{"id":"linked-art/api/schema-set","relativePath":"linked-art/api/schema-set.md","title":"Linked Art API Schema: Set","markdown":"# Linked Art API Schema: Set\n\n**Last refreshed:** 2026-07-06\n\nSource: [Set schema docs](https://linked.art/api/1.0/schema_docs/set/) and [set.json](https://linked.art/api/1.0/schema/set.json), part of Linked Art API 1.0, published under [CC BY 4.0](http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). This is a project summary; the upstream schema is authoritative.\n\n## Purpose\n\nThe Set schema describes `la:Set`: a collection of other resources, such as a set of objects, places, concepts, texts, images, archival groupings, auction lots, exhibition object lists, or other aggregations. In Linked Art API terms this is the endpoint shape for collection-like resources where members usually point to the set with `member_of`.\n\nRelated upstream references:\n\n- [Set API endpoint](https://linked.art/api/1.0/endpoint/set/)\n- [Collections model documentation](https://linked.art/model/set/)\n\n## Top-Level Constraints\n\n- Schema type: object.\n- Linked Art class: `la:Set`.\n- Additional top-level properties are not allowed.\n- `@context`: required.\n- `id`: required URI string for the entity.\n- `type`: required class string. The practical Linked Art class is `Set`.\n- `_label`: required developer-facing human-readable label.\n\n## Permitted Top-Level Fields\n\n- `identified_by`: array of `Name` or `Identifier` structures.\n- `classified_as`: array of `Type` structures that classify this set.\n- `referred_to_by`: array of embedded statements or textual references about the set.\n- `equivalent`: array of compact references to equivalent identities.\n- `representation`: array of embedded `VisualItem` structures linked through digital objects.\n- `member_of`: array of parent `Set` references.\n- `subject_of`: array of embedded `LinguisticObject` web pages or digital objects focused on this set.\n- `attributed_by`: array of `AttributeAssignment` structures relating another entity to this set.\n- `dimension`: array of `Dimension` structures, such as a member count.\n- `about`: array of references to the main topics of the set.\n- `members_contained_by`: array of `HumanMadeObject` references that physically contain or support the set members.\n- `members_exemplified_by`: array of exemplar templates for members of the set. The upstream schema notes that contents below this point are not validated.\n- `used_for`: array of activities in which this set was used.\n- `created_by`: creation activity for the set as an intellectual or conceptual entity.\n\n## Embedded Structures Highlighted By The Schema\n\n`identified_by` items can be:\n\n- `Name` structures, with required `type` and `content`, plus optional `_label`, nested `identified_by`, `referred_to_by`, `classified_as`, `language`, and `part`.\n- `Identifier` structures, following the shared identifier pattern.\n\n`referred_to_by` items are embedded `LinguisticObject` statements:\n\n- `type`: required.\n- `content`: required.\n- `_label`, `identified_by`, `classified_as`, `referred_to_by`, `language`, and `format` are allowed.\n\n`representation` items are embedded `VisualItem` structures:\n\n- `type`: required.\n- `_label`, `identified_by`, `classified_as`, `referred_to_by`, and `digitally_shown_by` are allowed.\n- Nested digital objects can carry `access_point`, `format`, and `conforms_to`.\n\n`subject_of` items are embedded `LinguisticObject` structures:\n\n- `type`: required.\n- `_label`, `identified_by`, `classified_as`, `referred_to_by`, `language`, and `digitally_carried_by` are allowed.\n\n## Aggregation Boundaries\n\nThe schema keeps collection identity separate from membership enumeration:\n\n- `member_of`: parent set references for set hierarchy.\n- `members_contained_by`: physical object references for containers or supports, such as boxes, folders, or shelves.\n- `members_exemplified_by`: exemplar templates for the kinds of members in the set, not a complete validated member list.\n- `about`: topics of the set as an intellectual or descriptive aggregation.\n\nDo not invent exhaustive inverse `member[]` lists on a set record unless the source actually provides and the profile expects them. In normal Linked Art API use, member records carry `member_of` and consumers discover members through search or implementation-specific APIs.\n\n## Activity Fields\n\nThe schema supports set-related activity evidence:\n\n- `used_for`: activities in which the set was used, such as an exhibition or auction lot event using a set of objects.\n- `created_by`: creation of the intellectual or conceptual set, including common activity fields such as `took_place_at`, `timespan`, `caused_by`, `carried_out_by`, `used_specific_object`, `influenced_by`, `technique`, `during`, `after`, `before`, and `part_of`.