Beginners guide to UML

AshD93 · 1 Sep 2013 at 10:44

Yes I know this is in the wrong section but programming had 4 people viewing the whole section!

Hello GD,

I need to learn UML for my uni course this year. See below for explanation.

Could you recommend online guides and programs I can download for free to aid me? I can hire out books from the library but I will need to request them hence free online info would be ideal.

I have seen a few programs and links but I have no clue what is best. The program they use at uni is called Visual Paradigm.

Thanks in advance

Ash

Explanation:

This year I'm studying real-time software engineering as one of my modules. A prerequisite for this module is software engineering which I didn't do last year. However, I'm going to do it this year. So I'm doing modules designed to be taken one after the other in the same year. Once I get further on in real time, I will have covered everything I will need for it in software engineering. However, UML is the first topic in real time and I won't have learnt it in software to be able to do it.

Make sense? No? Oh well!

LOAM · 1 Sep 2013 at 10:55

Boxing stance?

Luke · 1 Sep 2013 at 11:08

Kill it with fire.

And this is why you don't spam GD instead of posting it in the right section and patiently waiting.

Randomface74 · 1 Sep 2013 at 11:11

UML is one of those things you learn at uni but then nobody actually wants to use - because businesses don't see it as profitable.

Read this then forget about it IMO
http://www.ibm.com/developerworks/rational/library/998.html

Buffman · 1 Sep 2013 at 11:17

I did a basic course in it and used dia tool. It was a pretty easy course

Alex_6n2 · 1 Sep 2013 at 11:22

billysielu said:
UML is one of those things you learn at uni but then nobody actually wants to use - because businesses don't see it as profitable.

Read this then forget about it IMO
http://www.ibm.com/developerworks/rational/library/998.html

Actually there are a lot of firms that use UML.

Most of the ones I deal with are in the defence sector. MBDA Missile systems are a big user of UML/SysML/Rhapsody and the related

AshD93 · 1 Sep 2013 at 12:56

billysielu said:
UML is one of those things you learn at uni but then nobody actually wants to use - because businesses don't see it as profitable.

Read this then forget about it IMO
http://www.ibm.com/developerworks/rational/library/998.html

I can't really forget about it. Its part of my course lol.

I'll check out the link. A few jobs I've looked at want it too.

AshD93 · 5 Sep 2013 at 21:56

And this is why I wanted it in General discussion ...

GravyMonster · 5 Sep 2013 at 23:35

To be fair this is the best place for it. I'd imagine the lack of replies is simply down to the fact that no one uses it outside of uni.

Number_25 · 6 Sep 2013 at 02:40

Luckily for you, I'm still at University - so don't fret.

I don't use any specific software to make my UML diagram, but I know a lot of people use Microsoft's Visio - which you'll be able to obtain freely once you register at University and get access to Microsoft DreamSpark.

It's not as hard as people tend to make out, it's just the simple case of practice (and some reading) makes perfect.

When it comes to books I would highly recommend Martin Fowler's excellent UML Distilled. It was an absolute godsend for me as I was unable to get my head around it at first, comes with a nifty few pages for reference at the start as well as having 'easy-to-read' information about certain elements further in.

If you've got anymore questions to ask, don't be afraid to do so - I'll be checking this thread every day for a the next week or two.

Just a helpful tip as well for you, but you're coming across as a little aggressive on the opening post - you might not do it on purpose but it's showing.

AshD93 · 7 Sep 2013 at 17:44

Number_25 said:
Luckily for you, I'm still at University - so don't fret.

I don't use any specific software to make my UML diagram, but I know a lot of people use Microsoft's Visio - which you'll be able to obtain freely once you register at University and get access to Microsoft DreamSpark.

It's not as hard as people tend to make out, it's just the simple case of practice (and some reading) makes perfect.

When it comes to books I would highly recommend Martin Fowler's excellent UML Distilled. It was an absolute godsend for me as I was unable to get my head around it at first, comes with a nifty few pages for reference at the start as well as having 'easy-to-read' information about certain elements further in.

