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What is a Parent-Child Relationship?

The parent-child relationship is a special, built-in connection in Luklak designed for creating strict, nested hierarchies. It is the primary method for breaking down large pieces of work or complex entities into smaller, manageable parts.
Think of it like a folder and its files on a computer. A Project (the parent folder) can contain many Tasks (the child files). Each Task file belongs exclusively to that one Project folder and cannot exist on its own.
This connection is automatically established when you define one Object Type as a Sub-Object of another standard Object Type.

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Key Characteristics

This relationship type has unique properties that make it perfect for hierarchical structures:
  • Built-in & Automatic: You don’t need to add a special field to create this link. The connection is automatically managed by the system as soon as you designate an Object Type as a Sub-Object of another.
  • Strict Hierarchy: A Sub-Object (the child) is tightly coupled to its parent. It can only have one parent and cannot exist independently without being linked to that parent Object.
  • Exclusive by Design: This connection is used exclusively for the relationship between a standard Object Type and its designated Sub-Object Types. It cannot be used to link two unrelated standard Object Types.

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How to Create a Parent-Child Relationship

The relationship is defined during the design of your Object Types within a 📋 Function.
  1. Define the Parent: First, ensure you have a standard Object Type created (e.g., “Project”).
  2. Define the Child: When you create your second Object Type (e.g., “Task”), you will find a setting to designate it as a Sub-Object. When you enable this, you must select its Parent Object Type (in this case, “Project”).
  3. The Link is Established: Once this is saved, the hierarchical link is permanently defined. In any ⏹️ Space, when a user views a “Project” Object, they will see a dedicated section for creating and managing its child “Task” Objects.
[Guidejar Placeholder: A tutorial showing an architect creating a new ‘Task’ Object Type. In the creation modal, they select the option ‘Make this a Sub-Object’ and choose the existing ‘Project’ Object Type from a dropdown menu to serve as the parent.]

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Common Use Cases

This connection type is the ideal choice for any scenario that requires a clear work breakdown structure or a nested hierarchy.

Project Management

The classic example: Project (Parent) → Sub-Tasks (Children).

Product Development (Agile)

A common structure is Epic (Parent) → User Stories (Children).

Goal Setting (OKRs)

Structure your goals as Objective (Parent) → Key Results (Children).

Organizational Structures

Model your company structure with Department (Parent) → Team (Children).
Architect’s Tip: Choose the parent-child relationship when the child item cannot and should not exist independently of the parent. If the items can exist on their own and just need to reference each other flexibly, an Object Lookup Field is a better choice.

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What’s Next?

You’ve mastered strict, hierarchical relationships. Now, let’s explore how to create more flexible, non-hierarchical connections between Objects.