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What is Sequence Diagram?

What is Sequence Diagram?

Purpose of Sequence Diagram

At a Glance

Object Dimension

Time Dimension

Sequence Diagram Example

Notations

UML Sequence Diagrams are interaction diagrams that detail how operations are carried out. They capture the
Message & Focus of Control
interaction between objects in the context of a collaboration. Sequence Diagrams are time focus and they
show the order of the interaction visually by using the vertical axis of the diagram to represent time what
Sequence Fragments
messages are sent and when.

Combined Fragment Example

For Use Case Modeling

Model before Code

Related Links

Sequence Diagrams captures:

the interaction that takes place in a collaboration that either realizes a use case or an operation (instance
diagrams or generic diagrams)

high-level interactions between user of the system and the system, between the system and other systems,
or between subsystems (sometimes known as system sequence diagrams)

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Purpose of Sequence Diagram

Model high-level interaction between active objects in a system

Model the interaction between object instances within a collaboration that realizes a use case

Model the interaction between objects within a collaboration that realizes an operation

Either model generic interactions (showing all possible paths through the interaction) or speci!c instances
of a interaction (showing just one path through the interaction)

Sequence Diagrams at a Glance

Sequence Diagrams show elements as they interact over time and they are organized according to object
(horizontally) and time (vertically):

Object Dimension
The horizontal axis shows the elements that are involved in the interaction

Conventionally, the objects involved in the operation are listed from left to right according to when they
take part in the message sequence. However, the elements on the horizontal axis may appear in any order

Time Dimension
The vertical axis represents time proceedings (or progressing) down the page.

Note that:

Time in a sequence diagram is all a about ordering, not duration. The vertical space in an interaction diagram
is not relevant for the duration of the interaction.

Sequence Diagram Example: Hotel System

Sequence Diagram is an interaction diagram that details how operations are carried out -- what messages are
sent and when. Sequence diagrams are organized according to time. The time progresses as you go down the
page. The objects involved in the operation are listed from left to right according to when they take part in the
message sequence.

Below is a sequence diagram for making a hotel reservation. The object initiating the sequence of messages is
a Reservation window.

Note That: Class and object diagrams are static model views. Interaction diagrams are dynamic. They describe
how objects collaborate.

Sequence Diagram Notation

Notation Description Visual Representation

Actor

a type of role played by an entity that interacts with the subject (e.g., by
exchanging signals and data)

external to the subject (i.e., in the sense that an instance of an actor is

not a part of the instance of its corresponding subject).

represent roles played by human users, external hardware, or other

subjects.

Note that:

An actor does not necessarily represent a speci!c physical entity but

merely a particular role of some entity

A person may play the role of several di"erent actors and, conversely, a
given actor may be played by multiple di"erent person.

Lifeline

A lifeline represents an individual participant in the Interaction.

Activations

A thin rectangle on a lifeline) represents the period during which an

element is performing an operation.

The top and the bottom of the of the rectangle are aligned with the
initiation and the completion time respectively

Call Message

A message de!nes a particular communication between Lifelines of an

Interaction.

Call message is a kind of message that represents an invocation of

operation of target lifeline.

Return Message

A message de!nes a particular communication between Lifelines of an

Interaction.

Return message is a kind of message that represents the pass of

information back to the caller of a corresponded former message.

Self Message

A message de!nes a particular communication between Lifelines of an

Interaction.

Self message is a kind of message that represents the invocation of

message of the same lifeline.

Recursive Message

A message de!nes a particular communication between Lifelines of an

Interaction.

Recursive message is a kind of message that represents the invocation

of message of the same lifeline. It's target points to an activation on top
of the activation where the message was invoked from.

Create Message

A message de!nes a particular communication between Lifelines of an

Interaction.

Create message is a kind of message that represents the instantiation

of (target) lifeline.

Destroy Message

A message de!nes a particular communication between Lifelines of an

Interaction.

Destroy message is a kind of message that represents the request of

destroying the lifecycle of target lifeline.

Duration Message

A message de!nes a particular communication between Lifelines of an

Interaction.

Duration message shows the distance between two time instants for a
message invocation.

Note

A note (comment) gives the ability to attach various remarks to elements.

A comment carries no semantic force, but may contain information that is
useful to a modeler.

Message and Focus of Control

An Event is any point in an interaction where something occurs.

Focus of control: also called execution occurrence, an execution occurrence

It shows as tall, thin rectangle on a lifeline)

It represents the period during which an element is performing an operation. The top and the bottom of the
rectangle are aligned with the initiation and the completion time respectively.

Sequence Fragments

UML 2.0 introduces sequence (or interaction) fragments. Sequence fragments make it easier to create and
maintain accurate sequence diagrams

A sequence fragment is represented as a box, called a combined fragment, which encloses a portion of the
interactions within a sequence diagram

The fragment operator (in the top left cornet) indicates the type of fragment

Fragment types: ref, assert, loop, break, alt, opt, neg

Operator Fragment Type

alt Alternative multiple fragments: only the one whose condition is true will execute.

Optional: the fragment executes only if the supplied condition is true. Equivalent to an alt only
opt
with one trace.

par Parallel: each fragment is run in parallel.

loop Loop: the fragment may execute multiple times, and the guard indicates the basis of iteration.

region Critical region: the fragment can have only one thread executing it at once.

neg Negative: the fragment shows an invalid interaction.

Reference: refers to an interaction de!ned on another diagram. The frame is drawn to cover
ref
the lifelines involved in the interaction. You can de!ne parameters and a return value.

sd Sequence diagram: used to surround an entire sequence diagram.

Note That:

It is possible to combine frames in order to capture, e.g., loops or branches.

Combined fragment keywords: alt, opt, break, par, seq, strict, neg, critical, ignore, consider, assert and loop.

Constraints are usually used to show timing constraints on messages. They can apply to the timing of one
message or intervals between messages.

Combined Fragment Example

Sequence Diagram for Modeling Use Case Scenarios

User requirements are captured as use cases that are re!ned into scenarios. A use case is a collection of
interactions between external actors and a system. In UML, a use case is:

"the speci!cation of a sequence of actions, including variants, that a system (or entity) can perform, interacting
with actors of the system."

A scenario is one path or #ow through a use case that describes a sequence of events that occurs during one
particular execution of a system which is often represented by a sequence diagram.

Sequence Diagram - Model before Code

Sequence diagrams can be somewhat close to the code level, so why not just code up that algorithm rather
than drawing it as a sequence diagram?

A good sequence diagram is still a bit above the level of the real code

Sequence diagrams are language neutral

Non-coders can do sequence diagrams

Easier to do sequence diagrams as a team

Can be used for testing and/or UX Wireframing

Try to Draw UML Sequence Diagram Now

You've learned what a Sequence Diagram is and how to draw a Sequence
Diagram. It's time to draw a Sequence Diagram of your own. Get Visual
Paradigm Community Edition, a free UML modeling tool, and create your
own Sequence Diagram with the free Sequence Diagram tool. It's easy-to-
use and intuitive.

Free Download

Related Links

1. What is Uni!ed Modeling Language?

2. Professional UML diagram tool

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