\n\nThis keeps a conceptual collection or list distinct from the physical objects that may exemplify, contain, or participate in it.\n\n## Meta Museum Notes\n\nMeta Museum already exposes sets through `/api/sets/{id}` and preserves full `Set` records through `/api/records/{id}`. Existing coverage proves exhibition-object sets, concept-scheme sets, archival hierarchy sets, auction lot sets, `member_of` links on member records, `members_contained_by` physical-container alignment, `members_exemplified_by` collective descriptions, and `Set` semantic `Creation` activity rows.\n\nThis expanded schema adds the endpoint-level validation target for set exports: required identity fields, no unexpected top-level properties, structured classification and descriptive fields, set hierarchy, physical containment support, exemplar templates, and set-specific activity evidence.\n\n## Test Ideas\n\n- Validate representative `Set` records against `set.json`.\n- Assert `@context`, `id`, `type`, and `_label` are present.\n- Assert unknown top-level properties fail schema validation.\n- Preserve `member_of` as parent `Set` references.\n- Preserve `members_contained_by` as `HumanMadeObject` references.\n- Preserve `members_exemplified_by` without treating it as a validated exhaustive member list.\n- Preserve `about`, `dimension`, `used_for`, and `created_by` on collection-like records.\n","sections":[{"level":2,"heading":"Purpose","anchor":"purpose"},{"level":2,"heading":"Top-Level Constraints","anchor":"top-level-constraints"},{"level":2,"heading":"Permitted Top-Level Fields","anchor":"permitted-top-level-fields"},{"level":2,"heading":"Embedded Structures Highlighted By The Schema","anchor":"embedded-structures-highlighted-by-the-schema"},{"level":2,"heading":"Aggregation Boundaries","anchor":"aggregation-boundaries"},{"level":2,"heading":"Activity Fields","anchor":"activity-fields"},{"level":2,"heading":"Meta Museum Notes","anchor":"meta-museum-notes"},{"level":2,"heading":"Test Ideas","anchor":"test-ideas"}],"html":"<h1 id=\"linked-art-api-schema-set\">Linked Art API Schema: Set</h1>\n<p><strong>Last refreshed:</strong> 2026-07-06</p>\n<p>Source: <a href=\"https://linked.art/api/1.0/schema_docs/set/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" class=\"doc-link\">Set schema docs</a> and <a href=\"https://linked.art/api/1.0/schema/set.json\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" class=\"doc-link\">set.json</a>, part of Linked Art API 1.0, published under <a href=\"http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" class=\"doc-link\">CC BY 4.0</a>. This is a project summary; the upstream schema is authoritative.</p>\n<h2 id=\"purpose\">Purpose</h2>\n<p>The Set schema describes `la:Set`: a collection of other resources, such as a set of objects, places, concepts, texts, images, archival groupings, auction lots, exhibition object lists, or other aggregations. In Linked Art API terms this is the endpoint shape for collection-like resources where members usually point to the set with `member_of`.</p>\n<p>Related upstream references:</p>\n<ul><li><a href=\"https://linked.art/api/1.0/endpoint/set/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" class=\"doc-link\">Set API endpoint</a></li><li><a href=\"https://linked.art/model/set/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" class=\"doc-link\">Collections model documentation</a></li></ul>\n<h2 id=\"top-level-constraints\">Top-Level Constraints</h2>\n<ul><li>Schema type: object.</li><li>Linked Art class: `la:Set`.</li><li>Additional top-level properties are not allowed.</li><li>`@context`: required.</li><li>`id`: required URI string for the entity.</li><li>`type`: required class string. The practical Linked Art class is `Set`.</li><li>`_label`: required developer-facing human-readable label.</li></ul>\n<h2 id=\"permitted-top-level-fields\">Permitted Top-Level Fields</h2>\n<ul><li>`identified_by`: array of `Name` or `Identifier` structures.</li><li>`classified_as`: array of `Type` structures that classify this set.</li><li>`referred_to_by`: array of embedded statements or textual references about the set.</li><li>`equivalent`: array of compact references to equivalent identities.</li><li>`representation`: array of embedded `VisualItem` structures linked through digital objects.</li><li>`member_of`: array of parent `Set` references.</li><li>`subject_of`: array of embedded `LinguisticObject` web pages or digital objects focused on this set.</li><li>`attributed_by`: array of `AttributeAssignment` structures relating another entity to this set.</li><li>`dimension`: array of `Dimension` structures, such as a member count.</li><li>`about`: array of references to the main topics of the set.