You can configure an asset property to expect a link to another asset as its value. To do so, set up the repository definition so that the property in the parent asset is defined as a repository item of the type you want to reference as the child asset, as shown in the following example:
<property column-name="xyz_ref_obj" name="xyz_ref"
item-type="xyz_rep_item"
repository="/AnyCorp/AnyMachine/MyAssetRepository"
category="Basics" display-name="Reference"
required="false" readable="true" writable="true"
queryable="true" hidden="false" expert="false"
cache-mode="inherit">
</property>
By default, the property view editor that is used in the ATG Business Control Center for properties of type repository item is popUpPickerEdit.jsp. The editor supplies buttons for creating and deleting the link as well as the mechanism for displaying the asset to which the link points.
There is no restriction on the number of assets you can link in this way; parents can have multiple child assets which can link to their own child assets, or back to the parent, and so on.
Note that the type of asset to which a link can be created is constrained to the single repository item type you specify in the definition. This behavior means that business users can link to only one type of asset from each property. You can, however, specify multiple sub-types as the property type. In this case, business users can select any asset belonging to any specified sub-type as the target of the link. For more information on working with repository item sub-types, refer to Item Descriptor Inheritance in the ATG Repository Guide.
Properties containing links to other assets can also be defined as any of the following types:
List
Map
Set
The editor automatically displays controls that are appropriate for each type.
When business users create links to assets through the asset editor in the ATG Business Control Center, the target assets are automatically added to the current project and then deployed in the same way as any other asset. For more information, see Creating Linked Assets in the ATG Content Administration Guide for Business Users.
