Modify > Enable SHACL constraints for this class

This feature is available from the Modify Menu of classes in an Ontology asset collection, where the classes are not (yet) also node shapes. The feature opens a dialog allowing you to add a statement that declares the class to be also a node shape, making it available to various important features of TopBraid, in particular editing.

As some background, TopBraid is based on SHACL to learn about the properties that apply to instances of the classes from an ontology. In SHACL, it is a common practice to declare classes to also be instance of sh:NodeShape. Doing so instructs the SHACL engines that all property declarations and constraints attached to the class will apply to all instances of that class. This is an alternative to having separate node shapes and a target class statement.

Tip

Use this feature after you have imported an ontology that was not defined using SHACL, for example pure RDF Schema or OWL ontologies.

Further Reading on Ontologies

• Working with Ontologies

Further Reading on SHACL

• Form Generation using SHACL and DASH (External Link)

• SHACL Advanced Features Specification (External Link)

• SHACL W3C Specification (External Link)

Further Reading on Modify Menu

• Resource Actions

Further Reading on TopBraid

• Introduction to EDG