Communication Diagram... Using Components??

[Tim Twe]

Hi,

A component diagram shows components and can show the interfaces exposed by the components.

http://
http://www.sparxsystems.com/resources/uml2_tutorial/uml2_componentdiagram.html


A communication diagram (aka Collaboration diagram) shows the relationships between objects.


http://www.sparxsystems.com/resources/uml2_tutorial/uml2_communicationdiagram.html


Is it wrong to use components instead of objects in the communication diagram?  

If NO, I am not wrong to use components:

1. Why does the EA Toolbox only have the control/entity objects?
2. Why do all diagrams show control/entity objects?

If YES, I am wrong to use components:

3. What is the alternative?  I do not not want to use a sequence diagram because i want to focus on a summary of the relationships and the messages. In the same interaction, I may have a sequence diagram which shows the exact sequence.

4. Even sequence diagrams utilize control/entity objects.  Why?  Surly if you have a black box/3rd party vendor, you are unable to look at the objects, instances and classes that make up that component.

Thoughts?

-Tim

[Geert Bellekens]

Tim,

Why don't you use instances of components in your Communication diagram?

Geert

[Tim Twe]

Hi Geert,

At this point, I am displaying the logical interaction between components, as opposed to the interaction between actual deployed/configured instances of the components.

The components would typically be deployed in some sort of failover combination and it does not make sense to utilize those instances as part of the diagram.

Thoughts?

-Tim

[Kevin G. Watson]

Hi'ya

Thats' a Communication Summary Diagram yeah, similar to Collaboration Diagrams (which only dealt with messaging between object instances).  A Communication Summary Diagram can contain Sequence Diagram Fragments, and a control token's pathway accross a Lifeline.

!!! Collaboration Diagram imply nothing about relationships (which are static structure), Collaboration Diagrams  illustrate a dynamic (passing messages) behaviour... CollaborationDiagrams are Spatial seperate, location or site, part of or bit; Sequence Diagrams are Temporial seperate.  Thats why you have message numbers.

And why you will be needing UML Operational(Action) Language email  for all your .Net development understanding.  Goodmorning

Kevin [smiley=2vrolijk_08.gif]