The Agile Modeling (AM) Method

UML Notes: Diagramming Style Guidelines

UML notes are modeling constructs for adding textual information – such as a comment, constraint definition, or method body – to UML diagrams. Notes are depicted as a rectangle with the top-right corner folded over.
Figure 1. A summary note for a diagram.

Figure 2. Indicating uncertainty on a diagram.

  1. Describe Diagrams With a Note. In Figure 1 you see that the name of the system, the purpose of the diagram, and its owner is indicated.
  2. Set a Convention for Placement of Diagram Descriptions.
  3. Left-Justify Text in Notes . It is common practice to left-justify text in UML notes, as you see in Figure 1 and Figure 2.
  4. Prefer Notes Over OCL to Indicate Constraints. Figure 2 includes a very simple example of OCL, {ordered, FIFO}, code that programmers may understand but few stakeholder are likely to.
  5. Follow Common Coding Conventions for OCL and ASL. The book The Elements of Java Style describes Java coding guidance which you can modify for OCL and ASL.

Source

Material for this article was summarized from The Elements of UML 2.0 Style.

Modeling style: Elements of UML 2.0 Style The Elements of UML 2.0 Style describes a collection of standards, conventions, and guidelines for creating effective UML diagrams. They are sound, proven strategies that lead to diagrams that are easier to understand and work with. These conventions exist as a collection of simple, concise guidelines that if applied consistently, represent an important first step in increasing your productivity as a modeler. This book is oriented towards intermediate to advanced UML modelers. Although there are numerous examples throughout the book it would not be a good way to learn the UML (instead, consider The Object Primer). The book is 188 pages long and is conveniently pocket-sized so it’s easy to carry around.