UML Modelling Tools and Versions

UML stands for Unified Modelling Language. This is a standardized modelling language that consists of sets of diagrams, developed to help system and software developers for specifying, visualizing, constructing, and documenting software systems or projects. It is a very important part of developing object oriented software and the software development process.

The first thing to notice about the UML is that there are a lot of different diagrams (models) involved in it. These different diagrams are just simply different ways of looking at a system for better understanding of the system. And each of this different diagrams are of importance to the different level of stakeholders involved in the design or development of a system. There are two categories of diagram under UML, the first been the structure diagram and the second is behavior diagram.

The figure below shows the categories of UML diagram:

Modelling Softwares

Lucidchart

This is an online, paid tool for creating UML diagrams(though it has a free plan which is limited in functionality and features but also has individual, team or enterprise paid plan). It contains numerous templates that can be a starting point for anyone who wishes to use it. Before you can make use of this tool you have to create and sign in to your account, after which you will be navigated to the homepage. In the homepage you can view and organize documents, create and manage folders, access templates, and import files.

How to create a new document

Like I said earlier, you can start by building from a Lucidchart template, or import a file from another platform or start by creating a new fresh and blank document.

Click the “+ New” button in the upper left corner, a drop down menu appears.

Hover over “Lucid chart” another drop down menu appears, where you will see and select any of the options:

1. Blank Document
2. Create from Template
3. Import

How to draw with LucidChart

On the left hand side of the working page you will see the shapes Library, click on the “+Shape library” button

Lucidchart showing the shapes library and the working sheet

A new screen appears, scroll down under the “recommended for you” section and check the UML option check box. Then click on “use selected shapes” in order to add UML shapes into the shapes section. Then you are good to go!!

On the shapes section you can scroll up or down to select the UML diagram type you wish to draw. For our case, we will scroll down to the “use-case diagram” because that is the UML diagram we wish to draw.

To draw a use-case diagram, drag and drop any shape of your choice from the shapes section to the working/drawing area. Then double-click on the shape to name it.

A sample UML diagram(Use-case) using LucidChart

Draw.io

This is another tool for creating UML diagrams. Draw.io is free to use but it has a major setback from lucidchart because it doesn’t have templates. So you must start all design from the scratch. It can also be download from play or apple store and used on phones.

Versions

UML version 1.0 was the first UML version released. After the release of this version, a task force was set up to improve on the language and several minor releases were made: versions 1.3, 1.4, 1.5. These versions had a lot of inconsistencies which led to release of a major revised version 2.0 that replaced 1.5 in 2005. Subsequent versions(2.1.1, 2.1.2, 2.2, 2.3, 2.4.1, 2.5) followed through till the latest version 2.5.1 which was adopted in 2017.