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57	57	=== The openMINDS vocabulary ===
58	58
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60		-Located under the folder **##vocab##** in the main openMINDS GitHub directory, the openMINDS vocabulary is semi-automatically gathered and stored in dedicated JSON files ([[**##types.json##**>>https://raw.githubusercontent.com/HumanBrainProject/openMINDS/v2/vocab/types.json||rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"]] and [[**##properties.json##**>>https://raw.githubusercontent.com/HumanBrainProject/openMINDS/v2/vocab/properties.json||rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"]]). The openMINDS integration pipeline makes sure that both files are updated with each commit to any of the GitHub repositories for the openMINDS metadata models. With that, the openMINDS vocab reflects always an up-to-date status of the general attributes of existing **schemas** and **properties** across all openMINDS metadata models, while providing the opportunity to centrally review and maintain their consistency. In addition, this design allows us to centrally define and maintain multiple references to related schemas and matching schema properties of other metadata initiatives. How this works in detail is explained in the following.
	60	+Through the integration pipeline of the openMINDS generator, the openMINDS vocabulary is automatically gathered and stored in the main openMINDS GitHub in order to centrally maintain general definitions and references for **types** and **properties** used in schemas across all openMINDS repositories. How this works is explained in the following.
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63		-The **##types.json##** file is an associative array listing all existing openMINDS schemas (via their type). For each openMINDS schema, a small list of general attributes are provided in a nested associative array. Currently, the following attributes are captured:
	63	+Schema types and properties are stored in dedicated JSON files (**##types.json##** and **##properties.json##**) under the folder **##vocab##** located in the main openMINDS GitHub directory. Each schema type and property occurring in the openMINDS metadata models is automatically represented in those files as nested dictionaries. Here a cutout of the **##types.json##**:
64	64
65	65	{{code language="json"}}
66	66	{
67		- "OPENMINDS_SCHEMA_TYPE": {
68		- "description": "GENERAL_DESCRIPTION",
69		- "name": "DISPLAY_LABEL",
	67	+ ...,
	68	+ "https://openminds.ebrains.eu/core/Person": {
	69	+ "description": "Structured information on a person (alive or dead).",
	70	+ "name": "Person",
70	70	"translatableTo": [
71		- "REFERENCE_TO_RELATED_SCHEMA_OF_OTHER_INITIATIVE"
	72	+ "https://schema.org/Person"
72	72	]
73		- }
	74	+ },
	75	+ ...
74	74	}
75	75	{{/code}}
76	76
77		-(% style="text-align: justify;" %)
78		-With each new schema committed to one of the openMINDS metadata models, a new entry is appended to the **##types.json##** file, with the display label automatically derived from the respective schema type and the remaining attributes predefined with a null value. Once an entry for a schema is made in the **##types.json##** file, the values of all attributes (**##"name"##**, **##"description"##**, and **##"translatableTo"##**) can be manually edited. All manual editions will be preserved and not overwritten when the file is updated again with a new commit. In case a schema is deleted from the openMINDS metadata models, the corresponding entry in the **##types.json##** file is marked as being deprecated (additional attribute-value pair; **##"deprecated": true##**). It only can be permanently removed from the **##types.json##** file, if the entry is manually deleted.
	79	+... and a cutout of the **##properties.json##**:
79	79
80		-(% style="text-align: justify;" %)
81		-Similar to the **##types.json##** file, the **##properties.json##** file is an associative array listing all properties across all existing openMINDS schemas (via the property name). For each openMINDS property, a small list of general attributes are provided in a nested associative array. Currently, the following attributes are captured:
82		-
83	83	{{code language="json"}}
84	84	{
85		- "PROPERTY_NAME": {
86		- "description": "GENERAL_DESCRIPTION",
87		- "name": "DISPLAY_LABEL",
88		- "nameForReverseLink": "DISPLAY_LABEL_OF_REVERSED_LINK",
	83	+ ...,
	84	+ "givenName": {
	85	+ "description": "Name given to a person, including all potential middle names, but excluding the family name.",
	86	+ "name": "Given name",
	87	+ "nameForReverseLink": "Is given name of",
89	89	"sameAs": [
90		- "REFERENCE_TO_MATCHING_SCHEMA-PROPERTY_OF_OTHER_INITIATIVE"
	89	+ "https://schema.org/givenName"
91	91	],
92	92	"schemas": [
93		- "RELATIVE_PATH_TO_OPENMINDS-SCHEMA_USING_THIS_PROPERTY"
	92	+ "core/v3/actors/person.schema.tpl.json"
94	94	]
95		- }
	94	+ },
	95	+ ...
