.. _Settings_NamespacesAndPrefixes:

Settings > Namespaces and Prefixes
----------------------------------

This feature from the :ref:`SettingsTab` can be used to view and edit the *namespace prefixes*
for the current asset collection.

.. note::
   Namespace prefixes are used to abbreviate the full IDs/URIs of assets.
   For example if the full URI of an asset is ``http://schema.org/Person`` and the namespace
   prefix for ``http://schema.org/`` is ``schema`` then the full URI can be abbreviated
   as ``schema:Person``.
   These shortened names are often called *qnames*.

In TopBraid, namespace prefixes are used in the Turtle export format (which is also used by
the :ref:`SourceCodePanel`), in SPARQL (for example the :ref:`SPARQLQueryPanel`) and on all
panels where the user has activated the setting to prefer qnames over display labels.

Namespace prefixes are also used in some code generation algorithms such as GraphQL schemas
and the generated ADS APIs.

.. caution::
   There should only be one prefix for each namespace.
   Unfortunately even some well-known namespaces are used inconsistently across the RDF world,
   for example ``dct`` and ``dcterms``.
   Avoid this at all costs, and establish concise namespace practices for your projects.


**See Also**

* :ref:`DefaultNamespacesAndPrefixesAdminPage`
* :ref:`NavigateToAssetByQname`
* :ref:`Settings_DefaultNamespace`

**Further Reading on TopBraid**

* :ref:`introduction`