Unified Modeling Language Documentation

The Unified Modeling Language is the standard way to document object-oriented programs in any language. You can visit the official site, but beginners will probably find the documentation there impenetrable. A much friendlier way to learn is to read an introductory book; I recommend UML Distilled by Martin Fowler.

The diagrams in this part of the LargoRecipes web site are intended to help you learn about the UML with a hands-on example. As LargoRecipes is not a particularly complex application, some of the fancier features of the UML don't appear in these diagrams. However, you'll find all the fundamentals illustrated. Where the diagrams aren't clear, you can consult the class documentation or the source code, both of which are included in the source code jar file.

For earlier versions of LargoRecipes, I included UML diagrams that showed every class in the system. As of version 0.8, there were over 100 classes in the system, so this became unwieldy. Instead, I now illustrate interesting class relationships with the UML, and refer you to the class documentation and source code for the detail.

Here are the UML diagrams available on this site. Each one comes with a description that explains the program features illustrated and a little about the pros and cons of each diagram type.

• A package diagram that shows the overall structure of the program.
• A description of the IngredientAmountParser class, using a class diagram and a a state diagram.
• A sequence diagram showing how LargoRecipes fetches a menu plan.
• An activity diagram showing the bulk import process.

There are a few UML diagram types for which I don't have examples here yet:

• Use case diagrams. LargoRecipes does not have many use cases (only five or so) and I find these diagrams simple, so I haven't made an example yet. I would like to include one at some point.
• Collaboration diagrams. These are very similar to sequence diagrams, and I don't find them as useful. I might make one someday just for completeness.
• Deployment diagrams. You use these diagrams to show what chunks of code run on which machines (for example, client, application server, and database server). Since LargoRecipes runs entirely on one machine, a deployment diagram wouldn't show much.

Last updated 25 October 2002
LargoRecipes source code, program, and web site copyright 2001-3 D. Squirrel