> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://learn.nextedy.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Parent Item Mode

> **Parent Item Mode** is a swimlane assignment type that groups work items into horizontal swimlanes by their parent work item.

This mode is one of the eight assignment modes available in Nextedy PLANNINGBOARD. See [Assignment Modes](/planningboard/reference/assignment-modes/index) for a full comparison.

***

## Overview

<Frame>
  <img src="https://mintcdn.com/none-17b4493f/vfRg9jxXRntLqZFW/planningboard/diagrams/reference/assignment-modes/parent-mode/diagram-1.svg?fit=max&auto=format&n=vfRg9jxXRntLqZFW&q=85&s=97fc124d5d4f98142c1c8dee32cb77f3" alt="Planningboard board in Parent Item Mode, showing swimlanes for Feature A, Feature B, and Feature C across Plan columns, each containing the User Story cards linked to that parent Feature" width="600" height="268" data-path="planningboard/diagrams/reference/assignment-modes/parent-mode/diagram-1.svg" />
</Frame>

**Key behaviour:** When Parent Item Mode is active, Planningboard resolves each work item's parent via the configured link role and places the card into the swimlane belonging to that parent. If you drag a card to the wrong swimlane, Planningboard automatically moves it back to the correct parent's row. You cannot freely choose a swimlane — the parent relationship is enforced.

<Warning title="Plan normalization not supported">
  Parent Item Mode does **not** support plan normalization (`planCellsMode`). Capacity normalization across plan columns is unavailable when this assignment mode is selected.
</Warning>

***

## Widget Parameters

Configure Parent Item Mode in the **Widget Parameters** panel under **Swimlanes (Rows)**.

| Parameter        | Type                  | Default         | Description                                                                                                                                       |
| ---------------- | --------------------- | --------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| `assignmentMode` | enum                  | —               | Set to `PARENT` to activate this mode.                                                                                                            |
| `swimlaneSort`   | enum                  | See application | Determines the vertical order of parent swimlanes on the board. See [Swimlane Sort Order](#swimlane-sort-order) below.                            |
| `parentRole`     | string                | —               | The Polarion link role that connects child work items to their parent (e.g., `implements`). Must be a valid link role ID in your project.         |
| `parentQuery`    | string (Lucene)       | —               | Optional Lucene query to filter which parent items appear as swimlanes. When empty, all parents reachable via the configured link role are shown. |
| `filterParents`  | string                | `No`            | When set to `Yes`, restricts the visible swimlanes to parents matched by `parentQuery`. When `No`, all parents with linked items are shown.       |
| `reportLink`     | string (URL template) | —               | Optional URL opened when clicking a swimlane label. May contain template variables referencing the parent work item.                              |

### Swimlane Sort Order

The `swimlaneSort` parameter controls the vertical ordering of parent swimlanes. Available options depend on your Planningboard version and project configuration.

<Info title="Verify in application">
  The exact enumeration values for `swimlaneSort` in Parent Item Mode are documented in the separate KB article [Sorting of Swimlanes (Parent Item Assignment Type)](https://support.nextedy.com/support/solutions/articles/48001277117-sorting-of-swimlanes-parent-item-assignment-type-). Confirm available options in your installation.
</Info>

***

## Assignment Mode Properties

The following properties from `AssignmentMode` apply when Parent Item Mode is active.

| Property               | Type    | Default        | Description                                                                                                                                        |
| ---------------------- | ------- | -------------- | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| `assignmentMode`       | string  | `ASSIGNEE`     | Set to `PARENT` to enable Parent Item Mode.                                                                                                        |
| `showEmptySwimlanes`   | boolean | `false`        | When `true`, swimlanes for parent items with no child work items are still rendered on the board. When `false`, empty parent swimlanes are hidden. |
| `swimlaneSort`         | string  | `alphabetical` | Sort order applied to parent swimlanes. Controls vertical ordering of lanes.                                                                       |
| `collapsibleSwimlanes` | boolean | `true`         | Allows users to collapse and expand individual swimlanes. Useful when the board has many parent items.                                             |

<Note>
  The `parentWorkItemType` property (from `AssignmentMode`) can filter parent items by work item type. When set, only parent items of the specified type are loaded as swimlanes.
</Note>

