jgrasp handbook

DRAFT, February 18, 2003, Page 50
5 UML Class Diagrams and Object Workbench
Java programs usually involve multiple classes, and there can be many dependencies among these
classes. To fully understand a multiple class program, it may be necessary to keep track of the interclass
dependencies. Although this can be done mentally for small programs, it is usually helpful to see these
dependencies in a class diagram. jGRASP provides for the automatic generation of class dependency
diagrams based on the Unified Modeling Language (UML). Since a UML class diagram is based on
multiple classes, jGRASP utilizes the “Project” to determine which user classes to include.
(1) In order to generate a meaningful UML diagram, you must create a jGRASP project file (.gpj) as
described in the previous section. You should include all of your source files (.java) in the project, and
you may optionally include other files (e.g., .class, .dat, .txt, etc.).
(2) The information jGRASP uses to generate the UML is located in the .class files. Recall, .class files
are generated when you compile your Java program files. Therefore, you must compile your .java files
prior to generating the UML diagram. Note, the .class files do not have to be in the project file, but they
should be in the same directory as the .java files.
The remainder of this section assumes you have created a project file, and that you have compiled your
program files.
5.1 Opening the Project
In preparation for generating the UML class dependency diagram for a particular project, you need to
open that project. There are two ways to open a project.
1) On the Desktop tool bar, click Project – Open Project, and then select the project from the list
of project files displayed in the Open Project dialog as shown in Figure 36.
2) In the Browse pane (tab in the left pane of the Desktop), double-click the project file.
Figure 36. Open Project Dialog