If you've got anymore questions to ask, don't be afraid to do so - I'll be checking this thread every day for a the next week or two.

Just a helpful tip as well for you, but you're coming across as a little aggressive on the opening post - you might not do it on purpose but it's showing.

Really sorry about that :/ I didn't realise but I'm not trying to be. I come to this place because I know I always get good advice. Just last time I opened a C thread in GD and I got a flood of good replies without it being moved instantly. Sorry again.

I've got access to DreamSpark so I will check out Visio. I've not done the research into programs for it but does it make a difference whether you use a Mac or PC? I've been told you get some issues when you code but does that apply to UML (I'm a newbie at this - I'm used to coding in PASCAL and I use MATLAB a lot)

I'll also rent out that book and have a good read through. Thanks for taking the time to reply especially with the links.

uniQ · 7 Sep 2013 at 18:33

Book: UML Distilled
Software: Argo UML

Fallen god · 7 Sep 2013 at 22:32

http://www.amazon.co.uk/UML-Unified...3?ie=UTF8&qid=1378589459&sr=8-3&keywords=uml2

Used that book for my Uni courses, it really good, very well laid out and includes some details about OOP which will come in handy. Since uni I have never made a UML diagram and I have never seen anyone make them which was a bit annoying since I took 2 courses in it.

duffers20 · 27 Sep 2013 at 20:32

billysielu said:
UML is one of those things you learn at uni but then nobody actually wants to use - because businesses don't see it as profitable.

Read this then forget about it IMO
http://www.ibm.com/developerworks/rational/library/998.html

I tend to disagree with this statement. UML is crucial in designing scalable software which meets the clients needs in a cost effective and well thought out manner.

My advice would be to learn and use UML as much as you can. Your university lecturers will appreciate you planning your coursework and projects with use case & class diagrams and it will ultimately make you a much better programmer when you graduate and start work.

Haircut · 27 Sep 2013 at 21:28

duffers20 said:
I tend to disagree with this statement. UML is crucial in designing scalable software which meets the clients needs in a cost effective and well thought out manner.

Care to explain how UML helps with that?

duffers20 · 27 Sep 2013 at 22:27

Haircut said:
Care to explain how UML helps with that?

I've seen so many developers dive straight into coding an application without actually designing it properly. UML helps with this by allowing you to create a design document with use cases (for a start).

If you get the design right at the start, you don't have to then go back and shoe-horn in functionality to an already established object model which could have been designed properly at the start of the project.

That's my opinion anyway - may be wrong, just what I think from my experience in software development.

Number_25 · 1 Oct 2013 at 12:17

duffers20 said:
I've seen so many developers dive straight into coding an application without actually designing it properly. UML helps with this by allowing you to create a design document with use cases (for a start).

If you get the design right at the start, you don't have to then go back and shoe-horn in functionality to an already established object model which could have been designed properly at the start of the project.

That's my opinion anyway - may be wrong, just what I think from my experience in software development.

This,

The amount of software devs which write code which can't be maintained is too damn high.

the pokemon kid · 7 Oct 2013 at 15:15

I also studied it at Uni, but it is something that a lot of developers don't even bother doing.

UML is a part of the design stage, I have mainly used it to break down what I am going to be doing. It is also a really easy way of showing what the inputs/outputs of the system will be to the customer (usually they have no idea how to turn a computer on, let alone code something).

Main ones I use are Activity / Sequence diagrams, Class diagrams, Use case diagrams (easy way to show customer)

BlackCoat2k10 · 14 Oct 2013 at 13:32

I learnt UML at Uni too, however I am yet to use it in work projects for coding/system designing. I have however found places to use certain diagrams I learnt for other things, Activity/Sequence diagrams have played a nice part in explaining/detailing/random things to people.

I say, read the basics and forget most of it. Understand the diagrams a bit just incase you will need them, but that is likely slim.