COMPONENT

DIAGRAM
 INTRODUCTION
 UML component diagrams describe software components
and their dependencies to each others
 A component is an autonomous unit within a system
 The components can be used to define software systems of
arbitrary size and complexity
 UML component diagrams enable to model the high-level software
components, and the interfaces to those components
 Important for component-based development (CBD)
 Component and subsystems can be flexibly REUSED and
REPLACED
 A dependency exists between two elements if changes to the
definition of one element may cause changes to the other
 Component Diagrams are often referred to as “wiring diagrams”
 The wiring of components can be represented on diagrams by
means of components and dependencies between them
 INTRODUCTION
An Uml diagram classification:
 Static
 Use case diagram, Class diagram
 Dynamic
 State diagram, Activity diagram, Sequence diagram,
Collaboration diagram
 Implementation
 Component diagram, Deployment diagram

UML components diagrams are

 Implementation diagrams:
describe the different elements required for
implementing a system
 INTRODUCTION
Another classification:
 Behavior diagrams
 A type of diagram that depicts behavior of a system
This includes activity, state machine, and use case diagrams,
interaction diagrams
 Interaction diagrams
 A subset of behavior diagrams which emphasize object
interactions. This includes collaboration, activity, sequence
diagrams
 Structure diagrams
 A type of diagram that depicts the elements of a
specification that are irrespective of time. This includes
class, composite structure, component, deployment

UML components diagrams are structure diagrams

 COMPONENT

 Modular unit with well-defined interfaces

that is replaceable within its environment
 Autonomous unit within a system
 Has one or more provided and required
interfaces
 Its internals are hidden and inaccessible

 A component is encapsulated

 Its dependencies are designed such that it

can be treated as independently as possible
 CASE STUDY
 Development of an application collecting students’ opinions
about courses
 A student can
 Read
 Insert
 Update
 Make data permanent about the courses in its schedule
 A professor can only see statistic elaboration of the data
 The student application must be installed in pc client
(sw1, sw2)
 The manager application must be installed in pc client (in
the manager’s office)
 There is one or more servers with DataBase and
components for courses management
 COMPONENT NOTATION
 A component is shown as a rectangle
with
 A keyword <<component>>

 Optionally, in the right hand corner a

component icon can be displayed
 A component icon is a rectangle with two
smaller rectangles jutting out from the
left-hand side
 This symbol is a visual stereotype
 The component name
 Components can be labelled with a stereotype
there are a number of standard stereotypes
ex: <<entity>>, <<subsystem>>
 Component ELEMENTS
 A component can have
 Interfaces
An interface represents a declaration of a set of
operations and obligations
 Usage dependencies
A usage dependency is relationship which one element
requires another element for its full implementation
 Ports
Port represents an interaction point between a component
and its environment
 Connectors
 Connect two components
 Connect the external contract of a component to the
internal structure
 INTERFACE
 A component defines its behaviour in terms of
provided and required interfaces
 An interface
 Is the definition of a collection of one or more
operations
 Provides only the operations but not the implementation
 Implementation is normally provided by a class/
component
 In complex systems, the physical implementation is
provided by a group of classes rather than a single class
 INTERFACE
 May be shown using a rectangle
symbol with a keyword
<<interface>> preceding the name
 For displaying the full signature,
the interface rectangle can be
expanded to show details

 Can be
 Provided

 Required
 INTERFACE
 A provided interface
 Characterize services that the
component offers to its
environment
 Is modeled using a ball, labelled
with the name, attached by a
solid line to the component
 A required interface
 Characterize services that the component expects
from its environment
 Is modeled using a socket, labelled with the name,
attached by a solid line to the component
 In UML 1.x were modeled using a dashed arrow
 INTERFACE
 Where two components/classes provide and require
the same interface, these two notations may be
combined

 The ball-and-socket notation hint at that interface in

question serves to mediate interactions between the two
components
 If an interface is shown using the rectangle symbol, we
can use an alternative notation, using dependency arrows
 INTERFACE
 In a system context where there are multiple components
that require or provide a particular interface, a notation
abstraction can be used that combines by joining
the interfaces