96	96	}
97	97	{{/code}}
98	98
99	99	(% style="text-align: justify;" %)
100		-With each new property committed to a schema of one of the openMINDS metadata models, a new entry is appended to the **##properties.json##** file, with the display label and list of schemas in which this property occurs automatically derived. The remaining attributes are initially provided with a null value. Once an entry for a property is made in the **##properties.json##** file, the values of all attributes (**##"name"##**, **##"description"##**, **##"nameForReversedLink"##**, and **##"sameAs"##**) can be manually edited, except for **##"schemas"##** which will be always automatically updated. All those manual editions will be preserved and not overwritten when the file is updated again with a new commit. In case a property is not used anymore in any of the schemas from the openMINDS metadata models, the corresponding entry in the **##properties.json##** file is marked as being deprecated (additional attribute-value pair; **##"deprecated": true##**). It only can be permanently removed from the **##properties.json##** file, if the entry is manually deleted.
	100	+The keywords of those nested dictionaries are pre-defined to consistently capture for all schema types and properties their namespace, their occurrence (cf. **##"schemas"##** in **##properties.json##**), their general description (cf. **##"description"##** in **##types.json##** and **##properties.json##**), and possible references to related or matching schema types (cf. **##"translatableTo"##** in **##types.json##**) and properties (cf. **##""sameAs""##** in **##properties.json##**) of other metadata initiatives (e.g., schema.org).
101	101
102		-=== The openMINDS schema template syntax ===
103		-
104	104	(% style="text-align: justify;" %)
105		-All openMINDS metadata models are defined using a light-weighted schema template syntax. Although this schema template syntax is inspired by JSON-Schema, it outsources most schema technicalities to be handled by the openMINDS integration pipeline, making the openMINDS schemas more human-readable, especially for untrained eyes.
	103	+This setup also allows us to define some values/entries to be automatically filled in by the openMINDS integration pipeline with each commit to one of the openMINDS repositories (**##"name"##**, **##"schemas"##**) and others to be manually editable later on (**##"description"##**, **##"translatableTo"##**, **##"sameAs"##**, **##"nameForReverseLink"##**).
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108		-The few remaining customized technical properties which need additional interpretation or translation to a formal schema languages (e.g. JSON-Schema) have an underscore as prefix (e.g., **##"_type"##**). Within the openMINDS integration pipeline (cf. below), the schema template syntax is interpreted, extended and flexibly translated to various formal schema languages. All further specifications of the openMINDS schema template syntax are described below.
	106	+For security, outdated entries in those openMINDS vocabulary files (e.g., because the namespace of the schema type or property changed or the schema type or property was deleted) are not automatically deleted, but kept and marked as being deprecated. After evaluation, deprecated schema types or properties can be deleted manually from openMINDS vocabulary.
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111		-All openMINDS schemas need to have the extension **##.schema.tpl.json##** and each schema is defined as a nested associative array (dictionary) with the following conceptual structure:
	109	+With that, the openMINDS vocab reflects always an up-to-date status of the schema types and properties in use across all openMINDS metadata models, while providing the opportunity to centrally review and maintain their consistency and references.
112	112
113		-{{code language="json"}}
114		-{
115		- "_type": "https://openminds.ebrains.eu/LABEL_OF_METADATA_MODEL/SCHEMA_NAME",
116		- "properties": {
117		- "PROPERTY_NAME": {
118		- "type": "DATA_TYPE",
119		- "_instruction": "METADATA_ENTRY_INSTRUCTION"
120		- },
121		- "required": [
122		- "PROPERTY_NAME"
123		- ]
124		-}
125		-{{/code}}
	111	+=== The openMINDS schema template syntax ===
126	126
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128		-**##"_type"##** defines the schema type (or namespace) with the depicted naming convention, where the label of the respective openMINDS metadata model (e.g., **##"core"##**) and the schema name (format: UpperCamelCase; e.g. **##"ContactInformation"##**) have to be specified. Obviously, the schema name should be meaningful and provide some insides into what metadata content the schema covers.
