(2002) present a framework of classi?¬?cation and Rozenberg 1997
has edited a handbook on graph grammars and graph computing. In general, we
can use anything for notation, from photorealism to an abstract box. Based on
studies on cognitive dimensions (Blackwell, 1998), implicit, stylized pictograms
NOTATION FOR THE LANGUAGE 257
are often better than photorealism, making models easier to read, understand,
remember and work with. Photorealism also makes it hard to add text within
symbols. This calls for more abstract notational elements that also illustrate
detailed information with textual or pictorial properties. The worst approach is to
use the same abstract symbol for different concepts. Using the same symbol for all
the different concepts is like trying to understand a foreign language where the
only letter is A with 20 slight variations of in?¬‚ection! This is unfortunately often
the case when using pro?¬?les to modify class diagrams. All the different domain
concepts look the same: a rectangle. The only difference is a stereotype label,
which is often presented similarly to the rest of the design information: using the
same font and location inside the main symbol that is used for the other central data
in the model.
Selecting Symbols for the Notation The best practice is to take representations
for the notation and its symbols directly from the representations of the domain
concepts.
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