Composite Structures Reference

Structured classifier is classifier having internal structure and whose behavior can be fully or partially described by the collaboration of owned or referenced instances.

Encapsulated classifier is structured classifier extended with the ability to own ports.

Note, that because encapsulated classifier extends structured classifier, it may also have some internal structure.

Structured class is class which may have an internal structure and ports. Structured class extends encapsulated classifier, which means that structured class is also encapsulated, i.e. can have ports.

Structured class extends encapsulated classifier which in turn extends structured classifier. Because of that, structured class may have an internal structure.

A part is shown by graphical nesting of a box symbol with a solid outline representing the part in a separate compartment within the symbol representing the containing classifier.

Service port is used to denote classifier as provider of services with published functionality. Ports are service ports by default.

Port is shown as a small square symbol. The name of the port is placed near the square symbol.

The type of a port may be shown after the port name, separated by colon ":".

Multiplicity of a port (if any) is shown after the port name in square brackets. Both name and multiplicity of port are optional.

A provided interface may be shown using the "lollipop" notation attached to the port. A required interface may be shown using the "socket" notation attached to the port.

If there are multiple interfaces associated with a port, these interfaces may be listed separated by comma "," near the single interface icon.

Behavior port is a port such that requests arriving at this port are sent to the behavior of the classifier owning the port, rather than being forwarded to some contained instances.

A behavior port is rendered as a port connected by a solid line to a small state symbol drawn inside the classifier containing the port. The small state symbol denotes the behavior of the containing classifier.

Collaboration extends both behaviored classifier and structured classifier to explain how a collection of cooperating instances achieve a joint task or set of tasks.

Collaboration is shown as a dashed ellipse icon containing the name of the collaboration. The internal structure of a collaboration as comprised by roles and connectors may be shown in a compartment within the dashed ellipse icon.

Collaboration use represents one particular use (occurrence) or application of the pattern described by a collaboration to a specific situation involving specific classes or instances playing the roles of the collaboration. A collaboration use shows how the pattern described by a collaboration is applied in a given context, by binding specific entities from that context to the roles of the collaboration.

A collaboration use is shown by a dashed ellipse containing the name of the occurrence, a colon, and the name of the collaboration type.

For every role binding there is a dashed line from the ellipse to the client element. The dashed line is labeled on the client end with the role name (as defined by collaboration). Note, that while the text in [UML 2.4.1 Specification] says "dashed line from .. to .." which suggests direction, there are no arrows shown on several corresponding figures. There is one figure though in the Spec, which does show arrows, so we do show arrows here as well.

A collaboration could be defined as a template or/and to be bound from template collaboration(s).

A collaboration template is shown by a dashed ellipse containing the name of the template and a list of formal template parameters (template signature).