CT015-3-2 Design Methods

Object and Class Structuring

 Learning objectives

• At the end of this lecture, you should be

able to :
– Describe object structuring criteria and
categories

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 Object and Class Structuring

• First attempt at determining the software

objects in the system.
– Emphasis on objects modeling real-world and
entity objects
• Determines and categorizes the software
interfaces to the objects developed in the
Static Modeling phase.
• The beginnings of the Dynamic Model

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 Object and Class Structuring
Criteria

• Determine all software objects in system

– Use Object Structuring Criteria
– Guidelines for identifying object
• Structuring criteria depicted using stereotypes
– Stereotype defines a new building block that is derived
from an existing UML modelling element but is tailored to
the modeller's problem
– Depicted using guillemets
«entity», «boundary», «control»

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 Object and Class Structuring
Categories
• The four main categories :
1. Entity object
– represents the class where the data to be saved to or
retrieved from.
2. Boundary object
– Software object that interfaces to and communicates
with the external environment
Device Interface Objects connect to a hardware I/O device.
User Interface Objects provide for human user interaction.
System Interface Objects represent external systems or
subsystems.

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 Object and Class Structuring
Categories
3. Control object
– Software object that provides the overall coordination
for a collection of objects. Control objects may be
coordinator objects, state-dependent control
objects, or timer objects.
4. Application logic object
– Software object that contains the details of the
application logic. Another category is service objects,
which provide services for client objects, typically in
service-oriented architectures and applications.
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 Classification of application
classes by stereotype

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 Boundary Object

• Boundary objects are further categorized as:

– User interaction object
Software object that interacts with and interfaces to a
human user.
– Proxy object
Software object that interfaces to and communicates
with an external system or subsystem.
– Device I/O boundary object
Software object that receives input from and/or outputs
to a hardware I/O device.
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 User interaction class and object
• Communicates directly
with the human user,
receiving input from
the user and providing
output to the user via
standard I/O devices
such as the keyboard,
visual display, mouse
and GUI.

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 Proxy Objects

• Interfaces to an external
system
– Interfaces to an
external system
– Hides details of how
to communicate with
external system
• E.g., Robot Proxy
• Interfaces to external (real-
world) robot

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 Device I/O boundary object
• Interfaces to I/O device
• Input object
– E.g., Sensor
Interface
• Output object
– E.g., Actuator
Interface
• I/O (Input/Output) object
– E.g., ATM Card
Reader Interface

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 Device I/O boundary object

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 Depicting External Classes and
Boundary Classes

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 Entity Classes and Objects

• Entity Objects are long living.

– Used by many use cases.
– Store information that persists across use
cases.
E.g., Account, Sensor
• Entity objects are instances of the entity
classes developed in the Static Modeling
phase.
• Entity classes often mapped to relational
database during design
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 Entity Classes and Objects

Example of entity class and object

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 Control Classes and Objects

• Provides overall coordination for execution of

a group of objects
– Makes overall decisions
– Decides when, and in what order, other
objects participate in interaction sequence
• Entity objects
• Boundary objects

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 Control Classes and Objects

• Control Objects:
– Coordinator object
Overall decision-making object that determines the
overall sequencing for a collection of related objects.
– State dependent control object
Defined by finite state machine - depicted by using a
statechart.
– Timer object
A control object that is activated by an external timer –
e.g, a real-time clock or operating system clock.
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 Control Classes and Objects

Example of
coordinator class
and object

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 Control Classes and Objects

Example of
state-dependent
control class and
object

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 Control Classes and Objects

Example of a
timer class and
object

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 Application Logic Classes and
Objects
• 3 kinds of application logic objects:
– Business Logic Object
Defines business specific application logic (rules) for
processing a client request. Usually accesses more
than one entity object
– Algorithm Object
Encapsulates algorithm used in problem domain. More
usual in scientific, engineering, real-time domains
– Service object
Provides a service to other objects and responds to
requests from client objects
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 Application Logic Classes and
Objects

Example of
business logic
class and object

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 Application Logic Classes and
Objects

Example of
algorithm class
and object

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 Application Logic Classes and
Objects

Example of service
class and object

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 Review

• What is boundary object?

• State 3 sub-types of application logic
objects?

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 Q&A

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