PrF UG inst moving an instance

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Changing the Class of an Instance


Protege-Frames User's Guide
Instances
Instances Tab
Class Browser at Instances Tab
Instance Browser
Instances Window
Instance Buttons
Instance Menu
Types Pane
Instance Editor
Standard Field Types
Fields with Multiple Cardinality
Boolean Fields
Class Fields
Float Fields
Instance Fields
Integer Fields
String Fields
Symbol Fields
Creating an Instance
Creating Multiple Instances
Displaying the Instance Editor
Setting the Display Slot
Showing Subclass Instances
Editing an Instance
Copying an Instance
Deleting an Instance
Finding an Instance
Changing an Instance's Class
Working with Instance Types
Instance Icons
Glossary, Editing Help

You can change the class of an instance, using drag-and-drop in the Instances tab. To change the class of an instance:

  1. Select the instance you wish to move:

  2. Hold down the mouse button and drag the instance from the Instance Browser to the Class Browser, until it is on top of the desired class.

  3. Release the mouse. The instance will now have the selected class as its direct type. Note that the slots of the dragged instance will automatically change to reflect the inheritance from the new class.

When you drag an instance to a new class, the fields in the instance will change to match the slots in the class. If you drag an instance, you may lose some of the information in your instance. This loss is permanent. You cannot restore the information by dragging the instance back to the original class. Therefore, you should be sure that you want to make these changes before you drag an instance to a new class. You may also wish to archive the project before you move instances.

In addition, any changes you make will be evident wherever that instance is referenced - for example, if that instance appears as the value of a field, the change will also occur in the field. You can use the View References to Instance (instances_instance.view_references) button to see where this instance is referenced, before changing its class.