How to increase connection point on UML classes?

[Tim Ellis <Tim Ellis gamet com>]

Hi,

The brief problem:

I am using UML classes to try to make an entity-relation diagram for the
purpose of eventually creating a SQL Database script to create tables with
columns, indexes, and foreign-key constrainst.

Dia's UML objects seems the right place to start.

My problem is, when I create multiple UML associations between classes,
they start overlapping each other if I use the top/bottom connection
point, and the words on either side of the association bleed into the
class graphic if I use the right/left connection points.

The easy solution:

Increase the number of connection points on the top/bottom of the class.

The less easy solution?:

Allow the text on either side of the association to be moved around (ie:
isn't anchored to the endpoint necessarily).

The least easy solution?:

Somehow make UML be like the Circuit graphics in that they are just XML
.shape files in /usr/share/dia -- I assume this is least easy because the
UML stuff has special dialog boxes associated with them? Certainly there
must be a way to define more complex shapes in XML that would allow for
special checkboxes or text boxes or drop-down list boxes...?

My problem:

I can't even begin to comprehend objects/UML/class.c -- comments in that
file are more sparse than I can deal with -- seems there's something about
ConnectionPoint connections [8] being defined as an array with 9 elements
in class.h...? -- but class.c has a hardcoded for(i=0;i<8...) loop in
it.... Not to mention, once I've compiled it, I'm not certain how to
replace the UML in dia with that, ie: how do you compile plug-ins?

Can anyone give me a hint about how I can increase the number of
connection points on the top/bottom of a Class in the UML set?

Thanks,
Tim Ellis
DBA, Gamet