UML Case Tools

UML CASE Tools :: Ashesh Ramjeeawon :: University of Mauritius Software Engineering Student 03 Feb. 2009 Blog: http://asheshr.wordpress.com Am also on Facebook! 

Agenda

Recap -UML

Choosing UML CASE tools

Open Source UML CASE tools

1. StarUML

2. Umbrello

3. AndroMDA

4. BOUML

5. ArgoUML

Commercial CASE tools

1. IBM Rational Rose

2. Microsoft Visio

What is UML?

The Unified Modeling Language (UML) is a language for specifying, constructing, visualizing, and documenting the artifacts of a software-intensive system.

-Source - SoftwareEngineeringReferences.com

Choosing UML tools

Tool should support most UML analysis diagrams (class, use-case, collaboration, sequence, and activity).

It be easy to use, reliable, scalable.

It be free or almost free to universities.

There be a free-ish Windows and/or Linux version that students may install on their home machines

Source: SoftwareEngineeringReferences.com

UML Case Tools

“Tools are very important element of defining a path of least resistance. If I can set up a tool so that it’s easier for a developer to do something the way that I want the developer to do it, and harder for the developer to do it some other way, then I think it’s very likely the developer is going to do it the way I want them to, because it’s easier . It’s the path of least resistance ." - Steve C McConnell

Author: Code Complete

Open Source UML Tools What is Open Source?

Open Source is defined as…

Open source usually refers to software that is released with source code

under a license that ensures that derivative works will also be available as source code,

protects certain rights of the original authors, and prohibits restrictions on how the software can be used or who can use it. - O’Reilly Media

Visit: http://www.opensource.org/docs/definition.php for another definition

“ Googling” the Open Source tools…

A keyword search on Feb 2009 of

“ UML modeler” on

Sourceforge.net

Reveals 513 results….

Choosing the popular tools…

Let’s filter by downloads 

Are we going to look at all these 513 tools?

1. StarUML - 781,246 downloads

StarUML is an open source project to develop fast, flexible, extensible, featureful, and freely-available UML/MDA platform running on Win32 platform.

The goal is a compelling replacement of commercial UML tools such as RationalRose, Together and so on.

1. StarUML - 781,246 downloads

User Interface: Win32 (MS Windows)

Translations: English

Programming Language: Delphi/ Kylix

Operating System: 32-bit MS Windows (NT/2000/XP)

License: GNU General Public License (GPL)

Intended Audience: Other Audience , Developers , Quality Engineers

Development Status: 5 - Production/Stable

1. starUML screenshots

2. Umbrello - 248,031 downloads

An UML modeling tool for KDE. It supports most UML diagrams, code export (C++ and Java) and reverse engineering. [Open Source, GPL]

2. Umbrello - 248,031 downloads

User Interface: KDE

Translations: English , Esperanto

Programming Language: C++

Operating System: Linux , All POSIX (Linux/BSD/UNIX-like OSes )

Intended Audience: Developers

3. AndroMDA – 155,165 downloads

AndroMDA is a code generation framework that follows the Model Driven Architecture (MDA) paradigm.

It takes a UML model from a CASE-tool and generates classes and deployable components (J2EE or other) specific for your application architecture.

3. AndroMDA – 155,165 downloads

Translations: English , German

Programming Language: Java

Operating System: OS Independent (Written in an interpreted language)

License: BSD License

4. BOUML – 104, 064 downloads

BOUML is a free UML 2 tool box allowing you to model and generate code in C++, Java, Idl, Php and Python.

BOUML runs under Unix/Linux/Solaris, MacOS X and Windows.

It is very fast and doesn't require much memory to manage several thousands of classes.

4. BOUML – 104, 064 downloads

User Interface: Qt

Programming Language: C++

Operating System: All POSIX (Linux/BSD/UNIX-like OSes ) , All BSD Platforms (FreeBSD/ NetBSD/OpenBSD/Apple Mac OS X) , All 32-bit MS Windows (95/98/NT/2000/XP)

BOUML -Use Case Diagram

BOUML – Sequence Diagram

BOUML – State Diagram

BOUML – Class Diagram

BOUML – Activity Diagram

5. ArgoUML

ArgoUML is a powerful yet easy-to-use interactive Java based graphical software design environment that supports the design, development and documentation of object-oriented software applications.

A free research modelling tool; fairly fully featured; the main goal is to have a Really Useful user interface, unlike almost all existing CASE tools;

The users of ArgoUML are software designers & architects, software developers, business analysts, systems analysts and other professionals involved in the analysis, design and development of software applications.

Note that there is a commercial version of this tool that goes by the name Poseidon and is marketed by a Gentleware ; they offer a free community edition as well as fancier editions that cost real money.

ArgoUML – class diagram

Argo UML – Use Case Diagram

Argo UML – State Chart Diagram

Other Open Source Tools

Gaphor , a GPL modelling tool written in Python using GTK+

Astade is aimed at aiding in autogenerating C++ source from UML models. It is meant to be practical rather than research oriented

FUJABA (the rather unlikely acronym stands for Forward Unto Java And Back Again), supports both reverse engineering of and code generation for Java systems

Coral is an open source research-based modelling and meta-modelling tool, from Akademi University in Finland

Other Open Source Tools

DIA , a freeware/GPL multiplatform (!!) drawing tool based on GTK; supports UML and other kinds of diagrams; this is intended to be a freeware Visio-like drawing tool rather than a modelling tool

Violet , a very simple GPL drawing tool written by Cay Horstmann

UMLet , a small, very simple, and easy-to-use drawing tool (as opposed to a fully fledged modelling tool) from the Technical University of Vienna.

Commercial Tools

IBM Rational Rose

Microsoft Visio

SmartDraw

Enterprise Architect

Poseidon for UML

Borland Together

Sybase Power Designer

IBM Rational Rose

Rational Rose[ rational ] is often considered the definitive UML tool because the founders of the Rational company also include the creators of UML.

Early versions of Umbrello described it as an equivalent of Rational Rose and screenshots indicate that it has a similar user interface layout.

perhaps the best known UML tool; free to universities (if you ask)

Hotel Reservation System in Rational Rose

Microsoft Visio

Instead of static pictures, create data-connected Visio diagrams that display data, are easy to refresh, and dramatically increase your productivity.

Use the wide variety of diagrams in Office Visio 2007 to understand, act on, and share information about organizational systems, resources, and processes throughout your enterprise.

Source: http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/visio/HA101656401033.aspx

Other CASE Tools