AP Studio: A drawing tool for structured UML class diagrams

AP Studio is a tool developed by Kedar Patankar, Binoy Samuel and the Demeter Group to provide a graphical front-end for object-oriented software development. A key feature of the tool is that it allows you to visualize groups of collaborating classes which you need for your application.

UML is the Unified Modeling Language developed by Rational Software Corp. It is the integration of various notations, including the Booch, Rumbaugh (OMT) and Objectory (Jacobson) notations. It is likely to become a standard supported by the OMG, the Object Management Group which has itself support from several hundred companies.

1. With a one hour learning effort (assuming you know the concepts of OO), AP Studio is useful for

Creating UML class diagrams from scratch
Saving those diagrams
printing the diagrams to a file
visualizing groups of collaborating classes by pointing and clicking in the UML class diagram

2. With a three hour learning effort (assuming you know the concept of a grammar), AP Studio is useful for

Decorating your UML class diagrams with syntax to turn them into a grammar.
Debugging your UML class diagrams by using a parser generated by the Java Compiler Compiler (through Demeter/Java).
Generating UML class diagrams from a textual representation of grammars

3. With a three day learning effort (assuming you mastered 1. and 2), AP Studio is useful as

A graphical user interface for Java software development using Demeter/Java Demeter/Java supports structured object-oriented software development using visitors and traversals expressed as strategies.

Here is a brief summary to draw structured UML class diagrams for 1. above:

Only the most useful aspects of UML class diagrams are supported.

There are two kinds of classes: concrete classes and abstract classes. The diagrams are structured in the sense that they must follow the Abstract Superclass Rule (ASR): All superclasses must be abstract.

There are two kinds of class relationships:

directed associations and inheritance relationships.

Directed associations may have a cardinality assigned. In the current implementation, if a class A has an outgoing directed association of cardinality 0..* or 1..* then A may have no other outgoing directed associations or incoming and outgoing inheritance edges.

Such a class is called a collection (or repetition) class.

In AP Studio inheritance edges are drawn backwards, i.e. you click on the superclass and drag to the subclass, which draws an inheritance edge from the subclass to the superclass.

For simple instructions on how to use AP Studio, select the Help menu in AP Studio and select contents.

4. Technical Support ...

Download Demeter/Java. Technical support is available for only Windows and Solaris platforms, via email.

For problems, suggestions and bug reports, send email to ap-support@ccs.neu.edu.

Enjoy AP Studio.

The AP Studio and Demeter/Java team