Association

An Association in a Use Case Diagram represents a communication or interaction between an Actor and a Use Case. It indicates that an Actor participates in or initiates a particular Use Case.

With Associations in Modeldraw's Use Case Diagram, you can:

• Connect Actors to Use Cases, showing which system functionalities are used by which external entities

• Illustrate the interactions between users (or external systems) and the system's functions

• Demonstrate the scope of a system by showing all the ways users interact with it

• Provide a clear, visual representation of system requirements from a user's perspective

An Association between an Actor and a Use Case

Understanding Association

An Association in Modeldraw's Use Case Diagram tool is typically represented by a solid line connecting an Actor to a Use Case. Associations are crucial components of Use Case Diagrams as they illustrate which Actors interact with which functionalities of the system. Key points to understand about Associations include:

• Associations connect Actors to Use Cases, showing which system functionalities are used by which external entities.

• Associations are usually bidirectional, meaning the communication can flow both ways between the Actor and the Use Case.

• An Actor can be associated with multiple Use Cases, and a Use Case can be associated with multiple Actors.

• Unlike some other UML relationships, Associations typically don't have labels or stereotypes.

• Associations represent a simple "uses" relationship and don't imply any specific type of interaction beyond that.

Creating an Association

To create an Association in Modeldraw's Use Case Diagram:

1. Select the Association tool from the toolbox.

2. Click on the first shape you want to connect (either the Actor or the Use Case).

3. Move your mouse over the second shape you want to connect.

4. Click on the second shape. An Association line will appear connecting the two shapes.