***

## Drag-and-Drop Behaviour

Parent Item Mode enforces the parent–child relationship during drag-and-drop operations.

| Action                                       | Behaviour                                                                                                                                                         |
| -------------------------------------------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| Drag a card to the correct parent's swimlane | Card is dropped and planned into that Plan column.                                                                                                                |
| Drag a card to a different parent's swimlane | Card is automatically moved back to the swimlane of its actual parent. The incorrect placement is not persisted.                                                  |
| Drag a card from the Unplanned section       | Card is placed under the swimlane matching its configured parent item.                                                                                            |
| Alt+drag a card                              | Creates a duplicate assignment to another resource. This interaction is available in compatible modes; verify behaviour in Parent Item Mode in your installation. |

<Warning title="Swimlane is determined by the parent link — not by drop target">
  Unlike [Assignee Mode](/planningboard/reference/assignment-modes/assignee-mode) or [Enumeration Field Mode](/planningboard/reference/assignment-modes/enum-mode), you cannot freely reassign a work item to a different swimlane by dragging. The parent link on the work item determines its swimlane. To move a card to a different parent's swimlane, update the parent link role on the work item directly in Polarion.
</Warning>

***

## Limitations

* **Plan normalization** (`planCellsMode`) is **not supported** in Parent Item Mode. Capacity bars will not reflect normalized values across plan columns.
* Parent swimlanes are derived from the link role configured in `parentRole`. Work items with no matching parent link are not displayed unless the board is configured to show unlinked items separately.
* The swimlane sort order is coupled to the item sort order in this mode — see the Planningboard generation guidance for details on this known constraint.

***

## Configuration Example

The following example configures the **Swimlanes (Rows)** section of the widget to use Parent Item Mode, grouping User Stories by their parent Feature via the `implements` link role. Only Features matching a Lucene query are shown as swimlanes.

**Widget Parameters — Swimlanes (Rows):**

```properties theme={null}
# Assignment Type
Assignment Type = Parent Item

# Link role connecting User Stories to Features
Parent Role     = implements

# Lucene query: only show Features from the current release
Parent Query    = type:feature AND linkedWorkItems.role:implements

# Show only the Features matched by the query
Filter Parents  = Yes

# Report link: open a Feature details report when clicking the swimlane label
Report Link     = /polarion/#/project/${r.objectId.projectId}/wiki/FEATURE_REPORT?feature=${r.objectId.itemId}
```

**Result:** The board renders one swimlane per Feature returned by the query. Each swimlane contains the User Story cards linked to that Feature via the `implements` role. Dragging a User Story to a Feature swimlane it does not belong to causes the card to snap back to its correct parent's row.

<Tip title="Parent Query syntax">
  The `Parent Query` field uses standard Polarion Lucene query syntax. Combine field filters to narrow which parent items appear — for example, `type:feature AND status:open` to show only open Features.
</Tip>

***

## Related Pages

* [Assignment Modes](/planningboard/reference/assignment-modes/index) — Overview and comparison of all assignment modes
* [Assignee Mode](/planningboard/reference/assignment-modes/assignee-mode) — Groups swimlanes by user (assignee)
* [Enumeration Field Mode](/planningboard/reference/assignment-modes/enum-mode) — Groups swimlanes by a custom enumeration field value
* [Project Mode](/planningboard/reference/assignment-modes/project-mode) — Groups swimlanes by sub-project
* [Swimlanes (Rows) Parameters](/planningboard/reference/widget-parameters/swimlanes-parameters) — Full widget parameter reference for swimlane configuration
* [Work Items Parameters](/planningboard/reference/widget-parameters/work-items-parameters) — Configuring which work items appear on the board

<Accordion title="Sources">
  **KB Articles**

  * Swimlane Assignment Types
  * Planningboard interface & basic interactions
  * Planningboard Widget Parameters

  **Support Tickets**

  * [#5879](https://support.nextedy.com/helpdesk/tickets/5879)

  **Source Code**

  * `PlanningBoardWidgetRenderer.java`
  * `PlanningBoardDataService.java`
  * `PlansMode.java`
  * `PlanningBoardWidgetDependenciesProcessor.java`
  * `planningboard.js`
</Accordion>