Sequence Diagram Layout

[eklektek]

Can I first say what a great tool this is, it knocks spots off "WithClass" from MicroGold. We may even be buying several copies very soon !

However I have a few questions relating to sequence diagrams:

1) How do I control the life time of an object. OK I've worked out to define its construction. The tool is inserting a X as some arbitrary position how do I define the position of the X without defining a delete message? In this use case I don't want to show the destruction.

2) This question shows a gap in my UML knowledge. How do I show a method within an object calling a method within another object (of a different type) before returning ?. None of the text books on UML ever explain this !

Thanks in advance for your help,
Steve.

[Tjerk]

Hi Steve,

Experiment with the contextmenu of connectors in a sequence diagram, there are a lot of options in there.

Your first problem can only be overcome by using the End Activation (no X, but the lifeline stops) or, as you mentioned, selecting the delete for lifecycle. The X cannot be moved arbitrarily, which I guess is logical.

Your second problem concerns nesting. This is started with Extend Method Invokation and for deeper nesting Raise  / Lower activation level.

Greetings,
Tjerk

P.s.: To be sure: the dashed line under an object can be extended by selecting the object and changing its height. If you change the height of one object, you change them for all. Only the deleted once are shorter.

[mbc]

Hi Steve,

1) By default, EA is set to assume garbage collection. Therefore it destroys objects in sequence diagrams when they are not used anymore. Automatic garbage collection can be turned off in Tools - Options - Diagram - Sequence.
By the way, I dont know how an object could be destroyed without some sort of delete message. If I don't want to show the delete message, I don't think I would show the deletion either (the X).

Mikkel