shapeID / shapeLabel

In the DCTAP model, all Statement Templates are seen as grouped into Shapes, where a Shape is about a Description in Instance Data — a set of statements about just one Entity in the real world.

A shape identifier is typically a plain Literal or an IRI.

If no shapeID is provided in the CSV or in a configuration file (see Configuration), a default shape identifier will be assigned (“default”). A different default shape identifier may be configured, as described in the section Configuration. For example:

propertyID
dcterms:creator
dcterms:date

Interpreted as:

DCTAP instance
    Shape
        shapeID                  default
        Statement Template
            propertyID           dcterms:creator
        Statement Template
            propertyID           dcterms:date

Users with metadata about a single Entity, or whose downstream applications do not make use of shapes, can safely ignore this default identifier.

A shapeID, once declared, will apply to any immediately subsequent rows where the shapeID is left blank. However, a shape ID may be declared explicitly for any or for every row. When shape IDs are explicitly declared, they can be presented in any arbitrary sequence without compromising their proper grouping as shapes. Declaring shape IDs explicitly makes it possible to combine statement templates from multiple sources without regard for their sequential order.

shapeID	propertyID
:book	dcterms:creator
	dcterms:date
:author	foaf:name
:book	dcterms:language

Interpreted as:

DCTAP instance
    Shape
        shapeID                  :book
        Statement Template
            propertyID           dcterms:creator
        Statement Template
            propertyID           dcterms:date
        Statement Template
            propertyID           dcterms:language
    Shape
        shapeID                  :author
        Statement Template
            propertyID           foaf:name

If a shape identifier is not provided for the first rows processed but is provided for rows processed thereafter, only the shape identifier for the first statement templates will be the default.

shapeID	propertyID
	dcterms:creator
	dcterms:date
:author	foaf:name

Interpreted as:

DCTAP instance
    Shape
        shapeID                  default
        Statement Template
            propertyID           dcterms:creator
        Statement Template
            propertyID           dcterms:date
    Shape
        shapeID                  :author
        Statement Template
            propertyID           foaf:name

Shapes can also have labels for use in displays and documentation.

shapeID	shapeLabel	propertyID
:book	Book	dcterms:creator

Interpreted as:

DCTAP instance
    Shape
        shapeID                  :book
        shapeLabel               Book
        Statement Template
            propertyID           dcterms:creator

Note that a shape label does not function as a shape identifier. If no value is provided for shapeID it will be assigned a (configurable) default. Only the assignment of a new shapeID will trigger the creation of a new shape. In the example below, the second shapeLabel (“Libro”) is simply ignored.

shapeLabel	propertyID
Book	dcterms:creator
Libro	dcterms:creator

Interpreted as:

DCTAP instance
    Shape
        shapeID                  default
        shapeLabel               Book
        Statement Template
            propertyID           dcterms:creator
        Statement Template
            propertyID           dcterms:creator