Designing Software Product Lines with the Unified Modeling Language (UML)

Abstract

This tutorial addresses how to develop object-oriented requirements, analysis, and design models of software product lines using the Unified Modeling Language (UML) 2.0 notation. During requirements modeling, the tutorial covers how to develop kernel, optional, and alternative use cases for defining the software functional requirements of the system. The tutorial also describes the feature model for capturing product line requirements and how it relates to the use case model. During analysis, the tutorial covers how to develop static models for defining kernel, optional, and variant classes and their relationships. It also describes how to create dynamic models in which interaction models describe the dynamic interaction between the objects that participate in each kernel, optional, and alternative use case, and in which statecharts define the state-dependent aspects of the product line. The tutorial then covers how to develop component-based software architecture for the product line using the new UML 2.0 notation for structured classes and composite structure diagrams. That notation allows components, ports, and connectors, as well as provided and required interfaces, to be depicted. The tutorial gives an overview of the architectural structure patterns and architectural communication patterns that can be used in designing component-based product lines. The tutorial is illustrated by several examples and based on the book by Hassan Gomaa titled Designing Software Product Lines with UML to be published by Addison-Wesley in July 2004.