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How to set up relationship properties on a template

Prerequisites​

  • Admin access to your Uwazi instance

Steps​

This guide covers relationship properties in Settings > Templates.

Create a relationship type​

A relationship type is the label that names the connection. Common examples are "Cites", "Filed in", and "Authored by". You need at least one before you can add a relationship property to a template.

  1. Go to Settings > Relationship types.
  2. Select Add relationship type.
  3. Enter a name in the Name field. Names must be unique.
  4. Select Save.

To rename a type, select Edit on its row. To delete a type, select its checkbox and select Delete. Uwazi disables the checkbox if any template uses that type.

You can also create a relationship type without leaving the template editor. Select Add relationship type in the editor footer. The new type appears in the drop-down right away.

Add a relationship property​

  1. Go to Settings > Templates and open the template you want to edit.
  2. Select Add property. A settings panel opens on the right.
  3. Enter a label in the Label field.
  4. Select Relationship from the Type drop-down.
    warning

    You can't change a property's type after you save the template.

  5. Select a type from the Relationship type drop-down.
  6. In the Entities drop-down, choose which entities users can link to:
    • Any entity — users can link to any entity in your collection.
    • A specific template — users can only link to entities on that template.
  7. If you selected a specific template in step 6, an Inherit property drop-down appears. Select a property from the linked template to show its value with the linked entity's name. Skip this step if you don't need to show a value from the linked entity.
  8. Check the Matching properties table. If another template has a property with the same label, its settings appear here. Rows in red mean the settings don't match — Uwazi blocks saving until you fix all conflicts.
  9. Select Add property.
  10. Select Save.

Show more than one property from a linked entity​

Each relationship property can show one value from the linked entity. To show more than one, add a separate relationship property for each.

  1. In the template editor, select Add property to add another property.
  2. Use the same Relationship type and the same template in Entities.
  3. Select a different property from Inherit property.
  4. Enter a different label.
  5. Select Add property.
  6. Repeat steps 1–5 for each extra value you need.
  7. Select Save.

Both properties link to the same set of entities because they share the same relationship type.

When to use inherited properties​

Inherit a property when users need to see a value from a linked entity at a glance — without opening it.

Common uses:

  • Show the country of a person linked to a court case
  • Show the status of a document linked to a proceeding
  • Show the date of an event linked to an incident

Don't use inheritance if showing an outdated value would cause problems. Uwazi updates the inherited value when you save the linked entity — not as changes happen.

Result​

Uwazi saves the template. When users create or edit an entity, they can link it to other entities through the relationship field. If you set up inheritance, the linked entity's property value appears alongside its name.

tip

If your template has more than 3,000 entities, Uwazi warns you before saving that the update takes time. A progress bar appears in the editor header. Uwazi locks the template for editing until the job finishes.

See also​