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!

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 ...

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.