[OT] UML Tools for developing Revolution projects

[Igor Couto]

Dear Trevor,

Thank you very much for your suggestion!

On Saturday, August 2, 2003, at 01:29  AM, Trevor DeVore wrote:

> With OmniGraffle you can sort of link lines of text to another object 
> using Magnets.  Click on the uml object you want to link the text form 
> and add a magnet next to the line of text.  Then you can draw a line 
> from that magnet point to another object.  I use this all of the time 
> for digramming databases and showing connections between tables.
>

This is actually exactly what we are doing right now. With UML 
class/object diagrams, however, we are adding and removing attributes 
and methods all the time. As these methods and attributes should have 
connection lines that link them to the other methods and  attributes 
they refer to, we find that everytime one is deleted/added, the whole 
thing goes out of whack, and depending on the complexity of the 
diagram, we have to spend a great deal of time updating magnets and 
lines... It all ends up being *far* too time consuming...

I have had a look at other diagramming tools that are designed more 
specifically towards UML - such as Poseidon for UML, ObjectPlant, and a 
couple of others. Even  though they are able to link and update links 
better than OmniGraffle, their otherwise diagramming options are 
terrible, and cumbersome. Their entire functionality is geared towards 
generating final code (Java, Objective C, C++, etc) directly out of 
your diagrams, rather than just diagramming. Their interface ends up 
being too complicated and clumsy for simple diagramming.

I'm interested to hear that you DO use OmniGraffle for UML diagramming, 
though. Do you use it in your Revolution projects?

Many thanks for the info,

--
Igor de Oliveira Couto
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igor at pixelmedia.com.au
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