</li><li>`members_contained_by`: array of `HumanMadeObject` references that physically contain or support the set members.</li><li>`members_exemplified_by`: array of exemplar templates for members of the set. The upstream schema notes that contents below this point are not validated.</li><li>`used_for`: array of activities in which this set was used.</li><li>`created_by`: creation activity for the set as an intellectual or conceptual entity.</li></ul>\n<h2 id=\"embedded-structures-highlighted-by-the-schema\">Embedded Structures Highlighted By The Schema</h2>\n<p>`identified_by` items can be:</p>\n<ul><li>`Name` structures, with required `type` and `content`, plus optional `_label`, nested `identified_by`, `referred_to_by`, `classified_as`, `language`, and `part`.</li><li>`Identifier` structures, following the shared identifier pattern.</li></ul>\n<p>`referred_to_by` items are embedded `LinguisticObject` statements:</p>\n<ul><li>`type`: required.</li><li>`content`: required.</li><li>`_label`, `identified_by`, `classified_as`, `referred_to_by`, `language`, and `format` are allowed.</li></ul>\n<p>`representation` items are embedded `VisualItem` structures:</p>\n<ul><li>`type`: required.</li><li>`_label`, `identified_by`, `classified_as`, `referred_to_by`, and `digitally_shown_by` are allowed.</li><li>Nested digital objects can carry `access_point`, `format`, and `conforms_to`.</li></ul>\n<p>`subject_of` items are embedded `LinguisticObject` structures:</p>\n<ul><li>`type`: required.</li><li>`_label`, `identified_by`, `classified_as`, `referred_to_by`, `language`, and `digitally_carried_by` are allowed.</li></ul>\n<h2 id=\"aggregation-boundaries\">Aggregation Boundaries</h2>\n<p>The schema keeps collection identity separate from membership enumeration:</p>\n<ul><li>`member_of`: parent set references for set hierarchy.</li><li>`members_contained_by`: physical object references for containers or supports, such as boxes, folders, or shelves.</li><li>`members_exemplified_by`: exemplar templates for the kinds of members in the set, not a complete validated member list.</li><li>`about`: topics of the set as an intellectual or descriptive aggregation.</li></ul>\n<p>Do not invent exhaustive inverse `member[]` lists on a set record unless the source actually provides and the profile expects them. In normal Linked Art API use, member records carry `member_of` and consumers discover members through search or implementation-specific APIs.</p>\n<h2 id=\"activity-fields\">Activity Fields</h2>\n<p>The schema supports set-related activity evidence:</p>\n<ul><li>`used_for`: activities in which the set was used, such as an exhibition or auction lot event using a set of objects.</li><li>`created_by`: creation of the intellectual or conceptual set, including common activity fields such as `took_place_at`, `timespan`, `caused_by`, `carried_out_by`, `used_specific_object`, `influenced_by`, `technique`, `during`, `after`, `before`, and `part_of`.</li></ul>\n<p>This keeps a conceptual collection or list distinct from the physical objects that may exemplify, contain, or participate in it.</p>\n<h2 id=\"meta-museum-notes\">Meta Museum Notes</h2>\n<p>Meta Museum already exposes sets through `/api/sets/{id}` and preserves full `Set` records through `/api/records/{id}`. Existing coverage proves exhibition-object sets, concept-scheme sets, archival hierarchy sets, auction lot sets, `member_of` links on member records, `members_contained_by` physical-container alignment, `members_exemplified_by` collective descriptions, and `Set` semantic `Creation` activity rows.</p>\n<p>This expanded schema adds the endpoint-level validation target for set exports: required identity fields, no unexpected top-level properties, structured classification and descriptive fields, set hierarchy, physical containment support, exemplar templates, and set-specific activity evidence.</p>\n<h2 id=\"test-ideas\">Test Ideas</h2>\n<ul><li>Validate representative `Set` records against `set.json`.</li><li>Assert `@context`, `id`, `type`, and `_label` are present.</li><li>Assert unknown top-level properties fail schema validation.</li><li>Preserve `member_of` as parent `Set` references.</li><li>Preserve `members_contained_by` as `HumanMadeObject` references.</li><li>Preserve `members_exemplified_by` without treating it as a validated exhaustive member list.</li><li>Preserve `about`, `dimension`, `used_for`, and `created_by` on collection-like records.</li></ul>","updatedAt":"2026-07-06T00:00:00.000Z","checksum":"2b48dd1a0cb15af3a4564a5c95b9f7cc3a1e98717823d7bac73e0508f5ebe8bf","checksumPrefix":"2b48dd1a0cb1","anchorCount":8,"lineCount":102,"rawUrl":"/api/docs/content?path=linked-art%2Fapi%2Fschema-set.md","htmlUrl":"/docs?doc=linked-art%2Fapi%2Fschema-set.md","apiUrl":"/api/docs/content?path=linked-art%2Fapi%2Fschema-set.md"}