Introduction
============

Welcome to the Gaphor! 

Gaphor is a UML modelling application written in Python. It is designed to be
easy to use while not substituting completeness, that is, Gaphor implements a
fully-compliant UML 2 data model.  You can use Gaphor to quickly visualize
different aspects of a system as well as create complete, highly complex models.

Gaphor is designed around the following principles:

Consistency
 UML is a graphical modelling language, so every aspect should be represented in a diagram [#f1]_ .
Simplicity
 The application should be easy to use. Only some basic knowledge of UML is required.
Workability
 The application should not bother the user every time (s)he does something non-UML-ish.

This manual serves as a reference for all Gaphor has to offer.  So, you may read it from start to finish, or jump to a section that interests you.


.. [#f1] We take this quite literally: even stereotypes are modelled in diagrams.



