Umple

Umple is an open-source modeling technology that blends UML-style modeling with executable code through a concise textual syntax. It enables developers to describe software structure and behavior in plain text while automatically generating boilerplate code for multiple target languages, helping bridge the gap between design and implementation.

In an Umple model, users define elements such as classes, attributes, operations, and associations, and can express inheritance, interfaces, and multiplicities. It also supports state machines for class behavior and the specification of enumerations and constraints. This combination allows modeling concepts typically captured in diagrams and in source code to be combined in a single artifact.

Umple generates full, executable code in several languages, including Java, C++, PHP, and Ruby. The generated code aims to be idiomatic for the target language while preserving the structure and constraints described in the model. By keeping the model close to the code, Umple facilitates rapid evolution of designs and codebases and supports consistency between design decisions and their implementation.

Tooling and usage options include a web-based editor called Umple Online and a standalone compiler that can be integrated into development workflows. Umple can be used within common IDEs and build tools through available plugins and integration guidance. The project emphasizes accessibility for education and software engineering, offering documentation, tutorials, and examples that illustrate model-driven development practices.

Overall, Umple positions itself within model-driven engineering as a practical approach to defining software models textually and generating multi-language code, promoting a unified view of design and implementation. See also UML, model-driven development, and code generation.