SPARQLPrompt - A Chrome Extension to assist with writing SPARQL queries

Description

SPARQLPrompt is a Chrome Extension designed for use with the site https://yasgui.triply.cc/# and to generate queries for the Ubergraph endpoint https://ubergraph.apps.renci.org/sparql. SPARQLPrompt allows the user to ask a question about an ontology in natural language and the Extension converts into a SPARQL query. SPARQLPrompt uses OpenAI to convert the natural language question into SPARQL, therefore an OpenAI API key is needed to use the Extension.

Demo

Watch SPARQLPrompt in action! See how to use the extension to convert natural language questions into SPARQL queries.

Demo Video - A walkthrough demonstrating how to use SPARQLPrompt to generate SPARQL queries from natural language prompts. Coming soon...

Installation

• Clone or download the code. For stable versions, use the latest release
• Open your Chrome browser and go to Settings --> Extensions
• Click on "Load unpacked". This will open a file browser. Select the entire folder that contains the Chrome Extension. A new card will be added to your Extensions for the SPARQLPrompt.
• In the upper-right hand side of the browser, click on the Extensions icon and pin the SPARQLPrompt Extension so the icon remains visible in your Chrome browser.
• Click on the SPARQLPrompt icon, which will launch a pop-up window where you can enter your OpenAI API key.
• The OpenAI API key is stored as plain text in chrome.storage.local on your machine. Avoid installing this extension on shared machines unless you trust all users. You can clear the saved key by opening Chrome DevTools on https://yasgui.triply.cc/# and running:

  chrome.storage.local.remove('openai_api_key');
  

• Navigate to https://yasgui.triply.cc/#. The SPARQLPrompt window will be visible in the bottom right-hand side of the browser.

Prompting Guidelines

When writing the details of a SPARQL query in plain English be sure to include a mention of these important parts of a SPARQL query:

• what fields should be selected
• what ontology should be queried
• mention whether obsolete terms should be excluded
• mention other conditions that should be matched
• include a Context file for your ontology for detailed instructions to get the most accurate response
• to build up complex queries, start with a basic query and add more conditions as needed for the complexity of the query/information to extract from the ontology.

For detailed information on best practices for prompting to generate SPARQL queries as well as a sample Context file, see the OBO Academy tutorial Generating SPARQL queries using Large Language Models LLMs

Additional Features

Request new features or post bug reports using the issue tracker.

OpenAI API Usage and Billing

SPARQLPrompt uses the OpenAI API to generate SPARQL queries. Each query generation consumes API tokens, which may incur costs depending on your OpenAI account plan.

Pricing Information:

• SPARQLPrompt currently uses the gpt-4.1 model
• Current pricing: $2.00 per 1M input tokens (as of the latest update)
• For the most up-to-date pricing information, see the OpenAI Pricing Documentation
• Pricing may vary by model and can change over time

To check your API usage and billing:

1. Visit the OpenAI Platform
2. Sign in to your OpenAI account
3. Navigate to Usage in the left sidebar to view:
   • Current usage statistics
   • Token consumption by model
   • Cost breakdown
   • Usage limits and quotas
4. Navigate to Billing to view:
   • Payment methods
   • Billing history
   • Current balance
   • Spending limits and alerts

Tips for managing costs:

• Monitor your usage regularly through the OpenAI dashboard
• Set up usage alerts to be notified when you approach spending limits
• Consider using the gpt-4.1 model (currently the only available option) which is optimized for cost-effectiveness
• Export your query history regularly to avoid regenerating queries unnecessarily

Updating to the Latest Version

1. In your local repository, pull the latest code:

   git checkout main
   git pull
   

2. Open Chrome and navigate to chrome://extensions/.
3. Ensure Developer mode is enabled (toggle in the upper-right).
4. Locate the SPARQLPrompt card and click the Reload button (circular arrow) in the card’s upper-right corner (see the screenshot below).
5. If the SPARQLPrompt window is already open in a YASGUI tab, refresh the page to update the SPARQLPrompt extension.

Note: This Extension is under development and is not yet available in the Chrome Web Store.