Freqently Asked Questions

Why does the plugin not start or even crash?
Why does the Class Diagram Wizard not appear?

• Please make sure that you have installed all prerequisites, especially JDK 1.5 and the Graphical Editor Framework.
• Certain Linux distributions come with a GNU Java distribution that is not compatible with the required JDK 1.5. In that case you need to install a JDK from Sun.
• If you still have problems, then contact us.

Why are attributes and operations cut off at the end when I save my diagram as an image?

Try turning off ClearType, some people report that helps.

How do I get a class diagram?

You should use the New wizard to create new diagrams. Simply press Ctrl-N in the package or folder where you want the diagram, scroll to 'ObjectAid UML Diagram' and select 'Class Diagram'.

How do I get classes into my diagram?

You can drag classes from most views in the Java perspective onto the diagram. You can also right-click in the diagram and select Add, then Java Classifier.

Why does the plug-in take so long to start up?

It probably doesn't. When you open the Progress view, you will most likely see that other jobs (e.g. Java Tooling) are running as well, the ObjectAid UML Explorer just happens to be the one displayed in the status bar.

Is there a quick way to update the display options for several classifiers in my diagram?

Applicable operations are available when multiple items are selected. In this case, you should select the classifiers you want to change and right-click on any of them. Then select the display options you want to change from the context menu. Note that the same display options are also available when you right-click somewhere within the diagram, but these changes will only impact futures additions to the diagram.

Why is everything black and white? Is there no color?

Since version 0.9.64, the diagram option 'Show Icons' adds color: Classifiers get an icon indicating their type and have a yellow background; feature visibility is displayed with icons as well.

Can I also make diagrams from compiled Java code?

Yes, as long as the relevant JARs are on your project's classpath, you can simply drag classes into your diagram.

Why does ObjectAid not support XMI?

XMI is an exchange format for UML models. However, for ObjectAid the model is the actual Java source code itself. Currently ObjectAid does not have modeling capabilities; instead, it offers a graphical view of existing source code. Therefore XMI import/export does not make sense for ObjectAid. Once ObjectAid gets actual modeling capabilities, it will store its UML model as XMI.

Why does 'Save As Image...' not work under Linux?

It does work if you enter the correct extension for one of the supported file types. Unfortunately the behavior of the file selection dialog is different from Windows. This will be addressed in a future release.

Why are the diagram fonts so small when I save an image?

This is a known issue on the Mac OS. Currently the only workaround is to use Eclipse on another OS (Windows or Linux) to create diagram images.

Why does my class diagram not reflect all refactoring changes?

• The refactoring happened on another computer which doesn't have the diagram or the plugin and you just received the source code changes via an update from version control. In this case the refactoring information is lost.
• Certain refactoring changes in Eclipse do not trigger the refactoring participants upon which ObjectAid relies. This is typically the case when you use drag and drop instead of the menu.
• If the above don't apply, then it is a bug and you should contact us.

I am tired of scrolling through huge class diagrams, what can I do?

You could turn off attributes and operations for all or some classifiers. Remember that they are always visible in the outline view.

Why is ObjectAid not open source?

The free parts of it will probably be open source at some point, but currently the focus on the commercial parts.