@prefix foaf: . @prefix lv2: . @prefix owl: . @prefix patch: . @prefix rdf: . @prefix rdfs: . @prefix xsd: . a owl:Ontology ; rdfs:seeAlso , ; lv2:documentation """

This vocabulary defines messages which can be used to access and manipulate properties. It is designed to provide a dynamic control interface for LV2 plugins, but is useful in many contexts.

The main feature of this design is that the messages themselves are described in the same format as the data they work with. In particular, messages can be serialised as a binary Object or in Turtle (or any other RDF serialisation).

The idea behind using a property-based interface for control is to prevent an an explosion of message types. Instead of a custom message for each action, control is achieved via manipulating properties (which are likely already defined for other reasons). Note, however, that this is purely conceptual; there is no requirement that the receiver actually implement a store of resources with properties.

For example, consider an object that can blink. Rather than define a specific interface to control this (e.g. obj.start_blinking(); obj.stop_blinking()), set a blinking property to true or false (e.g. obj.set(blinking, true)) to achieve the desired behaviour. One benefit of this approach is that a persistent state model is available for free: simply serialise the blinking property.

This specification is strictly metadata and does not define any binary mechanism, though it can be completely expressed by standard types in the LV2 Atom extension. Thus, hosts can be expected to be capable of transmitting it between plugins, or between a plugin and its UI, making it a good choice for advanced plugin control.

""" . patch:Ack a rdfs:Class ; rdfs:subClassOf patch:Response ; rdfs:label "Ack" ; lv2:documentation """

An acknowledgement that a request has been successfully processed. This is returned as a reply when a specific reply type is not necessary or appropriate.

""" . patch:Delete a rdfs:Class ; rdfs:subClassOf patch:Request ; rdfs:label "Delete" ; lv2:documentation """

Request the subject(s) be deleted.

""" . patch:Error a rdfs:Class ; rdfs:subClassOf patch:Response ; rdfs:label "Error" ; lv2:documentation """

A response indicating an error processing a request.

""" . patch:Get a rdfs:Class ; rdfs:subClassOf patch:Request ; rdfs:label "Get" ; lv2:documentation """

Request a description of the subject.

The detail of the response is not specified, it may be a flat description of all the properties of the subject, or a more expressive description with several subjects. A good choice is a concise bounded description, i.e. a description which recursively includes all properties with blank node values.

The response should have the same patch:subject property as the request, and a patch:body that is a description of that subject. For example:

<get-request>
    a patch:Get ;
    patch:subject <something> .

Could result in:

[]
    a patch:Response ;
    patch:request <get-request> ;
    patch:subject <something> ;
    patch:body [
        eg:name "Something" ;
        eg:ratio 1.6180339887 ;
    ] .

Note the use of blank nodes is not required; the value of patch:body may be the actual resource node. Depending on the transport and syntax used this may be preferable. However, the patch:subject property is required regardless. For example, the same response could be written:

<something>
    eg:name "Something" ;
    eg:ratio 1.6180339887 .

[]
    a patch:Response ;
    patch:request <get-request> ;
    patch:subject <something> ;
    patch:body <something> .
""" . patch:Insert a rdfs:Class ; rdfs:subClassOf patch:Request ; rdfs:label "Insert" ; rdfs:subClassOf [ a owl:Restriction ; owl:cardinality 1 ; owl:onProperty patch:subject ] ; lv2:documentation """

Insert the patch:body at patch:subject. If the subject does not exist, it is created. If the subject does already exist, it is added to. This request only adds properties, it never removes them. The user must take care that multiple values are not set for properties which should only have one value.

""" . patch:Message a rdfs:Class ; rdfs:label "Message" . patch:Move a rdfs:Class ; rdfs:subClassOf patch:Request ; rdfs:label "Move" ; rdfs:subClassOf [ a owl:Restriction ; owl:cardinality 1 ; owl:onProperty patch:subject ] , [ a owl:Restriction ; owl:cardinality 1 ; owl:onProperty patch:destination ] ; lv2:documentation """

Move the patch:subject to patch:destination. After this, patch:destination has the description patch:subject had prior to this request's execution, and patch:subject does not exist any more.It is an error if the subject does not exist or the destination already exists.

""" . patch:Patch a rdfs:Class ; rdfs:subClassOf patch:Request , [ a owl:Restriction ; owl:minCardinality 1 ; owl:onProperty patch:subject ] ; lv2:documentation """

A method for modifying the properties of an object.

