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6.5 Enriched dependencies structure matrix

The Enriched Dependencies Structure Matrix (EDSM) shows the dependencies between parts (e.g., namespaces or packages) and highlights dependency cycles.

The picture below shows an overview of the dependencies from our running example. The matrix displays the same parts both on columns and on rows, and each dot in the matrix denotes a dependency. The algorithm tries to arrange the parts so that all dependencies are below the main diagonal. Thus, the dots that are above the diagonal introduce cyclic dependencies.

To further emphasize the cycles, the visualization groups all parts involved in one or more cycles, and highlights them with a shaded area. Inside this area, there are red, pink and yellow dots each of these indicating a dependency that is involved in a cycle.

EDSM example highlighting the cycles from ArgoUML 0.28.1

User Contributed Notes

torben.knerr (30 July 2012, 4:38 pm)

What is the difference between the red/pink/yellow dots?

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