Analysis of UML stereotypes within the UML metamodel

Abstract

Stereotypes are a powerful and potentially expressive extension mechanism in the Unified Modeling Language (UML). However, it seems that stereotypes are difficult to handle because using stereotypes needs an understanding of the UML metamodel and, in particular, an understanding of OCL constraints. Stereotypes are often applied in a wrong or at least sloppy way without proper declaration. There are also differences between the various versions of UML with respect to subtle details in the stereotype part. A graphical syntax for stereotypes including examples has been introduced only late in UML 1.4. Other difficulties are that constraints are used in the stereotype context in two completely different ways and that no full support of stereotypes is yet offered by tools. The paper points out these difficulties in detail, analyses the UML metamodel part dealing with stereotypes, and makes various suggestions for improving the definition and use of stereotypes. © Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2002.