MDriven Designer is the visual UML modeling environment for developers, business analysts, and system architects who want to define a software system through executable models.

Use this page to choose a starting point, learn the Designer workspace, and continue to the available guided overview material. For an introduction to the product and its modeling approach, see Documentation:Introduction to MDriven Designer.

Start here

Choose the path that matches what you need to do.

Your goal	Start with	What you will learn
Understand what MDriven Designer is and what it is used for	Documentation:What is MDriven Designer and Documentation:Introduction to MDriven Designer	How visual models describe classes, business rules, interactions, executable behavior, user interface generation, and persistence.
Begin the guided Designer walkthrough	Documentation:MDriven Designer Overview Series	The entry point for the MDriven Designer overview series.
Create and organize your first class diagram	Documentation:MDriven designer overview Part 1	How to work from the overview screen, add class diagrams, rename diagrams, use categories, navigate diagrams, and add a class.
Find controls in the Designer workspace	Documentation:MDriven Designer Features & Settings	The main menu bar, tool bar, diagram area, model tree, Property Inspector, and Start Easy Wiki Access area.
Work with ViewModel presentation and modal actions	Documentation:MDriven designer overview Part 4	Presentation properties in a ViewModel and a modal ViewModel action.
Use newer ViewModel Designer interaction options	Documentation:Part 11 ViewModel Designer Updates	Widget and column selection behavior and the Rendered By action option.
Rename model elements	Documentation:MDriven Designer–a new Rename function to save you time	The Designer rename function.

What you model in Designer

MDriven Designer is a UML modeling tool. You use diagrams to capture the specification of a software system: the information it contains, the classes that represent that information, and the relationships and behavior around it.

For example, a model can describe a class that represents a business concept, show its relationship to another class in a class diagram, and define behavior and presentation from the model. The overview material explains how the modeled parts fit together: actors work through processes, processes work on information, and classes implement how that information is represented.

The model is intended to cover more than documentation. The introductory material describes executable models, business logic expressed with OCL (Object Constraint Language), generated user interfaces through ViewModels and Autoforms, and data persistence. Read Documentation:Introduction to MDriven Designer for the scope and terminology before designing a larger model.

Get oriented in the workspace

The Designer workspace has six major areas. Learn where each area is before following a modeling exercise.

Area	Use it for
Main Menu Bar	Access primary commands such as file and editing operations.
Tool Bar	Reach frequently used tools and commands.
Diagram Area	View and edit the active diagram.
Model Tree	Browse the model structure and move between model items.
Property Inspector	View and change properties for the currently selected item.
Start Easy Wiki Access	Open the collapsible wiki-access area below the diagram area.

See Documentation:MDriven Designer Features & Settings for the workspace layout and feature descriptions.

First modeling exercise

Follow these steps to create a small, organized diagram. The exercise uses the actions described in Documentation:MDriven designer overview Part 1.

1. Open the Designer and start from the overview screen. The overview screen shows the diagrams that exist in the model.
2. In the repository tree, choose Add Class diagram. A new diagram appears both on the overview screen and in the repository tree.
3. Select the new diagram. In the Property Inspector, change its Name property to a meaningful name. For example, rename Diagram2 to DiagramMyFirstDiagram.
4. In the repository tree, choose Add a category. Name a category Important. Add another category named Less Important.
5. Set the category of a diagram when you need to group diagrams. For example, assign DiagramMyFirstDiagram to Important.
6. Open a diagram by double-clicking it. Return to the overview screen with the switch-back arrow, or navigate by selecting items in the repository tree.
7. Right-click inside the diagram area and choose Add a class to begin defining the model.

Use names that state the model purpose. A diagram named DiagramMyFirstDiagram is suitable for a first exercise; a real model benefits from names that identify the area it describes.

Build your learning sequence

Work through the overview material in this order:

1. Read Documentation:Introduction to MDriven Designer to understand the role of classes, diagrams, executable models, OCL, ViewModels, and persistence.
2. Complete the initial diagram and navigation work in Documentation:MDriven designer overview Part 1.
3. Use Documentation:MDriven Designer Features & Settings whenever you need to locate a workspace area or command.
4. Continue through Documentation:MDriven Designer Overview Series for the series structure.
5. When you reach user-interface modeling, study Documentation:MDriven designer overview Part 4 and Documentation:Part 11 ViewModel Designer Updates. A ViewModel defines presentation behavior; these pages cover presentation properties, modal actions, widgets, columns, and Rendered By.
6. Use Documentation:MDriven Designer–a new Rename function to save you time when model names need to change.

Designer concepts

Term	Meaning in this documentation	Example
Class diagram	A diagram used to define classes and their relationships.	Create a class diagram for a model area, then add classes within its diagram area.
Repository tree	The tree that displays the model and diagram structure.	Select a diagram in the tree to navigate to it or select it for editing.
Property Inspector	The area where you set properties for the selected model item.	Select a diagram and change its Name property.
Category	A named grouping that can be assigned to diagrams.	Create an Important category and assign a diagram to it.
ViewModel	The model element used for user-interface presentation and actions.	Configure presentation properties or introduce a modal ViewModel action.
OCL	Object Constraint Language, used in the model for declarative business logic and rules.	Define business logic in the model rather than leaving the rule only in external code.

See also

• Documentation:What is MDriven Designer
• Documentation:Introduction to MDriven Designer
• Documentation:MDriven Designer Overview Series
• Documentation:MDriven Designer Features & Settings
• Documentation:MDriven designer overview Part 1
• Documentation:MDriven designer overview Part 4