Hyperlinking in UML Models

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In UML models you can create hyperlinks from diagrams or diagram elements to other system artifacts and browse directly to them.

When use hyperlinks?

Use hyperlinks for the following purposes:

  • Link diagrams that are generalities or overviews to specifics and details.
  • Create browse sequences leading through different but related views in a specific order; create hierarchical browse sequences.
  • Link descendant classes to ancestors; browse hierarchies.
  • Link diagrams or elements to standards, reference documents or generated documentation.
  • Facilitate collaboration among team members.

You can create a hyperlink from an existing diagram or one of its elements to any other diagram or diagram element in the project, or create a new diagram that will be hyperlinked to the current diagram.

You can also create hyperlinks from your diagrams to external documents such as files or URLs. For most users, such hyperlinking will probably take the form of documents on a LAN or document server or URLs on the company intranet. However, you can also easily link to online information such as newsgroups or discussion forums. If it is available online, you can link to it.

Hyperlink types

You can create hyperlinks to:

  • An existing diagram or diagram element anywhere in the project group.
  • A new diagram (it will be created on-the-fly).
  • A document or file on a local or remote storage device.
  • A URL on your company intranet or the Internet.

Browse-through sequence

The hyperlinking feature allows you to create browse-through sequences comprised of any number of use case or any other diagrams.

By browsing the hyperlink sequence, you can follow the relationships between the use case diagrams.

You can also use hyperlinking to link diagrams and elements based on your requirements. For example, you can create a hierarchical browse-through sequence of use case diagrams, creating hyperlinks within the diagrams that follow a specific actor through all use cases that reference the actor.

See Also