.. _Modify_AddTypePropertyDeclaration:

Modify > Add Type Property Declaration
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This feature is available from the :ref:`ModifyMenu` of classes or node shapes in Ontology asset collections.
This action adds a property declaration for the type (``rdf:type``) relationship, following best ontology design practices.

.. note::
   When you are creating a new class, as subclass of Thing, it will not have any attributes and relationships yet.
   This means that instances of that class will basically show up empty on the :ref:`FormPanel`.
   The type (``rdf:type``) property is critical for ontology modeling and in algorithms that use assets.
   Using this feature will make sure that this type property is declared.

The action is only available for classes for which no other type property definition already exists,
for example from its superclasses.

.. hint::
   Some domain ontologies define a single root class from which all other classes inherit.
   With that design, you would only need to declare the type once, at the root, and all other classes
   will inherit that property.


**See Also**

* :ref:`Modify_AddLabelPropertyDeclaration`

**Further Reading on SHACL**

* `Form Generation using SHACL and DASH (External Link) <https://datashapes.org/forms.html>`_
* `SHACL Advanced Features Specification (External Link) <https://w3c.github.io/shacl/shacl-af/>`_
* `SHACL W3C Specification (External Link) <https://www.w3.org/TR/shacl/>`_

**Further Reading on Ontologies**

* :ref:`working_with_ontologies_target`

**Further Reading on Modify Menu**

* :ref:`scripting_actions`

**Further Reading on TopBraid**

* :ref:`introduction`