Return message: The receiver of a previous message returns the focus of control to the sender.

Asynchronous message: The message sender continues the execution of the next message without waiting for a return from the message receiver.Synchronous message: The message sender keeps waiting for the receiver to return control from the message execution.The messages used within an interaction diagram are as follows: This is referred to as a flow of control. As lifelines receive and interact with messages, it creates a focus of control that moves from lifeline to lifeline. It can be used to call an operation, create or destroy an instance, or send a signal. Message: A message is a specific type of communication between two lifelines in an interaction. Selector: Used as a Boolean condition to select a particular instance that satisfies the requirement.

Type: Names the classifier of which the lifeline represents an instance.

Name: Used to refer to the lifeline in a specific interaction.

The attributes of a lifeline are as follows: Lifeline: A lifeline depicts a single participant in a given interaction, describing how an instance of a specific classifier participates in an interaction. Here are some common terms and symbols you’ll come across in an interaction diagram:

They allow the use of most annotations within an activity diagram, along with additional elements for added clarity.Īlthough interaction diagrams are fairly intuitive, they do require branching and interactions to follow certain behaviors, which can be restrictive.

They offer a high degree of navigability between diagrams.

They provide an uncomplicated view of the activity within a model.

The diagram acts as an overview of the flow of control from interaction to interaction, as well as the flow of activity from diagram to diagram. The interaction overview diagram provides a high-level view of an interaction model.

They can be hard to maintain over time.You should also consider these potential downsides of using a timing diagram: They can keep track of any and all changes within a system.They can represent the state of an object at an exact instance in time.They allow for forward and reverse engineering.A timing diagram offers the following benefits:

System sequence diagram if condition