	114	+All openMINDS metadata models use a light-weighted schema template syntax for defining the expected metadata. The correspondingly formatted schema files use the extension: **##.schema.tpl.json##**.
129	129
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131		-Under **##"properties"##** a nested associative array is defined, where each key defines the property name (format: lowerCamelCase; e.g. **##"givenName"##**). The corresponding value is again a nested associative array defining the expected data **##"type"##** (cf. below) and the **##"_instructions"##** for entering the correct metadata for the respective property.
	117	+Although, as the file extension suggests, this openMINDS schema template syntax is inspired by JSON-Schema, it facilitates or even excludes technical aspects making the openMINDS schemas more human-readable, especially for untrained eyes. Behind the scenes, within the openMINDS integration pipeline (cf. below), this schema template syntax is then interpreted and flexibly translated to various formal metadata formats (e.g., JSON-Schema).
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134		-Under **##"required"##** a list of property names can be provided that are obligatory to be present in a correctly instantiated metadata instance of the respective schema. If none of the properties are required, this key-value pair does not have to be specified.
	120	+Despite the simplification in comparison to JSON-Schema, the openMINDS schema templates are also, at the core, specially formatted JSON files using a particular syntax, meaning special key-value pairs that define the validation rules of a schema. Please find in the following a full documentation of the openMINDS schema template syntax and how it's key-value pairs need to be defined and interpreted.
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137		-In the case that several schemas are highly related and contain a common set of properties, it is possible to define a non-type context-schema with these common properties that can be extended and modified by the group of related schemas. All properties and constraints (e.g. required properties, expected data types) defined in the context-schema are passed on to the schemas extending this context-schema. Each of these schemas can define additional properties, or (if necessary) can overwrite the constraints of the context-schema. In order to state that a schema is extending a context-schema, the following additional key-value pair has to be added to the schema template above:
	123	+Let's start by going through the syntax of a simple openMINDS schema, the contactInformation.schema.tpl.json:
138	138
139		-(% style="text-align: center;" %)
140		-**##"_extends": "RELATIVE_PATH_TO_OPENMINDS-CONTEXT-SCHEMA"##**
	125	+{{code language="json"}}
	126	+{
	127	+ "_type": "https://openminds.ebrains.eu/core/ContactInformation",
	128	+ "required": [
	129	+ "email"
	130	+ ],
	131	+ "properties": {
	132	+ "email": {
	133	+ "type": "string",
	134	+ "_formats": [
	135	+ "email"
	136	+ ],
	137	+ "_instruction": "Enter the email address of this person."
	138	+ }
	139	+ }
	140	+}
	141	+{{/code}}
141	141
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143		-Depending on the expected data **##"type"##** additional constraints can be made for the metadata entry of a respective property. Currently, the openMINDS schema template syntax supports the following data types: **##"string"##**, ##**"integer"**##, **##"float"##**, **##"boolean"##**, **##"array"##** and **##"object"##**.
	144	+The **##"_type"##** identifies the schema type or namespace for the particular schema. In **##"required"##** all property names have to be listed {{footnote}}A list is a data structure that is an ordered sequence of elements. Each element inside of a list is typically called an item. Lists are defined by having values between square brackets **##[ ]##**.{{/footnote}} that must be provided and filled out in a valid instance of this schema type (here, only the property **##"email"##** is required). Under **##"properties"##**, information about the expected value for each property defining the particular schema is given in a nested dictionary {{footnote}}A dictionary is a data structure that consists of an unordered collection of key:value pairs. Dictionaries are defined by having these key:value pairs between curly brackets **##{...}##**.{{/footnote}} (here, the only property is **##"email"##**). In this nested dictionary, the **##"type"##** of the expected value should be specified (here, the value has to be of type **##"string"##** {{footnote}}Strings are defined as characters between quotes **##"..."##**.{{/footnote}}). For values of type **##"string"##** it is further possible to list the accepted formats of the **##"string"##** under **##"_formats"##** (here, the expected **##"string"##** value has to be formatted as **##"email"##** address {{footnote}}An email address, such as openminds@ebrains.eu, is made up from a local-part, the symbol **##@##**, and a domain, which may be a domain name or an IP address enclosed in brackets{{/footnote}}.
144	144
145	145	=== The openMINDS integration pipeline ===
146	146