 A component
 Specifies a CONTRACT of the services that it provides
to its clients and that it requires from others
components in terms of its provided and required
interfaces
 Can be replaced

 The system can be extended

 DEPENDENCIES
 Components can be
connected by usage
dependencies

 Usage Dependency
 A usage dependency is relationship which one
element requires another element for its full
implementation
 Is a dependency in which the client requires the
presence of the supplier
 Is shown as dashed arrow with a <<use>> keyword
 The arrowhead point from the dependent
component to the one of which it is dependent
 PORT
 Specifies a distinct interaction point
 Between that component and its environment

 Between that component and its internal parts

 Is shown as a small square symbol

 Ports can be named, and the name is
placed near the square symbol
 Is associated with the interfaces that
specify the nature of the interactions
that may occur over a port
 PORT
 Ports can support unidirectional communication or
bi-directional communication

 If there are multiple

interfaces associated
with a port, these
interfaces may be listed
with the interface icon,
separated by a commas
 PORT

 All interactions of a component with its

environment are achieved through a port
 The internals are fully isolated from the
environment
 This allows such a component to be used in any
context that satisfies the constraints specified by
its ports
 Ports are not defined in UML 1.x
 EXTERNAL VIEW
 A component have an external view and an internal
view

 An external view (or black box

view) shows publicly visible
properties and operations

 An external view of a component is

by means of interface symbols
sticking out of the component box

 The interface can be listed in the

compartment of a component box
 INTERNAL VIEW

 An internal, or white box

view of a component is
where the realizing
classes/components are
nested within the
component shape

 Realization is a relationship between two set of

model elements
 One represents a specification
 The other represent an implementation of the
latter
 INTERNAL VIEW

 The internal class that realize the

behavior of a component may be
displayed in an additional
compartment
 Compartments can also be used to
display parts, connectors or
implementation artifacts
 An artifact is the specification of a
phisycal piece of information
 INTERNAL VIEW
 Components can be built recursively
 ASSEMBLY
 Two kinds of connectors:
 Delegation
 Assembly
 ASSEMBLY CONNECTOR
 A connector between 2 components defines that one
component provides the services that another
component requires
 He must only be defined from a required interface
to a provided interface
 An assembly connector is notated by a “ball-and-
socket” connection
This notation allows
for succint grafical
wiring of components
 SEMANTICS

 The semantics for an assembly connector :

 Are that signals travel along an instance of a
connector originating in a required port and
delivered to a provided port
 The interfaces provided and required must be
compatible
 The interface compatibility between provided and
required ports that are connected enables an
existing component in a system to be replaced
 SEMANTICS
 Multiple connections directed from a single required
interface to provided interfaces indicates that the
instance that will handle the signal will be determined
at execution time
 DELEGATION
 DELEGATION CONNECTOR
 Links the external contract of a component to the
internal realization
 Represents the forwarding of signals
 He must only be defined between used interfaces
or ports of the same kind
 DELEGATION
 The target interface must support a signature compatible
with a subset of operations of the source interface
 A port may delegate to a set of ports on subordinate
components
 The union of the target interfaces must be signature
compatible with the source interface
 Semantics:
 Is a declaration that behaviour that is available on a
component instance is not realized by that component
itself, but by another instance that has compatible
capabilities
 Is used to model the hierarchical decomposition

 Message and signal flow will occur between the connected

ports
CASE STUDY
CASE STUDY
 Example
 WebStore subsystem contains three components related to online shopping - Search
Engine, Shopping Cart, and Authentication. Search Engine component allows to
search or browse items by exposing provided interface Product Search and
uses required interface Search Inventory provided
by Inventory component. Shopping Cart component uses Manage
Orders interface provided by Orders component during checkout. Authentication
component allows customers to create account, login, or logout and binds customer to
some account.
 Accounting subsystem provides two interfaces - Manage Orders and Manage
Customers. Delegation connectors link these external contracts of the subsystem to
the realization of the contracts by Orders and Customers components.
 Warehouses subsystem provides two interfaces Search Inventory and Manage
Inventory used by other subsystems and wired through dependencies.
Diagram