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ICONIX

The ICONIX process is a proprietary software development methodology based on UML. The process is Use Case driven and uses UML based diagrams to define four milestones. The main feature of the process is a concept called robustness modeling, based on the early work of Ivar Jacobson, which helps bridge the gap between analysis and design.

This text is derived from the ICONIX entry in the online Wikipedia:

'The ICONIX Process is a minimalist, streamlined approach to Use Case driven UML modeling that uses a core subset of UML diagrams and techniques to provide thorough coverage of object-oriented analysis and design. Its main activity is robustness analysis, a method for bridging the gap between analysis and design. Robustness analysis reduces the ambiguity in use case descriptions, by ensuring that they are written in the context of an accompanying domain model. This process makes the use cases much easier to design, test and estimate.'

The ICONIX Process was developed by Doug Rosenberg; for more information on ICONIX, refer to ICONIX Software Engineering Inc.

Aspects

Aspect

Detail

See also

ICONIX in Enterprise Architect

Enterprise Architect enables you to develop models under ICONIX quickly and simply, through use of an MDG Technology integrated with the Enterprise Architect installer.

The ICONIX facilities are provided in the form of:

  • A set of ICONIX pages in the Toolbox
  • ICONIX element and relationship entries in the Toolbox Shortcut Menu and Quick Linker

To further help you develop and manage a project under ICONIX, Enterprise Architect also provides a white paper on the ICONIX Roadmap.

In addition, Enterprise Architect has an alternative visual layout specific to ICONIX.

 Toolbox Shortcut Menu Quick Linker ICONIX Roadmap

ICONIX Toolbox Pages

Within the Toolbox, Enterprise Architect provides ICONIX versions of the pages for UML Analysis, Use Case, Class, Interaction (Sequence), Activity and Custom diagrams (which often form the basis for Robustness diagrams).

Compared to the standard Toolbox pages, these have slightly different element and relationship sets; you can access them by either:

  • Specifying the ICONIX Diagram Type in the 'Dind Toolbox Item' dialog for a specific Toolbox page
  • Selecting the 'ICONIX' option in the drop-down field of the Default Tools toolbar, which adds all six pages to the Toolbox; the first page and the 'Common' page are expanded, and the others are closed up

 Analysis Diagram Use Case Diagram Class Diagram Sequence Diagram Activity Diagram Custom Diagram

ICONIX Layout

The ICONIX layout re-organizes the Enterprise Architect work area, opening the:

  • Toolbox on the right hand side of the screen (follow the earlier instructions to display the 'ICONIX' pages)
  • Project Browser window in the top left of the screen, and
  • Notes, Properties and Tagged Values windows nested on the bottom left of the screen

To apply this layout, select the 'Basic - Reversed' option in the drop-down list in the Workspace Layout toolbar.

 Workspace Layout Toolbar

Disable ICONIX

If you prefer not to use ICONIX in Enterprise Architect, you can disable it (and subsequently re-enable it) using the 'MDG Technologies' dialog ('Specialize > Technologies > Manage').

This does not affect the ICONIX layout, which you can switch back to your own layout or the Enterprise Architect default layout using the 'Start > View > Perspective > Clear Current Perspective' ribbon option.

 MDG Technologies

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