CSE291 - Introduction To Software
Engineering
Lecture 19&20
Activity Diagrams
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Introduction
• Activity diagrams represent the dynamic (behavioural)
view of the system.
• Activity diagrams can model a specific use case at a more
detailed level.
• Activity diagrams are similar to flow charts: they describe
the order of activity
• However, they differ from traditional flow charts by
allowing the representation of concurrent operations.
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Introduction
• Activity diagrams can be used independently of use cases
for modeling a business-level function, such as buying a
concert ticket or registering for a college class
• Because it models procedural flow, the activity diagram
focuses on the action sequence of execution and the
conditions that trigger or guard those actions.
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Notation Elements
• Action element in an activity diagram, whose official UML
name is action state. usually call it either action or
activity.
• An action is indicated on the activity diagram by a
"capsule" shape – a rectangular object with semicircular
left and right ends.
• The text inside it indicates the action (e.g., Customer Calls
Ticket Office or Registration Office Opens).
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Notation Elements
• Activity diagrams show a sequence of actions, they must
indicate the starting point of the sequence.
• The official UML name for the starting point on the activity
diagram is initial state, and it is the point at which you
begin reading the action sequence.
• The initial state is drawn as a solid circle with a transition
line (arrow) that connects it to the first action in the
activity's sequence of actions.
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Notation Elements
• With arrows indicating direction, the transition lines on an
activity diagram show the sequential flow of actions in the
modeled activity.
• The arrow will always point to the next action in the
activity's sequence.
• The activity's flow terminates when the transition line of
the last action in the sequence connects to a "final state"
symbol, which is a bulls eye (a circle surrounding a
smaller solid circle).
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Notation Elements
• Two types of Final nodes: Activity Final and Flow final
• An activity final node terminates the entire activity
• A flow final node terminates a path through an activity,
but not the entire activity
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Example
The activity "Booking a Concert Ticket," with actions in the
following order:
1. Customer calls ticket office.
2. Ticket rep asks what event person wants tickets for.
3. Customer tells rep event choice.
4. Ticket rep tells customer available seats and prices.
5. Customer tells rep seating choice.
6. Ticket rep reserves seats.
7. Ticket rep asks for credit card and billing address.
8. Customer gives requested information.
9. Ticket rep charges credit card.
10. Ticket rep mails tickets.
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Decision Points
• Activities modeled for real software development projects
include decision points that control what actions take
place.
• Each transition line involved in a decision point must be
labeled with text above it to indicate "guard conditions,"
commonly abbreviated as guards.
• Guard condition text is always placed in brackets -- for
example, [guard condition text].
• A guard condition explicitly tells when to follow a transition
line to the next action.
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Components in an Activity Diagram
Fork
A black bar ( horizontal/vertical ) with one flow going into it
and several leaving it. This denotes the beginning of parallel
activities
Join
A black bar with several flows entering it and one leaving it.
this denotes the end of parallel activities
Merge
A diamond icon with several flows entering and one leaving.
The implication is that all incoming flow to reach this point
until processing continues
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Example: Fork
• In the example , after the action "Receive Order" is
completed, two threads are kicked off in parallel.
• This allows the system to process both the "Verify
Ordered Products Are In Stock" and the "Verify Customer
Has Available Credit" actions at the same time.
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Example: Join
• When parallel action sequences terminate, a synch state
(thick line) is used to indicate that the multiple threads are
joined back into a single thread.
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Example: Merge
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Example
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Swim Lane
• A partition in activity diagram by means of dashed line,
called swim lane. This swim lane may be horizontal or
vertical
• Each zone represents the responsibilities of a particular
class or department.
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Activity Diagram with Swim Lane
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Activity Diagram with Swim Lane
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Practice Case Study
• The case study is about the process of reserving a flight. First,
you enter the dates. Once you submit your desired flight plan,
you can enter your personal information and at the same time
the system could be searching availability. The system flow
then joins back into one and you can select the specific flight
on the dates you want to fly. After this in the system there are
two different paths dependent on whether you are using
reward points. In case of reward points you have to enter
points and at the same time the system holds your
reservation. After that payment information is entered, the
system performs two processes at the same time. One is the
system marks seat as taken and the other is the system
processes payment. The system after that sends out a
confirmation email.
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Chapter Reading
• Chapter 5, System Modeling,
Software Engineering by Ian Sommerville
Course Material Link:
https://sites.google.com/cuilahore.edu.pk/sec
