way, a subset of the class diagrams. Object diagrams display a particular
instance of a class. For example, if a class diagram had the class of “Customers,” the object
diagram might have “Customer 1” to show the attributes and behaviors of that particular
customer. These diagrams allow developers to see if the system they created with a class
diagram is viable when put into practice.

 Composite structure diagram

As another further subset of class diagrams, composite structure diagrams show the internal
structure of a class. Each class is broken down into its components, and the connecting lines
are drawn between the components to show how each relates and communicates. It’s an
extremely specific diagram, so it’s used less often, especially in a business environment.

 Package diagram

This type of diagram helps

show the big picture by
organizing elements of the
system into groups called packages.
The packages are then sorted into
related groups, and those groups are
connected to show relationships or
interaction. Package diagrams
help show complex systems and
complex behaviors that might be hard
to visualize in detail.

 Component diagram

It can be difficult to visualize complex systems, but that is what a component diagram is
designed to do. The system is broken down into its components, which communicate with each
other through interfaces. The interfaces are connected to show the path of component
communication. These diagrams provide a bird’s eye overview of a complex system or process.

 Deployment diagram
This diagram shows the relationship between software and the physical hardware it’s deployed
through. Deployment diagrams are a physical model of how each software component (called
artifacts) is deployed through its hardware node and the connections between all of the software
and hardware elements. This diagram is typically only useful for software development because
of its focus on hardware.

Behavioral Diagrams
 Activity diagram

Activity diagrams are some of the most useful diagrams, especially for business processes.
These diagrams show the workflow of a project or operational process, and it can show the
relationship between different activities. The flow between activities can be both parallel and
sequential. The diagram will usually display the materials used, objects produced by activities,
and the relationship between each.

 Interaction overview diagram

While activity diagrams show the sequence of processes, interaction overview diagrams show
the sequence of object interactions in the correct order. Arrows are used to show the flow
between the interactions. These are some of the most complex UML diagrams, and they use
the same annotations as an activity diagram.

 Sequence
diagram
As the same suggests, this diagram shows the sequence of interactions in a system
chronologically during a particular process. All communication between actors or objects is
shown with a variety of connecting lines, and actors don’t need to be active until another actor
communicates with it. Visually these diagrams are structured vertically with chronological, top-
down organization. These diagrams are important for the development of any kind of
application, not just software.

 Communication diagram

These diagrams are similar to sequence diagrams, but the main focus here is on the
communication between objects, not all types of interaction. Communication diagrams follow a
numbering system to show chronology and arrows to show the flow of messages. On the
diagram, the objects don’t have to be physically close to each other to communicate; they only
need to be included in the numbering and have an arrow connecting them to another
object.

 Timing diagram

If the focus of a project is the timing of events, this diagram is the best to use. Like a sequence
diagram, this shows the sequence of events, but instead of connecting by a relationship, each
event is shown to flow along a linear axis of time, usually from left to right. The focus is the
duration of time, and the diagram often shows this with a staircase and arrows displaying the
time constraint.

 Use case diagram

These diagrams give an overview of all the actors, functions each actor needs to perform, and
how the functions interact within a system. The goal is to visualize the functions of each actor
involved and how all of the actors and functions are related to each other. Usually, actors are
connected to their functions with arrows, and related functions are connected to each other with
different arrows.

 State diagram

Also known as state chart diagrams, these show the state of a system when it’s acted on by an
external or internal stimulus. The diagram visualizes the many states of a system and how it could
change if certain external or internal events take place and all of the actions in between.