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I have used eclipse to work on C++ in the past, and I am new to Java, and I get the basics there for the most part.

As for Java, I kept seeing all these tutorials and things about how useful UML is to Object Oriented Design, and how you should model your application before hand, etc, etc....

Ok, so I look for some modeling tools, you know, so, if I model it here in eclipse, from what I read, it will even convert it to Java for you, sounds kind of nice. Then, if I change some objects around, it would update the code. (at least, for laying things out, I understand this breaks down in usefulness as things get complicated.)

Well, so I go looking.... and good grief! EMF XMI Acceleo EIB RDB GMF XML UML ... woah!, woah!, hold on there, I can figure something out if it make sense, but this feels like a government employee got a hold of it, acronyms everywhere!

I tried tutorials I found off Google, but, it doesn't help when the tutorial says: "oh, here use our non-understandable example ((because we made it too complicated to start from scratch)) and you will know all you need to know" stuff that doesn't help.

Anyway, is there a plain English set of tutorials and/or books I can get my hands on that can help me translate this mess into something I can model my Java with without needing a 2 year degree in Java l33t speak?

I though modeling was supposed to be fast and simple, to get your objects laid out in general terms before you start stuffing in the details, so far, that is not what I am seeing.

Quade2002
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  • What should the tutorial cover? Simply draw some class diagram and generate code for it? Like this one for a commercial tool? http://www.uml-lab.com/en/uml-lab/tutorials/modellierung-und-codegenerierung/ – Christian Jan 23 '13 at 14:17
  • I would suggest looking at this tutorial. http://www.vogella.com/articles/UML/article.html . The thing with java is that there is no 'silver bullet' to solving a problem and many solutions exist. the idea is to select the solution which fits your needs the most and which you are most comfortable. – Pushkar Jan 24 '13 at 15:00

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I give up, this mess is gibberish.

Maybe there is a use for it under specific circumstances, but it is just overhead non-sense. If it was really needed it wouldn't be so academic.

I have went round and round and round with various tools, What I was expecting was, the ability to draw out the objects, list their properties, and methods, and sketch it up in a graphical form, then have the application generate the code framework that I just start filling in the meat of those objects. If I add or change stuff in the code, my graphical outline stays up to date.

It appears I am asking for too much, especially from Eclipse. It is either too complicated to be useful, or so incomplete, or out of date, to function properly.

I get the point of the need of UML design, at least, I thought I did. I come from a classic C/Perl/Assembler function driven world, and I understand the need for flow-charts and diagrams for more complex projects, at it seemed to me, since Java was a different programming language of a different flavor, (Object Oriented, rather then function oriented) that the design stage should reflect this change of thought. UML didn't seem that hard to grasp, boxes that describe the objects, and their properties, and the way they act, and these interaction charts that show how things interact. Well, obviously the state of the art in this field is as not as advanced as I would have hoped.

So, my answer to this question is, there is nothing usable that does this for Eclipse, at least, nothing someone new the the Java world can grab hold of and make use out of the box without tons of other things to know first. The wall is too high to climb for my needs right now, I have too much other stuff to do. I guess there's an opportunity for someone there.

Quade2002
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