An overview of the unified modeling language and diagrammatic modeling language design in software engineering

The need to manage the immense complexity in software engineering makes tools and methods essential, and requires that they be designed in accordance with well-defined principles. Surprisingly, there is yet no explicit body of knowledge for designing diagrammatic modeling languages (DMLs), despite the fact that they are used extensively as the primary conceptual modeling tools in software engineering. This paper provides an overview of the new and growing field of DML design that aims at compiling such a body of knowledge. The paper starts with relevant definitions and a brief introduction of the current de-facto standard DML of software engineering called the Unified Modeling Language (UML), and offers a short account of efforts and directions in DML design.