Software Diagrams

Development of software with ConceptDraw DIAGRAM

ConceptDraw is a tool for technical and business graphics. It provides specialists who create graphic documentation with a possibility to focus not on the process of drawing itself but on the essence of the task. For this ConceptDraw features a huge number of ready-to-use objects (4590 for the moment of writing the article), smart connectors, layers, hyperlinks and many other possibilities.

Design and document development of projects using a wide range of pre-drawn shapes and smart connectors. Develop visualization solutions with the help of the built-in scripting language.

ConceptDraw DIAGRAM is a perfect tool for:

Designing and planning tasks such as:
Developing Visualization Solutions
Project Planning (Gantt Charts, Timelines, Project Schedules)

Modern development of program software leads to a large amount of graphic documentation: diagrams describing the work of applications in various cuts and notations, GUI design, documentation on project management. Each of these fields is represented by topical libraries and templates.

To ConceptDraw DIAGRAM new possibilities have been added, thanks to which the program became a sequence higher useful for developers. The most considerable innovations are:

a set of wizards for automation of widespread tasks built-in scripting language, which helps to automate tasks specific for your
particular situation.

Let us consider typical applications.

Object-oriented design

Over the recent years object-oriented methodology has become more and more widespread. Thanks to this methodology developers manage to deal with growing complexity of applications. More and more programs are written in such programming languages as C++, Java, Visual Basic and Object Pascal. However, the complexity of the designed systems imposes extended requirements as to design of graphic documentation. ConceptDraw possesses powerful tools for designing of technical documentation for object-oriented projects. The libraries included in the package allow to easily draw class hierarchies, object hierarchies and diagrams of data flows with the use of the most popular notations, including UML and Booch notations. And the library for projecting COM-interfaces will spare developers of ActiveX-servers a headache.

Flowcharts of algorithms and business-processes

Flowcharting is a conventional way of recording algorithms in a graphic form. ConceptDraw is an ideal means for their creation. Easiness of flowcharting in ConceptDraw is really impressive. This functionality is useful for students and teachers of informatics.

At development of real application flowcharts are widely used for clearing processes on which business-logics of the application will be based.

Prototyping Graphical User Interface (GUI)

ConceptDraw allows to more tightly draw art designers, managers and users to the process of GUI design. Now libraries of controls for Windows XP, MacOS and MacOS X are available to all of them and they can share their vision of Windows, menu and web-forms on various platforms with developers.

Project management

For a large-scale project to be completed successfully it should be thoroughly projected. One of the generally recognized and visual tools for projecting and tracking timeliness of the work on a project is a Gantt chart. ConceptDraw offers the wizard for automatic creation of Gantt chart.

The other side of the question of project management is the dynamism of changes. Changes in a project and its documentation are made daily. All updates should be done in time and be available to each developer. ConceptDraw offers many methods of solving this question:

Cross platform compatibility. ConceptDraw is released in two versions: for PC and for Mac. Its files can be easily read by the both versions. It means you can exchange documents with your colleagues and partners working on different platforms.
Export to HTML provides the possibility of getting a set of ready web-pages based on a ConceptDraw file, which can be displayed in intranet or Internet for all who care.
Export to PDF and graphic formats are designed, first of all, for sending information via e-mail.

Automation of management and development process

ConceptDraw DIAGRAM supports XML. XML for ConceptDraw has been created and, at the same time, support for import XML for Visio. All this allows to develop solutions for automation of various aspects of software development.

For instance:

generation of UML diagrams etc. on the ready initial code
generation of the initial code
generation of resources for Windows and MacOS, web-forms
and a lot more

Visualization of data

ConceptDraw is a good means for visualization of information of any kind. The program features powerful graphic possibilities. Thus, on the ready graphic kernel ConceptDraw the rest products of the line have been developed: ConceptDraw PROJECT, ConceptDraw MINDMAP This powerful graphic kernel (2D-graphics) is supported by a number of open formats (including XML). To this add the flexibility of data processing, connected with the scripting language ConceptDraw Basic (included in version V), and also the flexibility in parameterization of objects, which is provided by the whole table of the object parameters (which is available for editing even from the program's interface). So in the end it becomes clear that visualizing of information in ConceptDraw is a good idea.

