A Dependency is a Relationship that signifies that a single model Element or a set of model Elements requires other model Elements for their specification or implementation. This means that the complete semantics of the client Element(s) are either semantically or structurally dependent on the definition of the supplier Element(s).
There are several types of Dependencies:
▪Dependency
▪Usage
▪Abstraction
To create a Dependency, you can:
▪Create a Dependency Node definition through the Explorer and specify the Client and Supplier definitions in the Dependency tab of the Dependency Node definition.
▪Draw a Dependency on a diagram (such as a Block diagram).
To draw a Dependency of any of the above types between two Classifiers, perform these steps:
1 Create a Dependency Node, Usage Node, or Abstraction Node – either by creating the definition through the Explorer tree or drawing such a symbol on a diagram.
2 Draw a Dependency Node to Client relationship from the Dependency Node type definition (above list) to the client Definition.
3 Draw a Dependency Node to Supplier relationship from the Dependency Node type definition (above list) – to the supplier Definition.
4 When the relationship is drawn, the rectangle of the Dependency Node disappears. You can specify to have the name of the Dependency Node placed outside the symbol – right-mouse click on the Dependency Node symbol, select Format > Symbol Format > Text Position, and toggle on the choice Place Name Outside.
When created, the Client and Supplier Classifiers are found in the relevant Dependency Node definition.
Each Classifier shows its Dependencies in the NamedElement tab.
