Standard Stereotypes for UML Models

In Visual Studio Ultimate, you can add stereotypes to UML model elements to provide additional information for the reader, or for machine processing. Stereotypes are defined in profiles and each profile provides set of stereotypes. Several profiles are provided with Visual Studio Ultimate.

You can also define your own profiles that can contain your own stereotypes. For more information, see How to: Define a Profile to Extend UML.

The standard profiles

The following profiles are available in the Visual Studio Ultimate as soon as you have installed it.

Profile	Purpose
UML Standard Profile L2	A standard set of stereotypes that can be used to add extra information about an element or a relationship.
UML Standard Profile L3	A standard set of stereotypes that can be used to add extra information about an element or a relationship.
C# Profile	If you intend a class or other element in a UML model to represent program code, you can indicate this by applying one of the stereotypes from the C# profile. These stereotypes also add properties to the model elements.

When you create a new UML model, the UML Standard Profiles L2 and L3 are linked to the model, unless you remove the links.

To use the stereotypes in any of these profiles, you must first link the profile to a package or a model that contains the elements you want to apply them to.

To link a profile to a model or a package

1. Open UML Model Explorer. On the Architecture menu, point to Windows, and then click UML Model Explorer.

2. Locate either a package or a model that contains all the elements to which you will want to apply the stereotypes in the profile.

3. Right-click the package or the model and then click Properties.

4. In the Properties window, set the Profiles property to the profiles that you want.

To remove the link between a profile and a model or package

1. In UML Model Explorer, right-click the model or package and then click Properties.

2. In the Properties window, set the Profiles property to empty.

   Note

   You can unlink a profile only if none of the elements in the model or package use that profile's stereotypes.

To apply a stereotype to a model element

1. Right-click the model element either on a diagram or in UML Model Explorer, and then click Properties.

2. Click the Stereotypes property and select the stereotypes you want to apply.

   The selected stereotypes appear within «chevrons» in the model element, for most kinds of element.

   Note

   If you cannot see the Stereotypes property, or if the stereotype you want does not appear, verify that the model element is inside a package or a model to which the appropriate profile has been linked.

3. Some stereotypes allow you to set the values of additional properties for the model element. To see these properties, expand the Stereotypes property.

UML Standard Profile L2

The following stereotypes can be used to specialize the meaning of UML model elements, unless the link to the profile has been removed from the model.

The exact meaning of these stereotypes is determined by your own local conventions, and by any tools that you might use to process the model.

Stereotype	Applies to	Meaning
auxiliary	Class	A class that supports another class, typically by implementing additional logic. The other class may have the «focus» stereotype.
call	Dependency	The client class calls the operations of the supplier.
create	Dependency	The client class creates instances of the supplier.
create	Message	The sender creates the receiver.
create	Operation	This operation is a constructor.
derive	Dependency	The client element is computed completely or partly from the supplier.
destroy	Operation	The operation destroys its instance.
document	Artifact	A «file» that is not a source or an executable.
entity	Component	The component represents a business concept.
executable	Artifact	An executable «file».
file	Artifact	A physical file.
focus	Class	A class defining the core business logic, that is supported by several «auxiliary» classes.
framework	Package	This package defines a reusable design pattern.
implement	Component	The implementation of a «specification».
implementationClass	Class	The class describes an implementation, and each runtime instance has one fixed implementation class. Contrast with «type».
instantiate	Dependency	The client creates instances of the supplier.
library	Artifact	A library «file».
metaclass	Class	Instances of this class are also classes.
modelLibrary	Package	Contains model elements intended to be reused by importing packages. Typically defined as part of a profile, and imported automatically by application of the profile.
process	Component	A transaction-based component, or one that carries a thread.
realization	Class, Interface, Component	Describes an implementation.
refine	Dependency	The client class, component, or package provides more information about the specification or design than the supplier.
responsibility	Dependency	The Comment at the supplier end of the Dependency defines the responsibilities of the client class or component.
script	Artifact	An interpretable «file».
send	Dependency	The source Operation sends the target Signal.
service	Component	A stateless component.
source	Artifact	A compilable «file».
specification	Class, Interface, Component	Defines the behavior of a component or object without defining how it works internally.
subsystem	Component	A part of a large system. A subsystem on a use case diagram is a component with the subsystem stereotype.
trace	Dependency	The client element is part of the design that realizes the supplier. The two ends of this dependency are typically in different models. One of these models is a realization of the other.
type	Class	Specifies the behavior of an object without stating how it is implemented. An object is a member of a type if it conforms to the specification.
utility	Class	A collection of static functions. The class has no instances.

UML Standard Profile L3

The following stereotypes can be used to specialize the meaning of UML model elements, unless the profile has been unlinked from the model.

The exact meaning of these stereotypes is determined by your own local conventions, and by any tools that you might use to process the model.

Stereotype	Applies to	Description
buildComponent	Component	A collection of elements used to define a build.
metaModel	Model	Defines a modeling language such as a variant of UML, or a domain specific language.
systemModel	Model	A model that is a collection of models that apply to the same system, for example, a specification, a realization, and trace relationships between them.

C# Profile

The stereotypes defined in this profile let you indicate that a model element is intended for translation to program code. Each stereotype defines additional properties that you can set on the model element.

To make these stereotypes available, link a model or package to the C# Profile. You can then apply the stereotypes to model elements in that model or package.

The available stereotypes, the elements to which they apply, and the additional properties that they make available are summarized in the following table.

Stereotype	Applies to	Properties
C# Class	UML Class Component	Clr Attributes Is Partial Is Sealed Is Static Is Unsafe Package visibility
C# struct	UML Class Component	Clr Attributes Is Partial Is Unsafe Package visibility
C# global members	UML Class Component	Clr Attributes
C# Interface	UML Interface	Clr Attributes Is Partial Package visibility
C# enum	UML Enumeration	ClrAttributes Base Type
C# namespace	UML Package	Clr Attributes Base Name Using namespaces

See Also

Tasks

How to: Add Stereotypes to Model Elements

Concepts

How to: Define a Profile to Extend UML

Other Resources

Customizing Your Model with Profiles and Stereotypes