Model property sets and UML profiles

While Rational Rose® stores domain-specific information as custom attributes in model property sets and defines stereotype images in stereotype configuration files, all of this information converts into UML profiles during the Rose model import process. UML profiles customize and extend the UML for specific projects and processes.

Rose model property sets

Rose model properties are modifiable values that you can attach to a Rose model and related model elements. Property sets provide a way for you to define specific information that is not expressed in standard UML notation, but that is necessary to extend the UML to meet domain-specific requirements of your code, project, or processes.

Unlike Rose stereotypes, Rose model properties do not appear in the diagram editor. Specifically, property sets are implicitly applied (similar to required stereotype extensions in UML) and their names do not appear inside stereotype brackets. Rose model property set files have a .pty file name extension.

UML profiles

A profile is a package that contains UML stereotypes that extend the elements (metaclasses) of the UML language for a specific domain or purpose. UML stereotypes have properties that are typed by the standard UML primitive types or by enumerations and classes also defined in the profile. They may also have icons and scalable shape images associated with them. UML stereotypes combine all of the features of Rose stereotypes and property sets into a single metamodel extension mechanism.

Profiles identify a particular subset of the UML metamodel and define stereotypes and constraints that may be applied to it. The UML Basic, Intermediate, and Complete, profiles are automatically applied to every model. Software Architect and Software Modeler also provide the Deployment profile and the Default profile, both of which are also automatically applied to every model.

UML profile files have an .epx file name extension. You can view profiles in the Project Explorer view.

During the import process, the Rose Model Import wizard converts all Rose property sets to UML stereotypes in the following ways:

• The suggested UML profile name is derived from the display name of the Rose Add-in, which usually corresponds to the add-in name. You may optionally specify a different profile name.
• The UML stereotype is given the same name as the Rose property set.
• The UML stereotype is visually suppressed so that it does not appear in the diagram editor.
• Attributes defined by the Rose property set are converted to properties of the UML stereotype, with the same default values.
• Rose property set enumerations are converted to UML Enumerations. To avoid problems with similarly named enumerations, the UML Enumeration name is a concatenation of the Rose property set and enumeration names.
• The UML stereotype has no icon or shape image.
• The UML stereotype extends all of the UML metaclasses that correspond to the Rose element type indicated by the property set name.

Stereotypes imported from a Rose stereotype configuration file are applied to elements that have a corresponding stereotype in the Rose model. This may be in addition to other stereotypes already applied during the import process.

During the import process, the stereotypes imported from Rose property sets are applied to elements in the following ways:

• For each tool, if a cg_style attribute is present on the element, then the UML stereotype corresponding to the property set name is applied.
• The taggedValueSet keyword indicates that a specific stereotype represents a UML 1.x tagged value set. While these stereotypes are suppressed so that they do not appear in the diagram editor, the taggedValueSet keyword is needed to allow you to apply these stereotypes to new model elements following a successful import. UML stereotypes generated from a Rose stereotype configuration files are not suppressed in the diagram editor.
• If a model element has a language, then the language add-in's default property set for the element type is applied. This is in addition to any cg_style stereotype for that add-in.