Relationships

A Relationship is a Connection's name: what the link means. "Photosynthesis" requires "Chlorophyll"; "Darwin" inspired-by "Malthus". You can type any name you like, and one pair of objects can have several Relationships at once.

Name a Relationship

Type a name when you finish a draft, or edit an existing Connection and rename it. Names keep the capitalisation you type, but are matched without it: "Part Of" and "part of" are the same Relationship.

Built-in Relationships

Lino knows these names. The arrows and line style listed are their defaults when Lino AI or Lino creates them for you. When you draw a Connection yourself, the draft starts undirected and dashed whatever you name it, and you set arrows and style.

• connects is the plain, unnamed link. Lines on the Canvas show it, but it's the lowest priority.
• embeds is reserved for automatic Connections. You can't type it yourself. See Embeds.
• Any other name is a custom Relationship.

Inverse names

A one-way Relationship reads differently from each end. If "Evidence" supports "Theory", then the Connection list of "Theory" shows "supported by Evidence". Lino uses the inverse names in the table above. Custom names, and Relationships with arrows at both ends or none, read the same from both ends.

Several Relationships between two objects

Two objects can be related in more than one way. "Photosynthesis" can both require "Chlorophyll" and be explained-by it.

• They share one line on the Canvas. The label shows the top Relationship (see priority), and the toolbar says how many more there are, for example "requires" followed by "1 more…".
• Each Relationship has its own arrows and line style.
• A plain connects is replaced when you name the pair: the first named Relationship takes its place instead of sitting beside it.
• Drawing connects again on a pair that already has a named Relationship adds nothing.
• Using a name the pair already has updates that Relationship instead of adding a duplicate.

Add a Relationship

1. Select the Connection.
2. Click the Relationship name in the toolbar to open Manage relationships.
3. Click Add relationship, type the name, set arrows and style, and click ✓.

You can also just draw another Connection between the same two objects and give it a new name.

Switch, edit or remove one

In Manage relationships, each row has:

• the line-style icon and name,
• Edit (pencil), which opens it in the edit toolbar,
• Disconnect (scissors), which removes just that Relationship,
• a switch, on for the Relationship currently selected. Click another row to select it: the line shows that one while it's selected, then goes back to the top Relationship when you click away.

You can also step through them with ‹ and › in the toolbar.

Embeds and Relation property rows have no Edit or Disconnect buttons.

Priority and sorting

The top of Manage relationships has two sort options. Your choice is remembered and also orders the Connection list behind the badge.

Priority (the default) puts the most meaningful Relationship first, and that one is shown on the line:

1. Named Relationships, ordered by line style: solid (1), then half-strength (2), then dashed (3). Among equals, ones you made come before ones Lino AI made, then newest first.
2. Then Embeds.
3. Then connects.

Last created simply puts the newest first.

To make a Relationship the one the line shows, give it a stronger line style than the others (or switch the sort to Last created and make it the newest).

Yours vs Lino AI's

Connections Lino AI creates are marked as automatic. They work exactly like yours, but at equal line style, yours come first in Priority order. Lino AI can't silently change or remove a Connection you drew: that waits for your approval. See Proposals & undo.

Related

• Editing Connections
• Embeds
• Connection appearance: hide the labels of connects and embeds