How to: View Inheritance Between Types

In Class Designer, you can view the inheritance relationship, if one exists, between a base type and its derived types on the class diagram. An inheritance relationship can exist between two classes, between two interfaces, or between a class and an interface.

Note

You can define an inheritance relationship if none exists. For more information, see How to: Define Inheritance Between Types.

To view the base type

  1. On the class diagram, select the type for which you want to view the base class or interface.

  2. On the Class Diagram menu, choose Show Base Class or Show Base Interfaces as appropriate.

    The type's base class or interface appears selected on the diagram. Any hidden inheritance lines now appear between the two shapes.

You can also right-click the type whose base type you want to display, and choose Show Base Class or Show Base Interfaces as appropriate.

To view the derived types

  1. On the class diagram, select the type for which you want to view the derived classes or interfaces.

  2. On the Class Diagram menu, choose Show Derived Classes or Show Derived Interfaces as appropriate.

    The type’s derived classes or interfaces appear on the diagram. Any hidden inheritance lines now appear between the shapes.

You can also right-click the type for which you want to see its derived types, and choose Show Derived Classes or Show Derived Interfaces as appropriate.

See Also

Tasks

How to: Define Associations Between Types

Other Resources

Viewing Types and Relationships on Class Diagrams