Please note : This help page is not for the latest version of Enterprise Architect. The latest help can be found here.

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, consult the appropriate topic by clicking on the required 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

State Diagrams

c_Realize

c_extension

c_Transition

c_Nesting

c_Generalize

c_ObjectFlow

c_PkgMerge

c_application

 

c_PkgImport

c_taggedValue

Timing Diagrams

 

c_redefinition

c_Message

Component Diagrams

 

 

c_Assembly

Metamodel

Sequence Diagrams

c_Delegate

c_Generalize

c_Message

c_Associate

c_Associate

c_SelfMessage

c_Realize

c_Compose

c_Recursion

c_Generalize

c_Aggregate

c_call

 

 

 

Deployment Diagrams

Custom

Communication Diagrams

c_Associate

c_Associate

c_Associate

c_CommunicationPath

c_Aggregate

c_Realize

c_AssociationClass

c_Generalize

c_Nesting

c_Generalize

c_Realize

 

c_Realize

c_Nesting

Interaction Overview Diagrams

c_Deployment

 

c_ControlFlow

c_Manifest

Requirements

c_ObjectFlow

c_Nesting

c_Aggregate

c_InterruptFlow

 

c_inheritance

 

User Interface

c_Associate

Maintenance

c_Associate

c_implements

c_Aggregate

c_Aggregate

 

 

c_Generalize

WSDL

XML Schema

c_Realize

No special connectors

c_Generalize

 

 

c_Associate

Object

Documentation

 

c_InformationFlow

No special connectors

Data Modeling

c_Associate

 

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 stereotype (that itself extends a stereotype, and so on)
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
The Application and Redefinition relationships are deprecated