Applying UML and Patterns (Hardcover)

by Craig Larman (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review
Written for the developer with previous programming and design experience, Applying UML and Patterns combines UML, software patterns, and Java to illustrate the author's own design strategy. Though author Craig Larman sometimes relies heavily on the jargon of software engineering, there's no doubt that his book contains some immediately useful ideas on software design, using the latest and greatest in software-engineering research.

This book begins by outlining a basic process of software design using iterative, object-oriented techniques. The case study used for this text is a point-of-sale (POS) system, a helpful real-world example. The book constructs use case diagrams and basic conceptual and class models for this system. The author then adds sequence diagrams to show how the POS system will do its processing and collaboration diagrams to show how objects will interact with one another. The author uses standard UML diagrams to document the design.

When it comes to refining class design, the author's experience with patterns really shines. His General Responsibility Assignment Software Patterns (GRASP) suggest guidelines for designing classes that work together effectively. Larman believes that the ability to assign responsibilities to classes effectively is one of the most important aspects of good object-oriented design. His patterns allow this to happen and provide an interesting contribution to the design process. (The author also introduces more widely used software patterns to enhance the design process.)

When it comes to coding the design, Java is the programming language of choice for this text. Further chapters discuss how to refine an initial design using an iterative process of software engineering. While it's unlikely that readers will adopt Larman's approach to software design in its entirety, his guidelines--and application of patterns to class design, all documented using UML--make this a worthwhile text for the more experienced reader. --Richard Dragan

Product Description
Guides students through each step of requirements, analysis, design, and coding. Topics cover Expressing analysis and design models using the UML, a standard diagramming notation, Applying patterns to assign responsibilities and design collaborations and more. DLC: Object-oriented methods.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 507 pages
• Publisher: Prentice Hall PTR; 1st edition (October 30, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0137488807
• ISBN-13: 978-0137488803
• Product Dimensions: 10.4 x 8.3 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.8 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars See all reviews (69 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #118,081 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

46 of 47 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The first book you should read to learn UML!, November 26, 1999

By	Gavin Lim (Philippines) - See all my reviews

Craig Larman did a splendid job simplifying UML. I bought this book along with the official UML user guide and I prefer reading this book because of how it made UML look so easy. What's so impressive about this book is that the author stays with one example throughout the book, and clearly illustrates the relationships and dependencies amongst different UML diagrams and artifacts. He even shows you how to map the diagrams to actual Java code! Larman's explanations of the different design patterns is also invaluable. I haven't heard of design patterns before, and this book helped me have a deeper appreciation of patterns to create better object-oriented software.

38 of 39 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Concise and easy-to-read, February 8, 2000

By	Michael F. Maddox (Tallahassee, FL, USA) - See all my reviews

Craig Larman provides the reader with simple, easy-to-follow examples of UML and pattern application, with few deep theoretical or philisophical discussions of development process. This style offers the new user of UML a good guide to applied modeling concepts, without bogging he/she down in academic arguments. If you are going to buy a single book to learn UML, I highly recommend this one, as it goes beyond simply describing the notation, and illustrates its use through simple guidelines. Other books are necessary to fully understand the complexities of UML, patterns, and design process, but this one fills a huge gap for the beginner market.

30 of 32 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars The book is good, but the "course" is a bit of a ripoff, July 11, 2000

By	Nicholas Sterling "AmigoNico" (Austin, TX USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I feel ripped off. I was excited to see that this well-rated book had appeared in course form, and bought it to help my development group get started with UML and thinking in terms of design patterns. The book is interesting, and the tapes are not bad, but there is only about 3 hours of tape. This means that the examples are all very simple and there is only time to lightly touch on each topic. Personally, I don't consider 3 hours and 25 minutes -- minus the time spent on administrative matters -- to be anything close to a "complete video course." I'm a big fan of the idea of video courses, but in this case I feel like I paid 3 to 4 times as much as the price of the book just to get a few hours of introductory video that aren't enough to help us out. Come on, Prentice Hall -- you can do better than that! You guys know how to provide good value -- do it! Until then, my recommendation is to buy the book and spend the rest of the money on something else.