11.7. Naming Associations

Name an association based on a TypeName-VerbPhrase-TypeName format where the verb phrase creates a sequence that is readable and meaningful in the model context.

Association names should start with a capital letter, since an association represents a classifier of links between instances; in the UML, classifiers should start with a capital letter. Two common and equally legal formats for a compound association name are:

  • Paid-by

  • PaidBy

In Figure 11.6, the default direction to read an association name is left to right or top to bottom. This is not a UML default, but a common convention.

Figure 11.6. Association names.

Get Applying UML and Patterns: An Introduction to Object-Oriented Analysis and Design and the Unified Process, Second Edition now with the O’Reilly learning platform.

O’Reilly members experience books, live events, courses curated by job role, and more from O’Reilly and nearly 200 top publishers.

Start your free trial