Using LightUML

LightUML can be controlled via Eclipse UI in three places: the popup menu, pulldown menu, and preferences dialog. These are described below.

Popup Menu

You can find LightUML in a popup menu whenever you have selected a single Java project or package. This means, however, that the view you pop up the menu from has to know how to handle Java elements, e.g. the Package Explorer in Java Perspective. Additionally, LightUML appears in popup menu when you have selected a .pic file.

LightUML can add one of the following commands to popup menu (depending on the selection):

• LightUML: Generate a Class Diagram. Generates a class diagram and adds it to the project. The format, name, and place of the generated class diagram are set in Preferences (see below).
• LightUML: Generate a Sequence Diagram. Generate a sequence diagram from a .pic file. Generated diagram is added to the project according to the preferences.

Pulldown Menu

The actionset of LightUML should appear to the top pulldown menu (you can change the visibility from Window > Customize Perspective) after you have installed LightUML. It contains one command:

• Restore Default Settings. Restores default preferences for LightUML (in case something gets messed up).

Preferences

You can find LightUML preference page from the top pulldown menu in Window > Preferences > Java > LightUML. The preferences contained in the main LightUML preference page are:

• Graph file name. The name of the class diagram file.
• Output directory (relative to project root, optional). Directory (or folder) where the class diagram gets placed into. This directory is relative to the project root and gets created if it doesn't exist. Optional.
• Use package or project name as the graph file name Uncheck this if you don't want to use the package or project name as the graph file name.
• Recurse into subpackages. If this is checked, a class diagram for a package com.foo.core would include classes in com.foo.core.jobs also.
• Javadoc executable path (optional). You can explicitly give the javadoc executable used to run UmlGraph-doclet.

The "Class Diagrams" subpage contains following preferences:

• Parameters. The parameters passed to UMLGraph when generating class diagrams.
• Access level. This defines the access level, e.g. with public, only public methods and classes are included in the class diagram.
• UMLGraph extra commandline parameters (optional). Extra commandline parameters for UMLGraph doclet. These (and all parameters defined in this page) affect all the Java files globally, file-specific options can be given to Java files also via Javadoc comments. See UmlGraph documentation for instructions.
• Colors. With these color selectors you can select the colors used in class diagrams.

The "Dot and Pic2plot" subpage contains following preferences:

• dot extra commandline parameters. Extra command line parameters for the dot executable.
• pic2plot extra commandline parameters. Extra command line parameters for the pic2plot executable.
• Extra lookup path(s). Extra lookup path(s) for the above executables.
• Graphics format. The graphics format of the class diagram file. Has to be supported by the local install of dot or pic2plot executable.

The UMLGraph subpage contains following preferences:

• UmlGraph.jar path. This path should point to the location of UMLGraph doclet. An absolute path should be given, e.g. /foo/bar/UmlGraph.jar
• sequence.pic path. Path to the pic-macros which are part of the UMLGraph. Used when generating sequence diagrams.
• UMLGraph version. Match the version with the version of UmlGraph.jar used. The doclet name differs between different versions.