Overview
Some assets never travel alone. A charging cart is tracked in Onflo as an asset in its own right, but it is really a container for the laptops and Chromebooks stored inside it. Before this feature, moving one cart meant re-assigning every device on it, one at a time.
Linked Assets solves that. An asset can now act as a parent for multiple child assets, and can separately be linked to other assets. Child assets move with their parent: when the parent’s assignment changes, its children follow. Linked assets stay independent — the relationship is recorded for reference only.
All three relationship types — parent, child and linked — are managed from the Related Assets tab in the asset detail panel, and can also be set in bulk from the asset list, during Check In, or through Asset Import.
Key concepts
Parent and child assets
A parent-child relationship is a tightly coupled one. As the in-product note states: “Child assets move together with this asset when it is relocated.”
A parent can hold multiple child assets.
A child asset has exactly one parent.
A parent can have a maximum child assets limit, or be set to No Limit.
When a child is removed from its parent, it retains the location assignment it had from the parent — it is not unassigned.
Linked assets
A link is a loosely coupled relationship. As the in-product note states: “Linked assets are loosely coupled and stay independent of each other.”
An asset can be linked to multiple assets.
Linked assets do not move with each other.
Use links to record a meaningful association — for example a printer and the copier it sits beside — without tying their assignments together.
Rule of thumb: if moving one asset must move the other, use parent-child. If you only need to record that they belong together, use a link.
Prerequisites
Both assets already exist in Onflo. Relationships are created between existing asset records.
You know the Asset IDs of the assets involved, or can scan their barcodes — every asset picker in this feature accepts typed IDs and barcode scans.
You have access to the Assets module and to Bulk Edit if you plan to use the bulk actions.
Where to find it
Open Assets, select an asset to open its detail panel, then go to the Related Assets tab. Until a relationship exists, the tab shows an empty state: “Linked assets, child assets and parent assets will be shown here once added.”
Three actions are available at the bottom of the panel: Link Assets, Add Child and Select Parent.
Adding child assets
Open the asset that will act as the parent and go to Related Assets.
Click Add Child. The Add Child Asset panel opens, headed with the parent’s name and Asset ID.
Note the reminder at the top of the panel: “Child assets move together with this asset when it is relocated.”
Expand Maximum Child Assets Allowed to set how many child assets this parent can hold. Leave it as No Limit, or enter a number — for example 10 for a ten-bay charging cart.
Use the Search & select multiple assets field to find the assets to add. Type Asset IDs or scan barcodes; you can select several in one go.
Each asset you select is added as a chip, and the counter above shows progress against the limit — for example Child Added (1/10).
Click Done. The footer confirms the count, e.g. “2 child assets added”.
After saving, the Related Assets tab lists the children under a Child Asset section. The section header shows the count and a Max. pill with the current limit.
When the child limit is reached
Once the counter reaches the limit — for example Child Added (2/2) — no further assets can be selected. Onflo blocks the selection and shows the message “Maximum limit of 2 child assets reached.” Raise the limit or remove one of the selected assets to continue.
Changing the maximum child assets limit
Click the pencil icon on the Max. pill to reopen the Child Assets Limit panel. The panel states how many children the asset currently has and constrains your choice accordingly — for an asset with 2 children, you can either set No Limit or a limit of 2 or more. You cannot set a limit below the number of children already attached.
Linking assets
Open an asset and go to Related Assets.
Click Link Assets. The panel confirms that “Linked assets are loosely coupled and stay independent of each other.”
Search or scan to select one or more assets to link. Each appears as a chip under Linked Assets.
Click Done. The footer confirms the count, e.g. “2 assets linked”.
Viewing relationships
The Related Assets tab groups everything into collapsible sections — Child Asset, Linked Asset and, on a child asset, Parent Asset — each with its own count. An asset can appear in more than one relationship at the same time: a cart can have child assets and linked assets side by side.
Opening a child asset shows the relationship from the other side, as a Parent Asset section naming its parent.
Managing existing relationships
Remove a child asset
On the parent’s Related Assets tab, open the three-dot menu on the child asset card and choose Remove Child.
A Confirm Remove Child dialog explains that the child will be removed from the parent and that “the child asset will retain the location assignment from the parent asset.”
Click Remove Child to confirm, or Cancel to keep the relationship.
Change a child’s parent
Open the three-dot menu on the child asset card and choose Change Parent.
Search for the new parent by Asset ID or scan its barcode. The result appears under Selected Parent, showing how many child assets it already holds and its maximum capacity — for example “1 Child Asset · Max capacity 10” — so you can see whether there is room.
Click Done. A confirmation appears: “Updated parent asset successfully!”, with an Undo option.
Remove or change a parent from the child asset
The same two actions are available from the child’s own Related Assets tab. Open the three-dot menu on the Parent Asset card and choose Remove Parent or Change Parent.
