Suitable Layout Algorithms for UML Diagram Types (version 2.5)
Questions & AnswersSummary
A brief overview of the yFiles layout algorithms that are suitable for UML diagram types.
This article was written for an older version. It is only online as a reference for customers using this old version. The information it contains is probably out of date.
The latest information can be found in the yFiles documentation
Description
The yFiles diagramming library provides a variety of automatic layout algorithms that suit many different application areas. The following table lists the layout algorithms that qualify for automatic layout calculation of UML diagram types.
| UML Diagram Type | Layout Algorithm(s) | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Class Diagram |
IncrementalHierarchicLayouter
DirectedOrthogonalLayouter |
|
| Use Case Diagram |
SmartOrganicLayouter
IncrementalHierarchicLayouter |
|
| Component Diagram |
IncrementalHierarchicLayouter
OrthogonalLayouter OrthogonalGroupLayouter |
If you want to highlight dependencies, use IncrementalHierarchicLayouter. If the directedness of the relationships is of no concern, use OrthogonalLayouter or OrthogonalGroupLayouter. |
| State Diagram | SmartOrganicLayouter IncrementalHierarchicLayouter OrthogonalLayouter |
If edge labels are involved that need to be placed nicely, use IncrementalHierarchicLayouter or OrthogonalLayouter. |
| Activity Diagram | IncrementalHierarchicLayouter | |
| Deployment Diagram | IncrementalHierarchicLayouter OrthogonalGroupLayouter |
|
| Profile Diagram | IncrementalHierarchicLayouter | |
| Composite Structure Diagram | IncrementalHierarchicLayouter |
In the following table links to Developer's Guide articles for the above-mentioned layout algorithms are given:
| yFiles WPF | |
|---|---|
| IncrementalHierarchicLayouter | Hierarchical Layout Style |
| SmartOrganicLayouter | Organic Layout Style |
| OrthogonalLayouter | Orthogonal Layout |
| OrthogonalGroupLayouter | Orthogonal Group Layout |
| DirectedOrthogonalLayouter | Directed Orthogonal Layout |
| SeriesParallelLayouter | not available |
Categories this article belongs to:
yFiles WPF > yFiles WPF Algorithms > Automatic Graph Layout
Applies to:
yFiles WPF: 1.0, 2.0, 2.1, 2.2, 2.3, 2.4, 2.5
Keywords:
UML - diagram - layout - algorithm - class - component - deployment - state - use case - profile - activity - composite structure