Working with Classes and Other Types
Class Designer provides a visual design surface called a class diagram that you can use to work with classes and other types in a project. Because the elements displayed in a class diagram correspond to elements in code, Class Designer gives you a visual representation of the code.
Class Designer provides three kinds of functionality:
Design. You can edit a project's code by editing the class diagram. You can add new elements and delete unwanted ones. Your changes are reflected in code.
Visualization. You can view a graphical representation of the types in a project to better understand the project's structure. By customizing this view, you can focus it on the details of the project that are most important to you. You can save the image of your project for use in demonstration or documentation.
Refactor classes and types. You can override methods, rename identifiers, refactor parameters, and implement interfaces and abstract classes.
Note
Class Designer does not track the location of your source files, so modifying your project structure or moving source files within your project can cause Class Designer to lose track of the type (especially the source type of a typedef, base classes, or association types). You might receive an error such as Class Designer is unable to display this type. If you do, drag the modified or relocated source code to the class diagram again to redisplay it.
In This Section
Viewing Types and Relationships on Class Diagrams
Working with Visual C++ Code in Class Designer