Confused about tier notation in component diagram.

[Dhiren Joshi]

I read up on a SCEA post tiers in component diagrams and I am throughly confused about how Tiers are represented in component diagram .

Some one mentioned simple lines to demark the tiers . Yet a SCEA who passed used package notation.
I have been also using package notation but not sure if the implementation is correct.
Can some please help me to clarify how exactly to represent Tiers in component diagram using package notations.
If package notation are used are the components for a tier added
into the packages for each tier.
In that case how do show dependency among components in different tiers.

Thanks
Dhiren

[H. Hafer]

I did not use packages to identify tiers, because of the fact that one package per tier would violate the guidelines of packaging and thus making packages obsolet. Instead I used different colors for each tier and used them for any object and class in any diagram.

HTH,
Harbo

[Parag Doshi]

I didnt show any tiers, but grouped my components by packages. eg. all customer related components in a 'customer' package, itinerary related components in 'itinerary' package etc..
Didnt reduce the crisscrossing, but all components look good grouped together..not sure what it will do to my marking for component diagram

parag

[Dhiren Joshi]

Parag

I didnt show any tiers, but grouped my components by packages. eg. all customer related components in a 'customer' package, itinerary related components in 'itinerary' package etc..

When u say u grouped them by packages ..then did u create a packge notation and add all the related components to that package. Was this on one component diagram or did u make separate diagram for package notation.

Also when u added all components in a packge then how did u show depedency among components in packages. I use Rose and Rose doesnt permit more then one depedency link drawn from a package. So I can only show one link grouping all components together.

Thanks
Dhiren

[Parag Doshi]

Dhiren,

When u say u grouped them by packages ..then did u create a packge notation and add all the related components to that package. Was this on one component diagram or did u make separate diagram for package notation.

I have only one component diagram and my components are grouped in packages. Yes I have used the package notation and I have components inside my package.

Also when u added all components in a packge then how did u show depedency among components in packages. I use Rose and Rose doesnt permit more then one depedency link drawn from a package. So I can only show one link grouping all components together.

I was using Jude for most of my work, but, it didnt have the capability to add components in a package. so i am using visual Paradigms UML tool (community edition). This tool allows me to create components inside a package and also allows me to show dependency within components in a package and between components in different packages. If you want to show tiers as packages and show dependencies between the components in and outside the tiers, then this tool will help you do it. I chose not to show tiers as packages as I would have one gigantic package with all components in it..didnt look like a package in the end
I havent seen anywhere on the net using packages and components the way I have done, but then, I havent seen anyone using tiers as packages in component diagrams either

anyway...there are UML tools out there (for free) which can help u do what u need, the hard part is going to be to decide what u want to do.

hope this helps..

parag

[Dhiren Joshi]

Thanks Parag for all your answers.
I think taking the Que from James post where he used tiers, I will go with that as changing stuff now would be lot of rework for me. I was confused and worried if I would get penalised for showing packages as tiers but I guess it worked for James so I will go for it.

Thanks
Dhiren