A model element is an abstraction of a structural or behavioral feature of the system that you are modeling and adds semantic content to a model.
In the Model Explorer view, model elements appear under the model or the model element to which they belong. You can add, modify, sort, group, and filter model elements in models to provide details about the system and to make the model easier to understand.
All model elements have properties, such as a name. Other features, such as attributes and operations that belong to a class, can further define some UML model elements.
The following table describes the common types of model elements.
Type of model element | Description |
---|---|
Structural model elements | These elements model the static parts of a system. Some examples include classifiers such as actors, classes, components, and nodes. |
Behavioral model elements | These elements model the dynamic parts of a system. Typically, you find behavioral model elements in state machine and interaction diagrams. Some examples include activities, decisions, messages, objects, and states. |
Organizational model elements | These elements group model elements into logical sets. A package is an example of an organizational model element. |
Annotational model elements | These elements provide comments and descriptions. Notes and constraints are examples of annotational model elements. |