An activity diagram is a type of behavioral diagram in software engineering that describes the flow of activities or actions within a system or process. It is a graphical representation of the steps or actions that take place in a workflow or business process, and can be used to model complex systems or business processes.
Key aspects:
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Activities: An activity is a task or action that takes place in the system. It is represented as a rectangle with rounded corners, and the name of the activity is written inside the rectangle. For example, in a banking system, an activity could be "Withdraw Money".
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Transitions: A transition is a connection between activities that shows the flow of control from one activity to another. It is represented as an arrow, and the label on the arrow describes the condition or event that triggers the transition. For example, in a banking system, a transition could be "Verify Account" that occurs before the "Withdraw Money" activity.
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Decisions: A decision is a point in the process where the flow of control splits into multiple paths based on a condition or event. It is represented as a diamond with arrows indicating the possible paths. For example, in a banking system, a decision could be "Has Sufficient Balance?" that leads to two paths: "Yes" and "No".
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Swimlanes: A swimlane is a visual element used to indicate the participation of different actors or departments in a process. It is represented as a horizontal or vertical rectangle with the name of the actor or department written inside. For example, in a banking system, a swimlane could be used to indicate the roles of the customer and the bank employee in the withdrawal process.