Modelling a message

[grobledc]

Hi,
We are in a integration team and would like to model XML messages that pass from system to system. In the sequence diagram is there a feature that would allow me to add the message fields to a message? I would like to defined each message field name, size, type and other custom parameters.

Thx
D.

[andro]

Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but my take is that it's not what sequence diagrams are about. Messages on sequence diagrams represent interactions between objects and are not meant to model the protocol used for these interactions (which in your case is XML messages). However, if you wish you can put the fields that you mentioned, as UML messages' parameters, and keep in mind that they are not the parameters of some OO language method calls.
You can also, and I think this is what you should do, connect the systems on your sequence diagram with a message named "send an XML message" and give this message a parameter: "XML message".
andro.