So, the typical task for ConceptDraw Basic is to automate the visualization of some data. This data can be obtained as the result of work of an arbitrary application (including ConceptDraw-script) and saved in a text file, ODBC-compatible database or in one of the open formats supported by ConceptDraw. In the first two cases, data will further be read and visualized with the help of ConceptDraw Basic. In case of using a ConceptDraw open format (XML for ConceptDraw or XML for Visio) the obtained document can be simply opened in ConceptDraw, you can then add some details of design and get a presentable diagram. Possibilities of ConceptDraw Basic considerably increase at using in script the functions exported by the shared libraries.

The conclusion is: ConceptDraw is a platform worth considering for writing solutions, connected with data visualization.

Work with databases

Special attention has been given to work with databases. There are libraries for designing databases in various notations: ORM, Chen ERD and Martin ERD, Express-G and relational diagrams. Starting from version V, ConceptDraw supports ODBC-compatible databases. Interaction with them is possible with the help of the scripting language ConceptDraw Basic. Besides, in ConceptDraw Professional package there is Database Model Diagram wizard (it can be found among the templates of the section ERD & Database). It builds a model of an arbitrary presented by the user in the form of DSN database.

Having applied all said above about possibilities of ConceptDraw in fields of projection, automation and visualization of data, we can conclude, that the program is well designed for solving the following tasks:

design of databases
ORM-diagrams
ER-diagrams
relational diagrams
reengineering of databases
visual displaying of data in the form of charts and diagrams

Example 1. Data Flow Diagram

TEN RELATED HOW TO's:
Basic Diagramming →
Mathematical Drawing Software - Draw mathematical illustration diagrams easily from examples and templates!
Picture: Basic Diagramming
Related Solution:

Basic Diagramming
UML Diagram →
While developing software, it is very important to have a visual model, because it helps to represent the logic and the architecture of an application. Experienced engineers use UML diagrams to denote relationships between classes and their instances. UML is a general language for a set of diagrams like deployment diagrams, object diagrams or use case diagrams. This diagram represents UML class diagram used for a software system development using an object-oriented method. Class diagrams are categorized as static structure diagrams that depict the physical structure of a system. Class diagram divides a software system's structure into "classes". Classes are defined by the methods and variables of objects. UML Class diagram is used to depict relationships and source code dependencies between objects.
Picture: UML Diagram
Related Solution:

Rapid UML
Line Chart Template for Word →
This sample was created in ConceptDraw DIAGRAM diagramming and vector drawing software using the Line Graphs Solution from Graphs and Charts area of ConceptDraw Solution Park. This sample shows the Line Chart of annual percentage change. The Line Chart allows you to clearly see the changes of data over the time.
Picture: Line Chart Template for Word
Related Solution:

Line Graphs
Data Flow Diagram →
There are many ways to define the flow of information within a system. Structured-systems analysis method often uses data flow diagrams to show data flow, data storages and data processing visualization. These diagrams are easy to develop and quite useful. Here is a dataflow diagram presenting an example of the manufacturing process flow. The oval process shapes represent a process that controls data within the current system. The process may produce data or make some action based on data. Data flows are represented by lines. They show the movement of information through the system. The direction of the data flow is depicted by the arrow. The external entities are shown by rectangles. They represent the external entities interacting with the system. The data store objects (unclosed rectangles) are used to show data bases participating in a process flow.
Picture: Data Flow Diagram
Related Solution:

Data Flow Diagrams (DFD)
How To Create Floor Plans →
A floor plan is an essential element of any building or architectural plan. It shows a view from above of relationships between physical features on one floor of a structure. Thanks to modern digital drawing tools, you can easily learn how to create floor plans. Software like ConceptDraw DIAGRAM provides an intuitive and modern interface and an assortment of powerful tools, so that nothing will get in the way of your creativity. When considering a moving to a new office, or making rearrangement of an office, its better to draw an office floor plan picture. The objective of any office space organization is to maintain a business functionality in a proper manner. This diagram illustrates a layout of usual cubical office. It shows just walls, windows and cubicles. You can use it as a template for your custom office layout diagram. the all you need is to launch ConceptDraw DIAGRAM with its Office Plans solution. Then, you can make changes and add necessary equipment, using the vector objects library, supplied with solution.
Picture: How To Create Floor Plans
Related Solution:

Floor Plans
Concept Maps →
As concept map consists from conception-blocks and links between them, you can use ConceptDraw library objects and add to a document as much objects as you need. ConceptDraw tools let you to edit, group, move objects, change their appearance and add text signs and raster or vector pictures. ConceptDraw DIAGRAM diagramming and vector drawing software extended with Concept Maps Solution from the Diagrams Area is effective tool for creating professional looking Concept Maps.
Picture: Concept Maps
Related Solution:

Concept Maps

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