ProductsUModelUML Code EngineeringUML Reverse Engineering

Altova UModel® 2008 imports Java, C#, and Visual Basic .NET source code and binary files, and generates UML diagrams to facilitate analysis, enhancement, or reuse.

Hand-written or legacy source code can be difficult to decipher, since operability of the software does not depend on complete or accurate documentation, or even on a well-structured code body. Further, some projects incorporate binary or byte-code files that also require analysis. The original developer may no longer be available, or maybe development was assigned in pieces and no single individual knows the entire project.

Altova UModel® 2008 includes a powerful reverse engineering capability to read Java 1.4, Java 5.0, Java 6.0 C# 1.2, C# 2.0, C# 3.0, VB 7.1, VB 8.0, or VB 9.0 source code and binary files, and generate UML models for a visual representation that is much clearer and more easily analyzed than a printout of the source as text.

Like other UModel® 2008 features and operations, reverse engineering offers many options to adapt to the way you want to work, instead of forcing you to use a particular paradigm. The UModel® 2008 Project menu offers Import options for source code and binary files:

Reverse Engineer Source Code

UModel® 2008 can import Java source code files from JBuilder, Eclipse, and NetBeans projects, C# source code from Microsoft Visual Studio and Borland C#, and Visual Basic .NET project files.

You can import a single directory, a directory tree, or an entire project, and you can choose to merge the imported code into an existing UModel® 2008 project, or create a new one.

You can apply reverse engineering to model an existing application. Or, you can get a new project off to a quick start by importing class libraries such as employee, customer, vendor, and other classes that are already known to your organization.

As UModel® 2008 reverse-engineers your selection, the message window displays progress. UModel® 2008 can be set to automatically open the diagrams after the files process, and tabs below the view window will give you easy access to any diagram you want.

If you import Java source code that has accompanying JavaDocs, the UModel® 2008 documentation window can be optionally populated for each UML diagram. Similarly, C# and Visual Basic .NET DocComments can also be imported as documentation for your model project.

UModel® 2008 reverse engineering of Visual Basic .NET code is line-oriented and case-insensitive (so Class1, CLASS1, class1, ClAsS1 are considered as identical), consistent with looser Visual Basic .NET naming requirements.

The UModel® 2008 Hierarchy helper window offers a quick view of generalization and inheritance relationships that can assist in your analysis of the reverse engineered application. You can click the Hierarchy tab to view the relationships of a class selected in any class diagram or in the Model Tree.

Reverse Engineer Binary Files

UModel® 2008 can import Java, C#, and Visual Basic .NET binary files. For Java, type import is supported for all class archives adhering to the Java Virtual Machine Specification. For C#, type import is supported for assemblies targeting the .NET Framework and .NET Compact Framework for PocketPC, Smartphone, and WindowsCE. For Visual Basic .NET, DLLs and EXEs from the filesystem, or an assembly from the global cache (GAC) or from a MSVS.NET reference can be imported.

(In order to import binary files, the appropriate Java, C#, or Visual Basic runtime environment, development kit, or .NET framework must be installed.)

After selecting Import Binary Types from the Project menu, you can select various options from the Import Binary dialog:

Additional selections may be available, depending on the requirements of the specific binaries you select. The UModel® 2008 integrated Help system can guide you through all the details of importing binary files.

You can choose to hyperlink elements to diagrams and generate package dependency diagrams to embed more explicit cross referencing within the UML model. You can also instruct UModel to automatically open diagrams generated through reverse engineering.

Successful import of a large binary project will create numerous entries in the Model Tree.

When you open a diagram and select any element, it is highlighted in the Model Tree to aid in navigation and analysis.

If you make revisions or enhancements to the models of binary files, UModel® 2008 lets you generate new source code to implement the changes. Simply open the Model Tree and select the component for the reverse-engineered binary. In the Properties window for the component, check the box labeled “use for code engineering,” and assign a directory.

When you choose Overwrite Program Code from the Project menu, UModel® 2008 will write new source code for the model you originally created from binary files.

Of course whether you reverse engineer source code or binary files, the UML diagrams are presented with all the same UModel® 2008 syntax coloring, entry helpers, and quick editing buttons as UML diagrams you draw yourself.

Try out UModel® 2008 to reverse engineer existing application source code and binary files for yourself. Download a free 30-day trial today!