LEARN ABOUT UNIFIED MODELLING LANGUAGE(UML)
UML stands for UML Unified Modelling Language. it is a diagramming technique based on object-oriented programming. It is a standard that is mainly used for creating object-oriented, meaningful documentation models for any software system present in the real world. It offers rich models that describe the working of any software/hardware system.
Before we go into the different UML modelling tools, we need to know a brief history of UML. why UML?
UML followed a line of diagramming techniques used by analysts so they could avoid programming. Abstraction — dealing with ideas and concepts, rather than the intricacies and details of programming (at least most programming) — is a good thing. Diagrams in computing likely started with flow charts. Flow charts were adapted from business flow charts. Once assembler was abandoned with control structures directly in languages there was very little need for flowcharts. Flowcharts indeed gave assembler-style programming more structure and discipline. However, compared to structured programming, flowcharts are actually unstructured and they can still express messes that structured programming avoids.
But flowcharts still persisted. Somehow people think you must draw a diagram to do design. It is a myth that diagrams are formal design, and that program text is informal. There was simply no need to do flowcharts when control structures were directly integrated into programming languages.
One reason for planning things in great detail before thinking about programming was that in the early days of computing — when computers were expensive — computers were restricted to those who job it was to actually run the computers, feed in the cards or paper tapes. They were the operators (in white lab coats) whose job was eventually automated in operating systems.
Programmers were still another step removed — they would prepare programs from the specifications onto coding sheets. The coding sheets were then typed by keyboard operators onto punched cards or paper tape for the computer operators. These were very manual processes — the automation of using the computer itself was yet to come.
That set up a hierarchy of tasks. Programmers were actually fairly low down. It was rather like manual jobs. A supervisor on roadworks never touches a pick or a shovel. Computers then were just such a tool, not to be touched by those higher in the hierarchy, neither was something as lowly as programming. This has fuelled resentment of later programmers towards non-programmers. It is not without reason. Programming itself has become a higher-level activity and programming can be done by many more people. But we still have those who want to be in the software development profession with very little skill in programming. They turn to diagrams.
Since computers were expensive and time on them also expensive and at a premium, any failed program run added to the expense. Getting a program correct in very few goes was crucial, many others wanted to use that precious computer time as well. At this time there was a great deal of interest in program correctness because of the expense factor. This was when the use of diagrams came in. it was important for them to draw and illustrate the skeletal structure of a project before hopping on it.
These diagramming techniques come from the time when computers were expensive and you paid for computer time. You could not use the computer as a tool for design. You had to run the program a minimal number of times or the expenses racked up. Thus the diagrams and specification techniques were very paper based.
Diagrams are very important in the field of software engineering. It allows us to visualise and analyse systems. It is efficient because as they say “One picture is worth a thousand words”. It is easier to explain to clients using diagrams. In software engineering, UML diagrams are used to visualize the project before it is done and to document the project after it is done. You need to know that a lot of time is often saved with the help of these UML diagrams.
There are many tools available online today for designing UML diagrams and we will be exploring the major ones.
UML MODELLING TOOLS AND SOFTWARE
There are so many UML modelling tools and software available for designing diagrams but we will explore just about 7 and pick out the best based on affordability, ease of use, templates, etc.
i: Draw.io: Draw.io is a FREE open-source collaborative workspace for drawing UML diagrams. It also contains predefined templates for drawing any UML diagram, creating wireframes, business charts, etc. It is available as both software and online tool. It is used by many enterprises. Draw.io supports enterprise browsers. It is linked with Google Drive so it automatically saves our work. It has a beginner-friendly interface and is mostly used for professional diagrams. It was founded by Gaudenz Alder in 2000. It supports the file format of PNG, JPEG, SVG, PDF, etc. It is fully a free source and it does not contain any paid service. It is supported in browsers like Chrome, Microsoft Edge, and Mozilla Firefox. The OS supports for this tool are Windows, Linux, and macOS.
