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UML Connectors

A connector is a logical or functional relationship between model elements. There are several different connector types, each having a particular purpose and syntax. Enterprise Architect supports all of the UML connectors as well as various custom connectors. Together with the UML Elements, these form the basis of UML models.

For more information on using these connectors, display the appropriate topic by clicking on the appropriate connector icon in the table below.

 

Behavioral Diagram Connectors

Structural Diagram Connectors

Inbuilt and Extended Connectors

Activity Diagrams

Composite Structure Diagrams

Analysis Diagrams

c_ControlFlow

c_Connector

c_InformationFlow

c_ObjectFlow

c_Assembly

c_ObjectFlow

c_InterruptFlow

c_Delegate

c_Associate

 

c_RoleBinding

c_Realize

Use Case Diagrams

c_Represents

c_representation

c_Use

c_Occurence

 

c_Associate

 

Common Connectors

c_Generalize

Package and Class Diagrams

c_Dependency

c_Include

c_Associate

c_Realize

c_Extend

c_Generalize

c_Trace

c_Realize

c_Compose

c_InformationFlow

c_Invokes

c_Aggregate

c_notelink

c_Precedes

c_AssociationClass

 

 

c_Assembly

Profile Diagrams

State Diagrams

c_Realize

c_extension

c_Transition

c_Nesting

c_Generalize

c_ObjectFlow

c_PkgMerge

c_taggedValue

 

c_PkgImport

 

Maintenance Diagrams

abstraction

Data Modeling Diagrams

c_Aggregate

substitution

c_Associate

 

usage

 

Timing Diagrams

 

Metamodel Diagrams

c_Message

Component Diagrams

c_Generalize

 

c_Assembly

c_Associate

Sequence Diagrams

c_Delegate

c_Compose

c_Message

c_Associate

c_Aggregate

c_SelfMessage

c_Realize

 

c_Recursion

c_Generalize

Custom Diagrams

c_call

 

c_Associate

 

Deployment Diagrams

c_Aggregate

Communication Diagrams

c_Associate

c_Generalize

c_Associate

c_CommunicationPath

c_Realize

c_Realize

c_AssociationClass

c_Nesting

c_Nesting

c_Generalize

 

 

c_Realize

Requirements Diagrams

Interaction Overview Diagrams

c_Deployment

c_Aggregate

c_ControlFlow

c_Manifest

c_inheritance

c_ObjectFlow

c_Nesting

c_Associate

c_InterruptFlow

 

c_implements

 

User Interface Diagrams

 

XML Schema Diagrams

c_Associate

Documentation Diagrams

c_Generalize

c_Aggregate

No special connectors

c_Associate

c_Generalize

 

 

c_Realize

WSDL Diagrams

 

 

No special connectors

 

Object Diagrams

 

 

c_InformationFlow

 

 

c_Associate

 

 

c_Dependency

 

Notes

·Invokes and Precedes relationships are defined by the Open Modeling Language (OML); they are stereotyped Dependency relationships - Invokes indicates that Use Case A, at some point, causes Use Case B to happen, whilst Precedes indicates that Use Case C must complete before Use Case D can begin
·An Extension relationship shows that a Stereotype extends one or more Metaclasses; all Stereotypes must extend either one or more Metaclasses, or another Stereotype that extends a Metaclass (or another Stereotype; in theory you can have a chain of Stereotypes ultimately extending a Metaclass, but in practice you are unlikely to have more than two Stereotypes in the chain)
·A Tagged Value relationship defines a reference-type (that is, RefGUID) Tagged Value owned by the source stereotype; the Tagged Value is named for the target role of this association, and is limited to referencing elements with the stereotype by the association target element