How to show "if" condition on a sequence diagram?
If else condition, also called alternatives in UML terms can indeed be represented in sequence diagrams. Here is a link where you can find some nice resources on the subject http://www.ibm.com/developerworks/rational/library/3101.html
If you paste
A.do() {
if (condition1) {
X.doSomething
} else if (condition2) {
Y.doSomethingElse
} else {
donotDoAnything
}
}
onto https://www.zenuml.com. It will generate a diagram for you.
Very simple , using Alt fragment
Lets take an example of sequence diagram for an ATM machine.Let's say here you want
IF card inserted is valid then prompt "Enter Pin"....ELSE prompt "Invalid Pin"
Then here is the sequence diagram for the same
Hope this helps!
In Visual Studio UML sequence this can also be described as fragments which is nicely documented here: https://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/dd465153.aspx