2. Lucid chart
The Lucid chart is a tool where users draw diagrams and charts. It provides a collaborative platform for drawing diagrams. It is an online tool and paid service. People can use it with a single sign-up. It is user-friendly. It contains all the shapes for drawing any UML diagrams. It also provides basic templates for all diagrams. So we can draw any diagram easily with the help of those templates. It also helps business people to plan for their events. So it will be very helpful for data visualisation, diagramming, etc. It uses a free trial option. It allows only a few frames and shapes for free trial users. Free users are allowed to use only 60 shapes per diagram. It does not support enterprise browsers. This tool is not only helpful for drawing UML diagrams but also helpful for any project design and project management.
3. Visual Paradigm
Visual Paradigm is a diagramming tool used by business organisations for planning and modelling. Visual Paradigm is available both as an online tool and software. It requires a single sign-up for using an online tool. It contains predefined layouts. It is a paid platform and provides a free trial of 30 days. The purpose of the Visual paradigm is not only limited to drawing UML diagrams but also for many purposes like creating Business Cards, Brochures, Book covers, Gift Cards, etc. It can also be used as an image editing tool. It was released in 2002. For premium users, it provides many types of categories like Enterprise, Professional, Standard, Modeler. The cost varies depending on the category.
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4. Edraw Max
Edraw Max is developed by the Edrawsoft company. It was released in March 2019. Edraw is a 2D diagramming tool. It is also used to create flowcharts, workflow diagrams, mind maps, network diagrams, etc. It is a fully-featured drawing app. It is known for its extensive compatibility because the diagrams can be exported in various formats like images, documents, HTML, etc. It is available on various platforms like Windows, macOS, and Linux. It is very easy to use because it contains a lot of templates. It also comes up with additional image editing features which can help to enhance the images we are drawing. It is available only as software that requires system storage and compatibility to deal with. This Edraw Max can also be used to do project planning, drawing electrical circuits, and building planning.
5. StarUML
It is developed by MKLab and is proprietary commercial software. StarUML is a tool specifically used for drawing UML diagrams. It is a diagramming tool mainly used for agile and concise modeling. It also uses source codes of programming languages and converts that into models. StarUML is available only as software. So it requires system storage and system compatibility to download the software. It is available on platforms like macOS, Windows, Ubuntu. It can be published as HTML docs. Star UML also allows for pdf export for the purpose of clean printing. It also supports markdown syntax. It allows code generation for various programming languages like C, C++, Java, and Python. It also allows the users to write their own extensions using HTML5, CSS3, JavaScript, Node.js. It also allows for asynchronous model validation.
6. Gliffy
Gliffy was founded by Chris Kohlhardt and Clint Dickson in 2005. Gliffy is an online programming tool that allows any team to visually share ideas. The main advantage of Gliffy is the drag and drop feature which makes the drawing so easy. We can effortlessly drag and drop the shapes and use the available templates. It eases the process of drawing diagrams. Using this we can draw wireframes for apps, design projects. In Gliffy we can draw the diagrams with ease, share the document with anyone we want, and can collaborate instantly, import and export the documents easily. Another advantage of Gliffy is that it is cloud-based and does not need to require the users to download it. The allowed format of downloadable extensions in Gliffy are PNG, JPG, SVG, etc. We can also choose the size like fit to max size, screen size, medium, large, extra-large.
After my thorough and in-depth research of these UML software tools, I came to the conclusion that DRAW.IO is the best amongst all!
MY MOST PREFERRED UML IS DRAW.IO
10 solid reasons why I prefer Draw.io
i. It is totally and completely free and available to use. its counterparts ask for payments before they are used
ii. it is an open source platform
iii. it has enterprise browser support functionality as well
iv. The plugin JIRA is available
v. There’s an automatic layout feature in draw.io
vi. The diagrams on draw.io revert with pages support
vii. it also has an accessibility feature
viii. There is an automatic layout feature that lucid chart lacks
ix. It has the chrome free web feature that other tools lack
x. The top-rated plug-in feature is available in Draw.io
