About Microsoft Visual Basic .NET code to UML mapping

Namespace

A Namespace in Visual Basic is reverse engineered as a UML package and includes:

• Name

• Members

Class

A class in Visual Basic is reverse engineered as a UML class and includes:

• Name

• Inherited classes and implemented interfaces

• Visibility (public, protected, or private)

• IsAbstract

• IsLeaf

• Member operations / functions (Member variables)

The following Visual Basic class constructs are not supported in Microsoft Office Visio UML:

• Friend

• Shadows

Interface

An interface in Visual Basic is reverse engineered as a UML interface and includes:

• Name

• Visibility (public, protected, or private)

• IsLeaf

• Base interfaces

• Member operations

Enumerated type

An enumerated type in Visual Basic is reverse engineered as a UML data type with <<enum>> stereotype and includes:

• Name

• Visibility (public, protected, or private)

• IsLeaf

• Base classes

• Members

Structure

A structure in Visual Basic is reverse engineered as a UML class with <<struct>> stereotype and includes:

• Name

• Visibility (public, protected, or private)

• IsAbstract

• IsLeaf

• Base classes and implemented interfaces

• Members

Properties

Properties in Visual Basic are reverse engineered as UML operations and include:

• Name

• Visibility (public, protected, or private)

• Type

• Getter and Setter

Delegates

Delegates in Visual Basic are reverse engineered as UML classes with the <<delegate>> stereotype and include:

• Name

• Visibility (public, protected, or private)

• Signature (added to the class as an operation)

Member operations

Member operations in Visual Basic are added to the UML model as UML operations and include:

• Name

• Visibility (public, protected, or private)

• Scope (static or shared)

• IsPolymorphic

• IsAbstract

• Operation kind

Operations are flagged according to their type, such as constructor, destructor, operator, or procedure. You can view these flags in the UML model using the Code Generation Options page of the UML Operation Properties dialog box.

• Return type

• Parameters

• mustOverride

• Not overridable—not directly supported, maps to UML element: operation::IsLeaf

• Overloads—not supported

• Handles—not supported

Events

Events in Visual Basic are added to the model as operations and include:

• Visibility (public, protected, or private)

• Parameters

Constants

Constants in Visual Basic are reverse engineered as UML attributes and include:

• Visibility (public or private)

• Type

• Initial value

Constants are added to the model as attributes with the changeable field set to frozen.

For example, the Visual Basic line:

Const str As String = "some text"

will be given an initial value of:

"some text"

while

Const x As Integer = 1

will be given an initial value of 1.

Member variables

Member variables in Visual Basic are added to the UML model as UML attributes and include:

• Name

• Type

• Visibility (public, protected, or private)

• Scope (static or shared)

• Changeable (frozen or changeable)

• Initial value

Method parameters

Method parameters in Visual Basic are added to the UML model as UML parameters and include:

• Name

• Type

• Direction (in, inout, out, or return)

• Default value

• Optional

• ParamArray

Visual Basic code constructs not supported in UML

The following Visual Basic code constructs won't be mapped to UML elements when reverse engineering from Visual Studio. NET to Microsoft Office Visio.

• Classes: Friend, Protected Friend, Shadows.

• Data members: Dim, New, WithEvents.

• Enumerated type: integral types are not reverse engineered.

• Member operations: Overloads, Handles, Not overridable (maps to UML element: operation::IsLeaf).

• Parameter: optional, paramArray.

• Property: default.