ch-9 Advanced Classes

Chapter 9.
Advanced Classes
 CLASSIFIERS:-
 A classifier is a mechanism that describes structural and

behavioral features.
 Classifiers include classes, interfaces, datatypes,

signals, components, nodes, use cases, and
subsystems.
 The most important kind of classifier in the UML is the
class.
 Classes are not the only kind of classifier, however. The
UML provides a number of other kinds of classifiers to
help you model.
1. Interface :A collection of operations that are used to

specify a service of a class or a component.
2. Datatype: A type whose values have no identity,

including primitive built-in types (such as numbers and
strings), as well as enumeration types (such as
Boolean).
3. Signal: The specification of an asynchronous input
communicated between instances.
4. Component: A physical and replaceable part of a

system that conforms to and provides the realization
of a set of interfaces.
5. Node: A physical element that exists at run time and

that represents a computational resource, generally
having at least some memory and often processing
capability.
6. Use case: A description of a set of a sequence of
actions, including variants, that a system performs that
yields an observable result of value to a particular
actor.
7. Subsystem: A grouping of elements of which some

constitute a specification of the behavior offered by the
other contained elements.
Graphically, the UML distinguishes among these
different classifiers, as
 Visibility:-
 One of the most important details you can specify

for a classifier's attributes and operations is its
visibility.
 The visibility of a feature specifies whether it can

be used by other classifiers.
 In the UML, you can specify any of three levels of

visibility.
1. Public: Any outside classifier with visibility to the
given classifier can use the feature; specified by
prepending the symbol +
2. Protected: Any descendant of the classifier can use

the feature; specified by prepending the symbol #
3. Private: Only the classifier itself can use the feature;

specified by prepending the symbol -
Visibility
Scope:-
 Another important detail you can specify for a
classifier's attributes and operations is its owner scope.
 The owner scope of a feature specifies whether the

feature appears in each instance of the classifier.
 In the UML, you can specify two kinds of owner scope.
1. Instance: Each instance of the classifier holds its own value for
the feature.
2. Classifier: There is just one value of the feature for all instances
of the classifier.
Owner Scope
Abstract, Root, Leaf, and Polymorphic
Elements
 Use generalization relationships to model classes, with

more-generalized abstractions at the top of the hierarchy
and more-specific ones at the bottom.
Abstract and Concrete Classes and Operations
 A class may have no children. Such an element is
called a leaf class and is specified in the UML by
writing the property leaf below the class's name.
 For example, in the figure, OKButton is a leaf class, so it
may have no children.
 Less common but still useful is the ability to specify that

a class may have no parents. Such an element is called
a root class, and is specified in the UML by writing the
property root below the class's name.
 For example, in the figure, Icon is a root class.
 An operation is polymorphic, which means that, in
a hierarchy of classes, you can specify operations
with the same signature at different points in the
hierarchy.
 Ones in the child classes override the behavior of

ones in the parent classes. When a message is
dispatched at run time, the operation in the hierarchy
that is invoked is chosen polymorphically - that is, a
match is determined at run time according to the
type of the object.
 For example, display and isInside are both

polymorphic operations.
 The operation Icon::display() is abstract, meaning that it
is incomplete and requires a child to supply an
implementation of the operation.
Multiplicity:-
 The number of instances a class may have is called its
multiplicity.
 Multiplicity is a specification of the range of allowable

cardinalities an entity may assume.
 In the UML, you can specify the multiplicity of a class

by writing a multiplicity expression in the upper-right
corner of the class icon.
 For example, in NetworkController is a singleton class.
Similarly, there are exactly three instances of the class
ControlRod in the system.
 Multiplicity applies to attributes, as well. You can
specify the multiplicity of an attribute by writing a
suitable expression in brackets just after the
attribute name.
 For example, in the figure, there are two or more

consolePort instances in the instance of
NetworkController.
 Attributes:-
 At the most abstract level, when you model a class's

structural features (that is, its attributes), you simply
write each attribute's name.
 The syntax of an attribute in the UML is

[visibility] name [multiplicity] [: type][= initial-value]
[{property-string}]
 For example, the following are all legal attribute declarations:
origin Name only
+ origin Visibility and name

origin : Point Name and type
head : *Item Name and complex type
name [0..1] : String Name, multiplicity, and type
origin : Point = (0,0) Name, type, and initial value
id : Integer {frozen} Name and property

