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Association Specification--Role A and B Detail Tab

Association Specification--Role A and B Detail Tab

Figure 36 Association Specification--Role A and B Detail Tab

Refer to the descriptions in the Introduction to Specifications chapter for information on the specification elements not covered in the following section.

Navigable

The Navigable field indicates the direction in which the role is navigating. By default, roles are bidirectional and no navigation notation is provided.

To set a role's navigation, select the Navigable check box in the Association Specification or click Navigable through the shortcut menu. The navigable arrowhead points in the direction of the role, unless a containment adornment is displayed. Containment adornments override navigable adornments.

Aggregate

Use the Aggregate field to set a direction to either all or part of the relationship among instances of these classes. Only one end of the relationship can be aggregate.

To set the aggregate adornment, select the Aggregate check box in the Association Specification or click Aggregate through the shortcut menu. The adornment is a diamond on the relationship.

Static

Use the Static field to specify that the client class, not the client's instances, owns the supplier class. In the case of an attribute, a static attribute is an attribute whose value is common to a class of objects rather than a value peculiar to each instance.

You can set this field in the specification or through the shortcut menu. To switch the static adornment in the Relationship Specification, select the Static check box.

Friend

The Friend check box designates that the supplier class has granted rights to a client class to access its non-public parts.

You can select this check box in the Relationship Specification or through the relationship's shortcut menu.

Containment of

Physical containment has semantics that play a role in the construction and destruction of an aggregate's parts. The specification of physical containment is necessary for meaningful code generation from the model.

You can set one of the following types of physical containment.

Table 11 Containment Field Options
Type

Description

By Value
Physical containment of a value of the part.
By Reference
Physical containment of a pointer or reference to the part.
Unspecified (default)
The type of physical containment has not been specified.

You can change the containment type in the Relationship Specification or you can select a value from the relationship's shortcut menu.

Keys/Qualifiers

A key or qualifier is an attribute that uniquely identifies a single target object. The attributes allow 1..n or n..n associations and reduce the number of instances. The list box will display all keys or qualifiers currently defined.

To enter a key or qualifier, click Insert from the shortcut menu or press the Insert key. An untitled entry is placed in the name and type field. To change the entry, select to highlight and type in a new name.

For information on the Key/Qualifier Specification, refer to the Key/Qualifier Specification on page 93.


Generalize Specification

A generalize relationship between classes shows that one class shares the structure or behavior defined in one or more other classes.

Specification Content

The Generalize Specification consists of the General tab.


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