Adding a Return Message in an RSA Sequence Diagram

Here’s a quick tip that I found useful last week.

If you’re using IBM Rational Software Architect to produce a UML Sequence diagram and you add a new Synchronous Message activity the tool automatically inserts a return message for you (this can be turned off in the preferences tab). Last week I discovered that if you happen to delete that return message (or it disappears by itself somehow) it is certainly not intuitive as to how to insert it back again. After much head scratching my colleague found how to do it and it’s of course easy once you know how (thanks Si).

Here is an example sequence diagram in RSA but its missing a return message:

Now to add the return message, right click, select ‘Add UML’ > ‘Return Message’ (as shown below):

A return message is inserted:

As I said it’s easy once you know how, but I know I’ll forget :-)