The class designer tool lets you create Class Diagrams for the static structures in your Visual Studio projects and assemblies. It uses a UML-like notation. One of the goals of the Class Designer tool is to provide added value to the customers by making its visuals, terminology and behavior closely resemble the code that it visualizes. We believe that the UML concepts of “attributes“ and “operations“ don't directly map to the CLR concepts that the developer deals with. So instead of seeing “Attributes“ and “Operations“ compartments in a say, C# or VB class, you'll see “Fields“, “Methods“, “Properties“ and “Events“ compartments.

I had promised last week that I would post some screen shots of the Whitehorse Class Designer tool. Here is one. Notice that this diagram would be familiar to anyone used to UML notation. However, it is not a UML Class Diagram, but a visualization of CLR classes which could be either from VB or from C# projects. Underlying code artifacts (source files) are kept in sync with changes made using the Class Designer. Changes made to source files which affect elements of the diagram are likewise immediately synchronized. Feedback from developers who have used this designer has so far been largely positive. To a developer it is a useful code visualization tool, and a place where the structure of an emerging program can be designed before any method body coding starts. There are no concepts exposed that are based on a generic type structure, as would a corresponding UML Class Diagram, and no odd extensions that have been grafted on to the surface to cope with CLR unique characteristics.