What is the best way to use UML 2.0 in Visio 2003?

Question

Visio 2003 uses UML 1.4, which means that some stereotypes from UML 2.0 simply do not exist, and they need to be modeled using drawing (I can also use Photoshop). Does anyone know an update from Microsoft or an addon to enable UML 2.0 (full, not just class diagrams) in Visio 2003?

I found this package: http://www.sdl.sandrila.co.uk/ , but judging by their "rough" screen shots, I'm going to stay away. If they do not know how to use UML, I would be surprised if they could implement it correctly;)

Answer 1

This set of stencils and templates Visio for UML 2.0 is excellent:

http://softwarestencils.com/uml/index.html

Answer 2

In the event of confusion, Microsoft will never update Visio support for UML. For some time they did not see Visio as a software development tool.

I do not blame them. It didn’t even work very well with the parts of UML that it “supported”.

Answer 3

I am using UML 2.0 characters from Pavel Hruby . You may find them useful.

Answer 4

The best part about Visio is just a drawing program, not a modeling environment. So just make your own lines. Visio can draw almost any time you can think of. But the real answer is one that has already been verified. Now that Microsoft has "supported" UML, perhaps they will provide better snap-ins.

Answer 5

These screenshots are only sample diagrams; Sandrila SDL does not provide this level of rigor for diagrams.

Answer 6

I found this package: http://www.sdl.sandrila.co.uk/ , but judging by their "sample" screenshots, I'm going to stay away. If they do not know how to use UML, I would be surprised if they could implement it correctly;)

This seems a bit harsh - from a few screenshots that are UML2 (as opposed to examples of other notations that the tool supports, such as SDL, MCL and TTCN) that you think are incorrect? This is pretty ugly as the charts go, and uses the aliases of fonts and lines, but that function is Visio and not something to do with the template.

In terms of what you can do with UML, you are much better off using a real UML2 tool than Visio. Enterprise Architect is a cheap one that has a real UML model. (It would be nice to say that the more expensive ones have fewer UI and gotchas errors, but in reality they are not, and most lag behind simpler graphical tools like OmniGraffle or Visio in polishing and usability)