# NeOn Alignment Plugin: Step-by-step usage

The NeOn Alignment plugin panel is obtained by selecting "Windows" -> "Show view" -> "Others..." -> "Alignment" -> "Alignment".

The figure below shows the available functions of the plugin.

The NeOn Alignment Plugin can work in two modes: offline and online. Roughly speaking, the offline mode allows users to reach main functionalities of the Alignment Server without connection to the server while the online mode offers additionally mechanisms to store and reuse alignments.

## Using the plugin in local mode

In the offline mode, which is activated by clicking on button "Offline", the NeOn Alignment Plugin can access to NeOn Toolkit ontologies (i.e. opened ontologies in Ontology Navigator) and match any pair of them. Resulting alignments can be stored as local system files and imported to Ontology Navigator as OWL ontologies.

### Step-by-step example

#### Show the Ontology Navigator view

From the Ontology Navigator, create a project, for example "OntologyProject", in this view.

#### Open working OWL ontologies

From the menu bar of the NeonToolkit, open working OWL ontologies in the project "OntologyProject" created above by "File -> Import... -> Ontologies -> ". You can select either "OWL2 Ontologies from the filesystem" or "Import ontology from the web"

#### Matching two ontologies

First we must fetch the working ontologies from Ontology Navigator by clicking on the button "Refresh". All the working ontologies will be added to two lists "Ontology 1" and "Ontology 2". Choose two ontologies to match from the two lists. Next, choose an alignment method from the list "Alignment methods". Click on "Match" to match these two ontologies with the method chosen. The resulting alignment will be added to the list "Alignments found". See the figure below.

#### Importing an alignment

Choose an alignment from the list "Alignments found" and click on "Import to Ontology Navigator". The alignment chosen will be imported as an OWL ontology to the alignment project which was created in Ontology Navigator. Users can navigate the OWL alignment imported in Ontology Navigator. See the figure below.

## Using the plugin with the Alignment Server

In the online mode, which is activated by clicking on button "Online", the NeOn Alignment Plugin provides all functions from the Alignment Server. Resulting alignments are stored on the server and exported to Ontology Navigator as OWL ontologies. This allows NeOn Toolkit users, with help of the Ontology Editor, to use, share or edit alignments.

#### Activate the on-line mode

From the view for the plugin, activate the on-line mode by clicking on the button "Online" and the button "Connect" becomes enabled.

#### Connecting

To connect to the INRIA's Alignment Server from the NeOn Alignment Plugin, you have to type "aserv.inrialpes.fr" for hostname and "80" for port.
If the connection is successful, we can see the buttons "Refresh", "Match", "Import to Ontology Navigator", "Trim", "Find an alignment...", "Store an alignment..." and "Fetch available alignments..." become enable. In particular, a list of available alignment methods is visible at "Alignment methods". In addition, an Ontology Navigator project, whose name was defined above, is automatically created for alignments.

#### Fetch available alignments

This function allows users to obtain a list of all alignments available on the Alignment Server. See the figure below.