This method always has at least one patch:subject, and exactly one patch:add and patch:remove property. The value of patch:add and patch:remove are nodes which have the properties to add or remove from the subject(s), respectively. The special value patch:wildcard may be used as the value of a remove property to remove all properties with the given predicate. For example:

[]
    a patch:Patch ;
    patch:subject <something> ;
    patch:add [
        eg:name "New name" ;
        eg:age 42 ;
    ] ;
    patch:remove [
        eg:name "Old name" ;
        eg:age patch:wildcard ;  # Remove all old eg:age properties
    ] .
""" . patch:Put a rdfs:Class ; rdfs:subClassOf patch:Request ; rdfs:label "Put" ; rdfs:subClassOf [ a owl:Restriction ; owl:cardinality 1 ; owl:onProperty patch:subject ] ; lv2:documentation """

Put the patch:body as the patch:subject. If the subject does not already exist, it is created. If the subject does already exist, the patch:body is considered an updated version of it, and the previous version is replaced.

""" . patch:Request a rdfs:Class ; rdfs:label "Request" ; rdfs:subClassOf patch:Message ; lv2:documentation """

A request. A request may have a patch:subject property, which indicates which resource the request applies to. The subject may be omitted in contexts where it is implicit (e.g. the recipient is the subject).

""" . patch:Response a rdfs:Class ; rdfs:subClassOf patch:Message ; rdfs:label "Response" ; lv2:documentation """

A response to a method.

""" . patch:Set a rdfs:Class ; rdfs:subClassOf patch:Request , [ a owl:Restriction ; owl:cardinality 1 ; owl:onProperty patch:property ] , [ a owl:Restriction ; owl:cardinality 1 ; owl:onProperty patch:value ] ; lv2:documentation """

A compact message for setting one property to a specific value.

This is equivalent to a patch:Patch which removes all pre-existing values for the property before setting the new value. For example:

[]
    a patch:Set ;
    patch:subject <something> ;
    patch:property eg:name ;
    patch:value "New name" .

Which is equivalent to:

[]
    a patch:Patch ;
    patch:subject <something> ;
    patch:add [
        eg:name "New name" ;
    ] ;
    patch:remove [
        eg:name patch:wildcard ;
    ] .
""" . patch:add a rdf:Property , owl:ObjectProperty , owl:FunctionalProperty ; rdfs:domain patch:Message . patch:body a rdf:Property , owl:ObjectProperty , owl:FunctionalProperty ; rdfs:domain patch:Message ; lv2:documentation """

The body of a message.

The details of this property's value depend on the type of message it is a part of.

""" . patch:destination a rdf:Property , owl:ObjectProperty , owl:FunctionalProperty ; rdfs:domain patch:Message . patch:property a rdf:Property ; rdfs:label "property" ; rdfs:range rdf:Property ; lv2:documentation """

The property this message applies to.

""" . patch:readable a rdf:Property ; rdfs:label "readable" ; rdfs:range rdf:Property ; lv2:documentation """

Indicates that the subject may have a property that can be read via a patch:Get message. See the similar property patch:writable for details.

""" . patch:remove a rdf:Property , owl:ObjectProperty , owl:FunctionalProperty ; rdfs:domain patch:Message . patch:request a rdf:Property , owl:ObjectProperty , owl:FunctionalProperty ; rdfs:domain patch:Response ; rdfs:range patch:Request ; lv2:documentation """

The request this is a response to.

""" . patch:subject a rdf:Property , owl:ObjectProperty , owl:FunctionalProperty ; rdfs:domain patch:Message . patch:value a rdf:Property ; rdfs:label "value" ; rdfs:range rdf:Property ; lv2:documentation """

The value of a property in a patch:Set message.

""" . patch:wildcard a rdfs:Resource ; rdfs:comment """ A wildcard which matches any resource. This makes it possible to describe the removal of all values for a given property. """ . patch:writable a rdf:Property ; rdfs:label "writable" ; rdfs:range rdf:Property ; lv2:documentation """

Indicates that subject may have a property that can be written via a patch message. This is used to list supported properties, e.g. so user interfaces can present appropriate controls. For example:

@prefix eg:   <http://example.org/> .
@prefix rdf:  <http://www.w3.org/1999/02/22-rdf-syntax-ns#> .
@prefix rdfs: <http://www.w3.org/2000/01/rdf-schema#> .

eg:title
    a rdf:Property ;
    rdfs:label "title" ;
    rdfs:range xsd:string .

eg:plugin
    patch:writable eg:title .
""" .