Notation3, or N3 as it is more commonly known, is a shorthand non-XML serialization of Resource Description Framework models, designed with human-readability in mind: N3 is much more compact and readable than XML RDF notation. The format is being developed by Tim Berners-Lee and others from the Semantic Web community. A formalization of the logic underlying N3 was published by Berners-Lee and others in 2008.

N3 has several features that go beyond a serialization for RDF models, such as support for RDF-based rules. Turtle is a simplified, RDF-only subset of N3.

Examples

The following is an RDF model in standard XML notation:

may be written in Notation3 like this:

This N3 code above would also be in valid Turtle syntax.

Comparison of Notation3, Turtle, and N-Triples

See also

• N-Triples

• Turtle (syntax)

External links

• Notation 3 W3C Submission

• Notation 3 Outline on W3C Design Issues by Tim Berners-Lee

• Notation 3 Primer: Getting into RDF & Semantic Web using N3

• A Rough Guide to Notation3

• RDF for "Little Languages"

• An editing mode of N3 for Emacs

• An editing mode of N3 for vim

• An editing mode of N3 for textmate

• An editing mode of N3 for gedit

• EulerGUI, an IDE centered on N3 editor with translation from RDF, with validation, prefix management, uploading of resources, graph view, table view, etc.

References