Doubts about Design

[Jose Luis Iturbide]

Hello

I’m working in the Interaction Diagrams of my assignment. I would like to know your opinion about these doubts:
1. In UML there are symbols to specify a loop. Is it too detailed to show the display of records of a search result?
2. I used an Interface with some methods to interact with the external system, Is it necessary to draw the external system as a component after the interface in order to clarify who is receiving the messages or it's enough to draw the interface?
3. For people who chose Sequence diagrams, Did you adjusted the width to fit it in the html file? How wide were your diagrams?

Thanks

[Hong Anderson]

1. For me, it's depends on how important it is.
2. You can draw a component in a component diagram, you know the reason that why UML has many diagram types, right?
3. I don't care the width, however if the width is too long, nobody will want to read your sequence diagrams.

[Ashwin Pai]

1. In my opinion if its just iterating through the list and displaying, do not show it. Remember you are doing a highlevel approach and NOT coding.
2. Yes you could draw the external system as a component to improve clarity.
3. Try npt too make your sequence diagram too detailed (which is the reason for making it wide). But sometimes the system is complex, you cannot help the diagram from being wide. I had a diagram that was very wide. Just make sure you convey the right ideas.

HTH
Ashwin

[Jose Luis Iturbide]

Thank you for your opinions!

Regards

[Hong Anderson]

By nature Sequence Diagrams are tend to be large, because they represent interactions.

To me, the bottom line is we should represent only interactions that make readers understand how to use and extend the design.