Re: Can DAML class also be an instance?

On June 27, Dan Connolly writes:
> Stephen Reed wrote:
> > Doorways are subclasses of Portals and Artifacts, and the class of
> > doorways is an instance of the class of types of existing objects.
> 
> > Is it legal DAML+OIL to have both type and subClassOf statements
> > describing a class?
> 
> Yes, I believe so; e.g. daml:TransitiveProperty.

It is legal in the sense that all rdf(s) is legal DAML+OIL. However,
DAML+OIL does not give a semantics to this kind of usage. As far as
TransitiveProperty is concerned, DAML+OIL only gives a semantics to
instances of TransitiveProperty - the type and subClassOf statements
relating to TransitiveProperty only have rdf(s) semantics, such as
they are.

Regards, Ian

> > I presently fail the DAML XML validator on this point.
> 
> That looks like a bug to me; what diagnostic do you get?
> 
> 
> > 
> > In the Cyc ontology we allow classes to be instances of other classes
> > which are meant to be types of classes.
> > 
> > An example is:
> > 
> >     <daml:Class rdf:ID="Doorway">
> >         <rdfs:label>doorways</rdfs:label>
> >         <rdfs:comment>A collection of portals.  Each element of
> >             #$Doorway is a portal in some instance of
> >             #$ShelterConstruction, suitable for people (and perhaps
> >             vehicles) to enter and exit.  For example, doorways to
> >             houses, office buildings, elevators, automobiles, airplanes,
> >             garages, etc.</rdfs:comment>
> >         <guid>bd58f914-9c29-11b1-9dad-c379636f7270</guid>
> >         <rdf:type rdf:resource="#ExistingObjectType"/>
> >         <rdfs:subClassOf rdf:resource="#Portal"/>
> >         <rdfs:subClassOf rdf:resource="#Artifact"/>
> >     </daml:Class>
> > 
> 
> -- 
> Dan Connolly, W3C http://www.w3.org/People/Connolly/
> 

Received on Friday, 6 July 2001 13:12:31 UTC