Object Specification--General Tab

Figure 75 Object Specification--General Tab

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

Name

If you specify the name of the object's class in the Object Specification, the name must identify a class defined in the model.

Class

The Class field displays the name of the object's parent class. The default class for a newly created object is Unspecified.

The object will accept messages conveying the operations of its parent class, and the operations of the superclasses of its parent class.

If you subsequently delete the class from the model, its name will be displayed in parentheses. If you recreate the class or create a new class with the same name, the object becomes an instance of this class.

Persistence Field

Use these options to specify the object's persistence.

Table 12 Persistence Field Options

Type	Description
Persistent	The object exists after the termination of the program in which it was created.
Static	The object exists during the entire execution of a program.
Transient	The object is created and destroyed dynamically during the execution of a program.

To display an object's persistence in a collaboration diagram, right-click an icon representing the object, and click Show Persistence.

Multiple Instances Check Box

Select the Multiple Instances check box to indicate that this object represents multiple instances of the same class. When you select this field, the icon changes from one object to three staggered objects. The object group is considered one entity, but this icon indicates that several objects are involved.

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Class Instance Specifications

A class instance places a representation of a class on a collaboration diagram.

To display a Class Instance Specification, double-click any icon representing a class instance, or click Browse > Specifications.

Specification Content

The Class Instance Specification consists of the General tab.