In this chapter
Classifiers, special properties of attributes and operations, and different kinds of classes
Modeling the semantics of a class
Choosing the right kind of classifier
Classes are indeed the most important building block of any object-oriented system. However, classes are just one kind of an even more general building block in the UMLclassifiers. A classifier is a mechanism that describes structural and behavioral features. Classifiers include classes, interfaces, datatypes, signals, components, nodes, use cases, and subsystems.
Classifiers (and especially classes) have a number of advanced features beyond the simpler properties of attributes and operations described in the previous part: You can model multiplicity, visibility, signatures, polymorphism, and other characteristics. In the UML, you can model the semantics of a class so that you can state its meaning to whatever degree of formality you like.
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The basic properties of classes are discussed in Chapter 4 . |
In the UML, there are several kinds of classifiers and classes; it's important that you choose the one that best models your abstraction of the real world.