Specification

https://www.w3.org/TR/shacl12-ui/

Explainer

https://w3c.github.io/data-shapes/shacl12-overview/#whatsnew

Links

• The WG's request for this TAG review:
  • https://www.w3.org/2026/10/26-data-shapes-minutes.html#fee4
• Previous early design review, if any:
  • N/A

An introduction to the feature, aimed at unfamiliar audiences:

https://www.w3.org/TR/shacl12-ui/#introduction:

RDF applications commonly provide user interfaces that allow users to view and edit RDF resources. SHACL Core, together with vocabularies such as DASH, has often been used for this purpose by describing the structure, constraints, labels, and presentation-relevant metadata associated with RDF data.

SHACL User Interfaces are defined by this specification as a complementary vocabulary and rendering model for generating forms from SHACL shapes. It introduces UI-specific concepts and processing rules for determining widgets, resolving labels, and grouping and ordering the form components used to manage RDF resources.

A description of the problems that end-users were facing before this proposal:

A lack of a formal UI generation specification and dependence on community efforts such as DASH.

Alternatives considered:

Do nothing: just rely on community standards like DASH.

Examples of how to use the proposal to solve the end-users' problems:

SAHCL Shapes Graph defines a data model -> SHACL UI -> a UI spec is generated that can either display data conforming to that data model or a web form spec that can be used to create data according to it.

What do the end-users experience with this proposal:

Algorithms that can turn data specifications into UI specifications.

User research you did to validate the problem and/or design, if any:

Noted the use of community specifications in this area for many years. Both DASH (as above) and also a multitude of non-standardised UI specs, starting right back at JQuery Validator, circa 2010.

Web Platform Tests:

NA: this doc defines how to generate UI specifications, not UIs.

The specification

• Follows the Web Platform Design Principles.
• Includes Security and Privacy Considerations sections based on answers to the Security/Privacy Questionnaire.

Where and by whom is the work is being done?

• GitHub repo:
• Primary contacts:
  • Edmond Chuc (@edmondchuc), KurrawongAI, AHCL 1.2 Task Force coordinator & spec editor
  • Eliana Papoutsoglou (@PapoutsoglouE), Y.digital
• Organization/project driving the specification:
  • KurrawongAI
  • TopQuadrant
  • imec
  • Triply
• This work is being funded by:
  • -
• Primary standards group developing this feature:
  • Data Shapes WG
• Incubation and standards groups that have discussed the design:
  • -

Feedback so far

• Active horizontal reviews:
  • https://github.com/w3c/data-shapes/issues/892
• Multi-stakeholder feedback:
  • N/A
• Major unresolved issues with or opposition to this specification:
  • only minor wording issues left as of the time of this submission to AB
• Status/issue trackers for implementations:
  • https://github.com/w3c/data-shapes/issues

You should also know that...

No response

<!-- Content below this is maintained by @w3c-tag-bot -->

---

Track conversations at https://tag-github-bot.w3.org/gh/w3ctag/design-reviews/1307