Central Washington University Using XML and SVG to Generate Dynamic UML Diagrams main content
Try the interactive xml2uml Web tool
Using Extensible Markup Language (XML) and Scalable Vector Graphics (SVG) to Generate Dynamic Unified Modeling Language (UML) Diagrams is a demonstration project to show the power of Extensible Stylesheet Language Transformations (XSLT) by transforming a simple textual representations of a UML design in XML mark-up to its corresponding graphical view represented in SVG.
Started by three undergraduate computer science majors, Nick and Justin Elsberry and Tammie Springs, as a senior research project under the direction of Dr. Gellenbeck. What began as a demonstration of XSLT to transform XML into SVG, has evolved into a Web-based interactive tool for creating and sharing UML diagrams over the Internet.
For background information, read the Elsberry's XML to UML Technical Report (2003).
Ongoing efforts involve the rewriting of the Web based tool to C# and ASP.NET and adding more UML representations. You are encouraged to try out the interactive xml2uml Web tool and contact us with comments or suggestions.
Note: Most browsers do not support SVG without some modification. To use this tool with Internet Explorer, the Adobe SVG Viewer for IE is required.
Screen Snapshots for getting started with the interactive xml2uml Web tool below. Click on an image for full size.
Press Sample Button near top to load a sample Class Diagram (or create your own)
Press View UML Button near bottom to dynamically transform the XML into SVG and display in browser
Default display of SVG in Internet Explorer 6.0 with Adobe SVG viewer. Drag and drop the classes to re-arrange the classes in the diagram to avoid the overlapping lines.
Explore right-click and menu options. Click XML-UML in the menu box (top left) to return to the previous XML edit screen