Appendix D. Tabular Notations
This appendix describes optional tabular notations for UML behavioral
diagrams, that some vendors or users may want to use as alternatives to
UML's graphic notation. Although this appendix mostly describes tabular
notations for sequence diagrams, the approach may also be applied to
other kinds of behavioral diagrams.
D.1 Tabular Notation for Sequence
Diagrams
This section describes an optional tabular notation for sequence
diagrams. The table row descriptions for this notation follow:
- Lifeline Class: Designates Class name of Lifeline. If there is no
Class name on the Lifeline symbol, this class name is omitted.
- Lifeline Instance: Designates Instance name of Lifeline. If there
is no Instance name on the Lifeline symbol, this instance name is
omitted.
- Constraint: Designates some kind of constraint. For example,
indication of oblique line is denoted as "{delay}". To represent
CombinedFragments, those operators are denoted with an index adorned by
square bracket. In a case of InteractionOccurrence, it is shown as
parenthesized "Diagram ID", which designates referred Interaction
Diagram, with "ref" tag, like "ref(M.sq)"..
- Message Sending Class: Designates the message sending class name
for each incoming arrow.
- Message Sending instance: Designates the message sending instance
name for each incoming arrow. In a case of Gate message that is
outgoing message from InteractionOccurrence, it is shown as
parenthesized "Diagram ID", which designates referred Interaction
Diagram, with underscore, like "_(M.sq)".
- Diagram ID: Identifies the document that describes the
corresponding sequence/communication diagram and can be the name of the
file that contains the corresponding sequence or communication diagram.
- Generated instance name: An identifier name that is given to each
instance symbol in the sequence /communication diagram. The identifier
name is unique in each document.
- Sequence Number: The corresponding message number on the sequence
/communication diagram.
- Weak Order: Designates partial (relative) orders of events, as
ordered on individual lifelines and across lifelines, given a message
receive event has to occur after its message send event. See definition
of weak order (section 34.1 in the U2 partners submission.) Events are
shown as "e" + event order + event direction (incoming or outgoing).
- Message name: The corresponding message name on the sequence
/communication diagram.
- Parameter: A set of parameter variable names and parameter types
of the corresponding message on the sequence/communication diagrams.
- Return value: The return value type of the corresponding message
on the sequence/communication diagram.
- Message Receiving Class: Designates the message receiving class
name for each outgoing arrow.
- Message Receiving Instance: Designates the message receiving
instance name for each outgoing arrow. In a case of Gate message that
is outgoing message from ordinary instance symbol, it is shown as
parenthesized message name with "out_" tag, like "(out_s)".
- Other End: Designates event order of another end on the each
message.
Examples


D.2 Tabular Notation for Other Behavioral
Diagrams
The approach for defining tabular notation for sequence diagrams should
also be applicable to other major behavioral diagram types, such as
state machine diagrams and activity diagrams.