UML tool for mapping the attribute correspondence in messages

Question

I'm looking for a tool that can create sequence diagrams and messages between entity-instances. But what I want to specify the messages in more detail.

For example when a class invokes a service and I want to specify the correspondence between each attribute of the class and each input attribute of the service.

Is there any uml tool with this kind of capability?

Answer 1

I think you're wanting to model two different things here, one is about behaviour (your sequence chart) and the other about information structure (your message mapping). You can model these comprehensively in many model-based UML tools (i.e. not drawing apps). The way you'd do this is to specify an operation on the service you are calling, which has a set of parameters that are in themselves classes (not primitives). Assemble a class model which illustrates the mapping between your calling class's attributes and the attributes of these parameter classes. Then simply illustrate this operation call on your sequence chart.

[update] Here’s an example:

Answer 2

As i know this is not possible easily, you have to do sequences diagrams and add OCL constraints to define what you want.

But the constraints will be difficult to write.

Another solution is to write the constraints in "natural" language, it will not be possible to process them with a tool but like that you can express what you need.