Transforming Java code into UML models

You can use the Java-to-UML transformation to create a Unified Modeling Language (UML) model from Java™ code.

About this task

You can use this transformation in both of the following round-trip-engineering (RTE) scenarios:
  • Transform a UML model into code, change the code, and then transform the changed code into UML (model-code-model)

    By default, IBM® Rational® Software Architect Designer supports this scenario, which begins by running the UML-to-Java transformation.

  • Transform existing Java code into a UML model, change the model, and then transform the changed model into Java code (code-model-code)
    This scenario begins by running the Java-to-UML transformation. To use this transformation in this scenario, you must link the existing Java code elements to the UML model elements in the model that this transformation generates. This linking adds annotations and comments to the code so that the UML-to-Java transformation can propagate the UML changes to the Java code and preserve existing method bodies. You should link the elements before you modify the recently added model elements and run the UML-to-Java transformation. After you link the elements, subsequent transformations merge as you expect.
    Note: To link the Java code elements to the UML model elements, on the Main page of the UML-to-Java transformation configuration, click Link Java to UML.

    For more information about this scenario and merging changes when you develop in both Java and UML, see the related concept topic below.

  • Configuring Java-to-UML transformations
    To specify the information that the transformation uses to generate the output that you expect, you use the New Transformation Configuration wizard and the transformation configuration editor, which guide you through the configuration.
  • Validating Java-to-UML transformation configurations
    You can validate a transformation configuration to ensure that the values in the configuration are valid according to the requirements of a transformation.
  • Preserving Javadoc information from previous releases of the product
    To preserve the information between the Javadoc tags that were generated in previous releases of IBM Rational Software Architect Designer, run the Java-to-UML transformation once to migrate the Javadoc information into the documentation property of the corresponding element in the UML model.
  • Running and rerunning Java-to-UML transformations
    Before you can run a transformation, you create a transformation configuration. When you apply a transformation configuration, an instance of the transformation is created and the transformation runs with the properties that the configuration defines.
Related concepts:
Java-to-UML transformations
Workflow for using transformations to merge changes when you develop in both Java and UML
Related information:
Tutorial: Concurrently develop UML models and Java code using transformations
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