 There are three defined properties that you can use
with attributes.
changeable There are no restrictions on modifying the

attribute's value.
addOnly For attributes with a multiplicity greater
than one, additional values may be
added, but once created, a value may not
be removed or altered.
frozen The attribute's value may not be changed
after the object is initialized.
Unless otherwise specified, attributes are always

changeable. You'll mainly want to use frozen when
modeling constant or write-once attributes.
 Operations:-
 At the most abstract level, when you model a class's

behavioral features (that is, its operations and its
signals), you will simply write each operation's name.
 You can also specify the parameters, return type,

concurrency semantics, and other properties of each
operation.
 Collectively, the name of an operation plus its

parameters (including its return type, if any) is called the
operation's signature.
 The UML distinguishes between operation and method.
 An operation specifies a service that can be requested

from any object of the class to affect behavior;
A method is an implementation of an operation.
 The syntax of an operation in the UML is
[visibility] name [(parameter-list)][: return-type] [{property-string}]
 For example, the following are all legal operation declarations:
display Name only

+ display Visibility and name
set(n : Name, s : String) Name and parameters
getID() : Integer Name and return type

restart() {guarded} Name and property
 In an operation's signature, you may provide zero or
more parameters, each of which follows the
syntax
[direction] name : type [= default-value]
 Direction may be any of the following values:

in -- An input parameter; may not be modified
out -- An output parameter; may be modified to
communicate information to the caller
inout-- An input parameter; may be modified.
 In addition to the leaf property described earlier,
there are four defined properties that you can use
with operations.
1. isQuery : Execution of the operation leaves the

state of the system unchanged. In other words, the
operation is a pure function that has no side
effects.
2. Sequential: Callers must coordinate outside the
object so that only one flow is in the object at a
time.
3. guarded: The semantics and integrity of the
object is guaranteed in the presence of multiple
flows of control by sequentializing all calls to all
of the object's guarded operations.
In effect, exactly one operation at a time can be

invoked on the object, reducing this to
sequential semantics.
4. concurrent: The semantics and integrity of the

object is guaranteed in the presence of multiple
flows of control.
 Standard Elements:-
The UML defines four standard stereotypes that apply to

classes.
 1. metaclass- Specifies a classifier whose objects are all

classes.
 2. powertype- Specifies a classifier whose objects are the

children of a given parent.
 3.stereotype -Specifies that the classifier is a stereotype

that may be applied to other elements.
 4. utility - Specifies a class whose attributes and operations

are all class scoped.

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Chapter 9.

 A classifier is a mechanism that describes structural and

 Classifiers include classes, interfaces, datatypes,

1. Interface :A collection of operations that are used to

2. Datatype: A type whose values have no identity,

4. Component: A physical and replaceable part of a

5. Node: A physical element that exists at run time and

7. Subsystem: A grouping of elements of which some

 One of the most important details you can specify

 The visibility of a feature specifies whether it can

 In the UML, you can specify any of three levels of

2. Protected: Any descendant of the classifier can use

3. Private: Only the classifier itself can use the feature;

 The owner scope of a feature specifies whether the

 Use generalization relationships to model classes, with

 Less common but still useful is the ability to specify that

 Ones in the child classes override the behavior of

 For example, display and isInside are both

 Multiplicity is a specification of the range of allowable

 In the UML, you can specify the multiplicity of a class

 For example, in the figure, there are two or more

 At the most abstract level, when you model a class's

 The syntax of an attribute in the UML is

origin Name only

+ origin Visibility and name

id : Integer {frozen} Name and property

changeable There are no restrictions on modifying the

Unless otherwise specified, attributes are always

 At the most abstract level, when you model a class's

 You can also specify the parameters, return type,

 Collectively, the name of an operation plus its

 An operation specifies a service that can be requested

 For example, the following are all legal operation declarations:

display Name only

getID() : Integer Name and return type

 Direction may be any of the following values:

1. isQuery : Execution of the operation leaves the

In effect, exactly one operation at a time can be

4. concurrent: The semantics and integrity of the

The UML defines four standard stereotypes that apply to

 1. metaclass- Specifies a classifier whose objects are all

 2. powertype- Specifies a classifier whose objects are the

 3.stereotype -Specifies that the classifier is a stereotype

 4. utility - Specifies a class whose attributes and operations

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