Timing diagrams in Astah Professional and Astah UML describe the behavior of classifiers and their interactions, focusing on the timing of events that cause changes in modeled conditions of Lifelines. They emphasize changes within and among Lifelines over time.
The Timing Diagram is enclosed in a frame where its name is displayed. This name can be edited by double-clicking within the frame or through the property view or the structure tree.
A Lifeline represents an individual participant in the diagram. In Astah, a single Lifeline is already on the diagram after you create a new Timing Diagram.
There are several ways to add Lifelines on Timing Diagram.
Every Lifeline includes a default State/Condition.
You can rename this State/Condition by directly double-clicking it or the property view (Left-bottom pane).
There are two ways to add States/Conditions.
A Timeline is automatically attached to a State/Condition.
Timeline can be moved by directly dragging to another State/Condition.
Starting from version 10.0, you can now toggle the timeline presentation to display continuous state.
To enable this, right-click on the timeline and select [Continuous State] from the context menu.
Alternatively, you can activate this feature through the [Continuous State] option in the property view, located in the bottom-left pane.
Messages between Lifelines (including asynchronous and reply messages) are created by selecting a message type from the tool palette and designating start and end points.
You can represent a DurationConstraint from the step below.
You can represent a TimeConstraint from the step below.
You can adjust tick mark values, intervals, and their visibility to suit your needs. This is done either through the diagram’s property view or by directly interacting with the tick mark via right-click.
For consistent modeling, set default values for tick intervals and other options by navigating to [Tools] → [System Properties] → [UML]. Adjust your preferences and apply them with [OK].
Astah supports two primary view modes for Timing Diagrams: Full and Compact.
Each serves different visualization needs, from detailed analysis to simplified overview.
The standard, detailed visualization showing all elements. This mode is default and ideal for in-depth examination of diagrams.
Offers a simplified overview by briefly showing States/Conditions in each Lifeline. This view is beneficial for presentations or when a high-level diagram summary is needed.
In Compact View, your ability to edit is restricted. While you can rename Lifelines and States/Conditions, the tool palette is disabled, limiting further modifications. This ensures the diagram remains clutter-free and focused on essential information.
There are two ways to do switch the view mode: