Linking many entity types to a channel node

This article explains how to link more than one entity type to a channel node. It also explains the limitations to this functionality. 

About linking methods

Channel nodes have two linking methods in Plan & Release: Manual linking and Auto-configured nodes.

Manual Linking. This is the simplest approach where as a user you drag entities into the channel node to create the link. Alternatively, a customized extension can perform similar operations.

Auto-Configured Linking. In each channel node, you can set a rule that determines which entities should be automatically linked to the node based on the specified criteria.

It is not possible to combine the two. As soon as you create a rule or query for a node, the system will prevent you from manually linking entities to it. If you try to drag any type of entity into the Contents tab of the node, it will not accept it.

Link rule limitations

As you will see from the Configure tab, an auto-configured node can only manage one entity type. It would not be possible to create a rule/query that includes Products and Category Info. Therefore, you must manage additional entity types using the standard Enrich interface. You can add rules for additional entity types in the Includes tab in Enrich.

Integration considerations

It is also necessary to ensure that the integration solution is designed to manage different entity types in one channel node. 

Further reading

Inriver Plan & Release

Rules and queries in inriver Plan & Release

Intelligent linking in inriver Plan & Release