Thanks to Tom Nadeau for this tutorial.
Goal: This tutorial is designed to introduce you to some of the basics of Visio2000. We will walk through an example of building a use case diagram. The goal here is to learn about Visio2000 as a tool. The meaning of the UML diagrams will be covered elsewhere.
What is Visio2000?: Visio2000 is a tool for creating many types of diagrams used in software design, including the UML diagrams taught in this course.
Finding Visio2000: Visio2000 is currently installed on the WindowsNT machines located in 2341 EECS, and 4440 EECS. Room 2341 does not have a room number on the door, it is the CAD/VLSI Lab on the second floor. Also note, the PC's in 4440 EECS can now be booted in either WindowsNT or Linux. You may need to reboot to start WindowsNT. The instructions for this are on the wall in 4440 EECS.
Once you are on a WindowsNT machine, you can start Visio2000 by going to "Start", "Programs", "Engineering Applications", "Visio2000". Visio2000 will take a minute or two to download from the server. Don't be concerned, the response time is much better once the program is loaded.
Creating a Use Case Diagram: In this tutorial, we will create the diagram shown on page 237 of the textbook (Figure 17-2).
Visio2000 should now be open. You should see a window with on option to create a new drawing. There is an icon in this window for "UML Model Diagram". Left-click this icon, and then left-click "OK". The view will change into three sections. To the left is the UML Navigator which looks like a directory structure. In the middle is a set of windows arranged vertically. Each of these windows contains elements and relations for building a specific UML diagram type. The "UML Static Structure" comes up as the default. The UML Static Structure window contains the elements and relations for creating class diagrams and object diagrams. We want to create a use case diagram. Left-click on "UML Use Case", the window containing the elements and relations for creating use case diagrams should now be visible. There is another window with what looks like a sheet of paper. This is the work area where we will build the use case diagram.
Enter the Actors: Begin by grabbing the element labeled "Actor" (it looks like a stick figure). Drag and drop the actor over to the work area. Repeat this until you have five actors in the work area. Position them similar to how the actors are positioned on page 237 of the text. If you need to reposition an actor again later, just click on it again and move it where ever you want it.
Do the actors look very small? You can control the size of the display with the "zoom" option at the top of the Visio2000 window. If you set it to 100%, you will be able to see the name of the actor below the stick figure. To change the name of the actor, double-click on the actor. The "UML Actor Properties" window will open. Set the name to "Customer" and click "OK". Do the same for the other actors until they are labeled as on page 237.
Drawing the System Boundary: The actors reside outside the system. We need to delimit the boundary of our system. Drag and drop the "System Boundary" icon onto the page. A rectangle will appear. In the middle of each edge, and on each corner is a "handle" you can click and drag to resize the rectangle as desired. To set the name of the system, double-click the system boundary. The name of the system should now be highlighted, type in "Credit Card Validation System".
Adding Use Cases: The diagram on page 237 has four use cases in the system. Drag and drop four "Use Case" elements into the system boundary. To change the name of a use case, double-click the use case and type in the name. Do this to match the use cases on page 237.
Building Relationships: The lines connecting the actors to the use cases are indicated with the "Communicates" relation. Drag and drop one of these into the diagram between the Customer and the use cases. Notice the actors have four light blue x's. The use cases also have these light blue x's. You can attach the ends of a relations to the x's. Drag one end of your relation to the hand of the customer. When you let go, the green end of the relation should turn red. Attach the other end to a use case.
Notice the ends of the relation are labeled "End1" and End2". These labels are not in the diagram of page 237. To suppress the end labels, right-click a relation, click "Shape Display Options...", in the "Suppress" frame, check off "First End", and "Second End". To avoid doing this over and over, check off "Apply to all similar UML shapes on the current page", and click "OK". Now when you connect the other actor/use case combinations, you won't need to suppress the ends. The relations in Visio2000 will want to follow vertical and horizontal paths. Do not try to match the diagram on page 237 exactly. If anyone does find a way to get the relations to run diagonally, please let me know so we can pass it on to the rest of the class. Here's a word of advice, try to avoid crossing relations. If you click on a relation, handles will appear in green. You can adjust the path of the relation by using the handles. Organizing your relations can go a long way towards making your diagrams more professional.
We are almost finished. The diagram on page 237 has "Generalization" relations between the actors on the left. The generalization relation looks like an open headed arrow. Generalization is most commonly used in class diagrams, which are a static structure diagram. Click on the "UML Static Structure" window in the middle. You can use the generalization relation as shown on page 237.
Saving Your Work: To save your drawing, click the save icon, select where you want to save and click the save button. Note: You can save to your CAEN folders from a PC if you are logged into your engin account. Drive "Afs (H:)" maps to your CAEN folders.
Printing Your Diagram: To print a diagram, I tend to use "File", "Print", and select the correct printer name before clicking "OK". The printer name option I've been using in 2341 EECS is "HP LaserJet 5Si/5Si MX PS". If you use the printer icon, and the printer outputs garbage, check what option is selected for the printer name.
For More Information: Visio has help options at the top of the Visio2000 window. If you get stuck, you can also e-mail Anita Ramamurthy at aramamur@engin.umich.edu.