Advanced example: using pen colour for themes and refactoring states

Used sensibly coloured pen styles can aid your diagramming and communication

In this example coloured pen styles are used to collect themes in a very complicated diagram.

In this example of a conformance analysis of the SysML1.0 spec's Rate stereotype against the MD SysML 15 Plugin I have used:

• purple for things related to ActivityEdge
• blue for things related to Parameter
• cyan for things related to ObjectNode
• yellow for things related to <<Continous>> and <<Discrete>> (and yes, it is hard to read)

Please note:

• This technique ONLY works well when:
  • you use no fill colour at all
  • you use black pen colour be default otherwise (to afford contrast)
  • you DO NOT use the MagicDraw UML default colour schemes
    (which I recommend against for most work)

• I recommend that you reserve Red, Orange, and Green for my "traffic light" system:
  • use red to flag ERRORs: (means STOP! or DANGER!)
  • use orange to flag ISSUEs or refactoring or problems: (means PAUSE, slow down, rethink.)
  • use bright green (not shown) for OK, asserts has been tested and/or analysed and it PASSED (means GO!)
  • use the project options (clone the default) and create ERROR, ISSUE, and OK styles
    (rather than constantly having to remember which colours mean which)

• Other colours are used to collect related themes (such as in this case applications of the stereotype to different metaclasses). Note that:
  • you will run out of sensibly distinguished colours after about 5 (considering red, orange, and bright green are reserved)
  • yellow (deliberately left in) is not a good choice !

Please also always be mindful that not all people can see all colours well.