Remove a link
Expand the Linked Asset section and click the unlink icon on the linked asset card.
A Confirm Remove Link dialog states that “the selected asset link will be removed from this asset.”
Click Remove Link. A confirmation appears with an Undo option.
Bulk actions from the asset list
Relationships can be built for several assets at once. Select the assets in the Assets list, then open Bulk Edit. Three relationship actions are available: Link Asset, Create Parent-Child Relation and Select a Parent.
Create Parent-Child Relation
Use this when the whole group is being set up from scratch and one of the selected assets should become the parent.
Select the assets and choose Bulk Edit › Create Parent-Child Relation.
The dialog asks you to choose which asset is the parent — “The remaining 3 assets become its child assets and move with it.” Pick one with the radio button; it is badged Selected as Parent.
Optionally expand Maximum Child Assets Allowed to cap how many children the new parent can hold.
Click Done.
Select a Parent
Use this when the parent is an asset you did not select — for example adding twenty devices to an existing cart.
Select the child assets and choose Bulk Edit › Select a Parent.
The dialog explains: “Pick an existing parent to add the 2 selected to it, or any free asset to make a new parent.” Search for and choose the parent.
Confirm the summary — “The 2 assets you selected will be added under the chosen parent” — and click Done.
Link Asset (bulk)
Select the assets and choose Bulk Edit › Link Asset.
The Link Assets dialog asks you to choose the primary asset — “The remaining 1 asset is linked to the primary asset.” The chosen asset is badged Selected as Primary.
Click Done. The link then appears in the Linked Asset section of the primary asset’s Related Assets tab.
Assigning a parent during Check In
Because a cart is itself an asset, devices can be checked in to it. On the Check In screen, set the storage location to an asset: any asset checked in to another asset becomes a child of that asset, and from then on moves with it.
Open Assets › Actions › Check In.
Under Select Storage Location, set Assignment Type to Asset.
Search in the Asset ID field. Each result offers Select Parent if the asset is already a parent, or Create Parent if it is not yet one.
Enter a Capacity for the parent if you want to cap how many assets it can hold, then click Done.
In Check In Assets, scan or type each Asset ID and click Check In. Every asset checked in this way is added as a child of the selected parent.
Confirm the results in CheckIn History on the right.
Importing relationships
Relationships can be loaded in bulk through Asset Import. On the Column Mapping step, two fields carry relationship data:
Child Assets — the assets to attach beneath the imported asset.
Related Assets — the assets to link to the imported asset.
Both are text fields. Enter the Asset IDs as a comma-separated list in the spreadsheet cell — for example AST-00433, AST-00451, AST-00514 — and map the column to the matching field. Leave a field as Not Mapped — Optional if your file does not include it.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between a child asset and a linked asset?
A child asset is tightly coupled to its parent and moves with it when the parent is relocated. A linked asset is loosely coupled: the relationship is recorded, but the two assets stay independent and their assignments do not affect each other.
How many child assets can one parent hold?
As many as you allow. Set Maximum Child Assets Allowed to No Limit, or to a specific number. The limit can be changed later, but never to a value below the number of children already attached.
Can an asset be a parent and have linked assets at the same time?
Yes. The Related Assets tab shows Child Asset and Linked Asset sections side by side on the same asset.
Can a child asset have more than one parent?
No. A child asset has a single parent, which is shown in its Parent Asset section. To move it elsewhere, use Change Parent.
What happens to a child asset when I remove it from its parent?
It retains the location assignment it had from the parent. Removing the relationship does not clear the child’s assignment.
I removed the wrong relationship. Can I get it back?
Yes, if you act immediately. Removing a link and changing a parent both show a confirmation message with an Undo option.
Do I have to build relationships one asset at a time?
No. Use Bulk Edit from the asset list for many assets at once, check devices in against a parent on the Check In screen, or map the Child Assets and Related Assets columns during Asset Import.
Troubleshooting
The Related Assets tab is empty. No relationship has been created yet. Use Link Assets, Add Child or Select Parent at the bottom of the panel.
I cannot lower the child limit. The Child Assets Limit panel will not accept a value below the number of children already attached. Remove children first, or choose No Limit.
“Maximum limit of N child assets reached.” The parent is already holding as many child assets as its limit allows — the counter reads, for example, Child Added (2/2). Raise the limit on the Max. pill, or remove a child to free a slot.
The new parent looks full. The Change Parent and Select a Parent pickers show each candidate’s current child count and maximum capacity. Pick a parent with room, or raise that parent’s limit first.
A device did not attach during Check In. Confirm that Assignment Type is set to Asset and that a parent was chosen with Select Parent or Create Parent before scanning, then re-check the CheckIn History list.
Imported relationships are missing. Check the Column Mapping step of the import: Child Assets and Related Assets default to Not Mapped — Optional and must be mapped to the columns holding the Asset IDs.