Recovering UML Diagrams from Java Code using Patterns

Recovering the static structure of legacy source code e.g. as an UML class diagram is quite well understood. In contrast, recovering high-level behaviour diagrams from source code is still an open issue. This paper proposes to use fuzzy pattern detection techniques for the recovery of UML collaboration diagrams from source code. The approach is based on a knowledge base of basic datatypes and of generic collection classes and of code clichés for Java beans and of fuzzy patterns for object structure look-up and modification clichés. We handle the diversity of existing code clichés by organizing them in an object-oriented hierarchy factorizing important common properties and by relaxing exactness requirements for cliché detection with the help of fuzzy theory. We handle the runtime efforts for cliché detection using a sophisticated inference mechanism based on generic fuzzy reasoning nets (GFRN's). The work is part of the FUJABA case tool aiming to support round-trip engineering for UML and Java. 1 INTRODUCTION Reverse engineering aims to provide program descriptions on higher levels of abstractions. Such an abstract level could e.g. be a program description using UML diagrams. These program descriptions facilitate the understanding of program structures and program behaviour. State-of-the-art CASE tools like Rational Rose [Ros], TogetherJ [Tog], and Rhapsody [Rha] provide only recovery functions for class diagrams using markers in the code. Notably, Rhapsody supports the recovery of state-charts. The recovery of high-level behaviour descriptions for legacy object-oriented programs is still an open issue.