yDoc - Javadoc™ UML Extension

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yDoc is a Javadoc™ extension that automatically generates clear and concise UML diagrams from your software project's classes and integrates them into the generated Java API documentation.

yDoc makes use of the world-class layout algorithms provided by our graph visualization library yFiles to generate the UML diagrams.

New Features in Version 3.0

• Introduced new overview diagram type that shows the cross-package inheritance structure of classes and interfaces.
• Supports SWF (Shockwave Flash) file format for UML diagram output.
• New style options for diagram entities.
• Allows inclusion of custom diagrams (in GraphML file format) into the generated documentation.
• New XML-based configuration mechanism.
• Many new layout options for overview diagram types.
• New alignment options for associations and dependencies in class diagrams.
• StyleEd has been significantly improved. It supports the new configuration mechanism and allows testing of style as well as layout options.

Please refer to the yDoc release notes to learn more about the feature enhancements of the latest version.

Outstanding Features

The list of yDoc's outstanding benefits includes:

• An XML-based mechanism to define new custom tags.
• The possibility of excluding specific classes, methods, or fields from the generated documentation. This is easily achieved by simply marking items with an exclusion tag. Additionally, an interface is provided to enable the use of powerful and sophisticated custom criteria.
• Automatic diagramming for documented types and packages.
  • The diagrams can be embedded in the generated HTML pages as SVG (Scalable Vector Graphics), SWF, PNG, GIF, or JPG files.
  • All diagrams feature hyperlinks, which allow direct access to the documentation of the displayed packages, types, and type members.
  • All diagrams may be customized through the use of style files.

• StyleEd, an easy-to-use GUI-based style editor:

• Java 5.0 language enhancement support for UML diagrams:
  • Names of Parameterized Types include the complete generic declaration.
  • Typesafe Enumerations are represented as classes displaying an enum constraint.
  • Annotation Types are represented as interfaces displaying an annotation stereotype.
  • Variable arguments are recognized and displayed as "..." (ellipsis).

Examples

UML class diagrams generated by yDoc present generalization and realization relationships as well as associations and dependencies amongst classes and interfaces.
The presentation of diagram elements can be freely customized using predefined or user-defined styles.
A real-world example from the yFiles API documentation is this class diagram for one of the classes in the yFiles library.

original style		gradient style		dark-matter style
dotnet style		muted-colors style		yFiles style

The package diagrams generated by yDoc present a clear view on the class hierarchy within packages. Presentation of diagrams can be easily customized by means of the style definitions as well as the layout options; for example, different layout directions are supported.
A real-world example from the yFiles API documentation is this package diagram for one of the packages in the yFiles library.

layout orientation left-to-right
gradient style		dotnet style
layout orientation bottom-to-top
original style		theBlues style

Both dependencies amongst packages and cross-package inheritance structure of classes and interfaces can be clearly visualized with the overview diagrams generated by yDoc.
Real-world examples from the yFiles API documentation are the overview diagrams for the yFiles library's packages.

package dependencies

cross-package inheritance structure

Documentation

• yDoc installation and user guide HTML version, PDF version
• API documentation of DocFilter class
• Knowledge Base articles (online), which answer frequently asked questions, or present solutions concerning yDoc

Requirements

yDoc requires the Javadoc tool delivered with JDK 1.5.0 / JDK 1.6.0.

To view generated API documentation with embedded UML class diagrams in SVG format, your browser requires a SVG plugin. For Microsoft Internet Explorer, such a plugin is available, free of charge, from Adobe.

To view generated API documentation with embedded UML class diagrams in SWF format, your browser requires the Adobe Flash Player plugin. This plugin is available, free of charge, from Adobe.