Using the Graphic Editors : Working with Charts and Diagrams : Use Case Diagrams : Use Case Diagram Properties

Use Case Diagram Properties

The use cases in a use case diagram can be described and linked with a Rational Statemate model through the use-case properties.

A use case has the following special properties:

Use-Case External Description - describes the use case, using a customizable template.
Scenario List - list of scenarios associated with the use case. Each scenario can be linked to a sequence diagram, and a set of attributes describing it.

Multiple instances of both actors and use cases are allowed in the same use case diagram. That means that in the figure, there could be another ellipse (use case) named “USE_CASE_A” that models the same use case.

An actor and a use case cannot have the same name in the same use case diagram.

You can use full path names for actors and use cases. For example, you can see (and thus reuse) USE_CASE_A defined in the figure from another use case diagram by using its full-path name USE_CASE_DIAGRAM:USE_CASE_A.

Attribute fields are available to use case diagram elements, with customizable attribute template-files.

Note: The template of the use-case description file is found in STM_ROOT/etc/knl, named “use_case_description_template” and is copied to the workarea, to the directory “config,” with the addition of an extension taken from the “General” preference: “Use Case Description File Type,” default to “RTF” on Windows, and to “txt” on Solaris.

The command to open the editor is taken from the “General” preference: “Use Case Description Command Line”, default to “winword” on Windows, and to “xedit” on Solaris.

The following table lists attributes template files for use case diagram elements.