UML Style Guide
UML diagram requirements
Use always the UML 2.5 ↱ syntax for UML models and diagrams.
A diagram should always contain:
- a legend or at least a reference to the legend.
- a headline, minimal abstract, the creation date, date of modification and the author.
Rules for better diagrams
Less is more
Large diagrams are often unreadable and information overflow. Focus on main information. To keep your diagram readable and informative use a maximum of A4 or better A5 size.
No Crossings
Avoid that lines crossing each other (too) often.
Orthogonality
Make lines in a diagramm go only horizontal or vertical and try to have only right angles.
Bad orthogonality:
Good orthogonality:
Parents up
Always make sure that the parent elements are higher than the child elements and the arrows point upwards.
Bad hierarchical view:
Good hierarchical view:
Tidy up
Tidy up your diagrams.
- Align elements by one of their side or by their centers. Align elements by its center works best vertically.
- Make elements the same size when possible.