Class Specification--Attributes Tab

Figure 21 Class Specification--Attributes Tab

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

The Rational Unified Process asserts that attributes are data values (string or integer) held by objects in a class. Thus, the Attributes tab lists attributes defined for the class through the Class Attribute Specification.

You can add an attribute relationship through Insert on the shortcut menu or by pressing the insert key. An untitled entry is added.

Attributes and relationships created using this technique are added to the model, but do not automatically appear in any diagrams.

The descriptions for each field are discussed below:

• Access Control Adornment (Unlabeled):

  Public--members of a class are accessible to all clients.

  Protected--members of a class are accessible only to subclasses, friends, or to the class itself.

  Private--members of a class are accessible only to the class itself or to its friends.

  Implemented--the class is accessible only by the implementation of the package containing the class.

• Stereotype--displays the name of the stereotype.
• Name--displays the name of the attribute.
• Class--identifies where the attribute is defined.
• Type--this can be a class or a traditional type, such as int.
• Initial--displays the initial value of an object.

This Attribute tab is active for all class types.