CODEWITHSUNDEEP
umluse-case
Lisa
Lisa

Reputation: 3181

How can a piece of hardware be an actor in a use case diagram?

How can a piece of hardware be an actor when designing a use case diagram?

I got confused because I've read on Wikipedia this:

A use case should not include detail regarding user interfaces and screens. This is done in user-interface design, which references the use case and its business rules.

If you give me an example about hardware being an actor, I'd be grateful.

Upvotes: 1

Views: 2625

Answers (3)

KeithS
KeithS

Reputation: 71573

The following can all be "actors" on a system you are describing, if these components are outside the scope of the system being described:

  • A scheduled task
  • A server component
  • An automated network client (or whatever's on the other end of a network connection)

If the source of a request for your system to do something is outside the scope of the system, it is usually not necessary to separate the human component from any external tool or hardware they are using to facilitate the requests on your system. In such cases, the actors could very well be automatons.

Upvotes: 2

p.campbell
p.campbell

Reputation: 100567

I'd suggest the important part here is the definition of an actor.

An actor specifies a role played by a person or thing when interacting with the system

In the system of traffic intersection, there are many 'hardware' actors, including Car and Traffic Light. The system under consideration is the rules around what do to (yield, merge, stop) and when.

Upvotes: 7

Oded
Oded

Reputation: 499002

How about a third party system - for example a warehouse management system that produces a feed of stock level changes for different products, which is consumed by your retail application.

That would be an actor. It will not have a UI or screen, but communicate with your system, cause different events to occur and have its own business rules.

Upvotes: 3

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