A Stereotype is a template in a Class Diagram that serves as an extension mechanism for adding domain-specific or custom semantics to model elements. Stereotypes allow you to classify or categorize elements in the model according to specific roles, characteristics, or behaviors relevant to your domain or context. They are typically used in combination with profiles, which define a collection of stereotypes, tagged values, and constraints tailored for a specific domain or application.
Example: In a Class Diagram for a system that manages an e-commerce platform, you might create a profile called “ECommerceDomain” that includes stereotypes such as “Product”, “Customer”, “Order”, and “PaymentMethod”. You can then apply these stereotypes to the corresponding classes in your model to provide domain-specific context and semantics. For instance, you could apply the “Product” stereotype to a class called “Item” to indicate that the class represents a product in the e-commerce domain. This additional context helps clarify the role and purpose of the “Item” class in your system.