Hi
Can anyone help me with a clarification of these terms; Relation, Association, linkage..etc.
I have started a smaller study of UML with a particular focus on associations and their translation to source code.
I have noticed various terms are used when describing associations. Can one of you that have more knowledge about this area please clarify these terms? How they relate and in which contexts they should be used.
Regards /
I'm having trouble exactly remembering the terms right now, so I'm using wikipedia to help refresh my memory. A relationship is a broader term encompassing all forms of class relationships. An association is a simple connection between two classes. An aggregation is where one class is made of the other class. A composition is an aggregation where the classes composing the container class have their life cycle tied to the container where if the container is destroyed the composing classes are destroyed. Generalizations show inheritance and realization shows when a class implements an interface or an abstract class. I'm not sure what a linkage is though. Hope this helps.
EDIT: Found linkage, its a link between two instances of an object or to show that one object is an instance of another object. I'm not exactly sure where its used though.