Plugins/CollectionTree

Collection Tree plugin allows Omeka sites to have nested collections. One collection can have at most one parent collection and one collection can have zero OR more child collections.

Version Requirements

1.5 and above

Installation

  1. Upload and install the Collection Tree plugin (see Installing_a_Plugin)
  2. Once activated, the plugin automatically creates a tab in the Admin navigation called Collection Tree where you may view relationship between collections. To create those relationships, first start in the Collections tab (admin/collections).

Nesting Collections

As with all Omeka Collections, first create a collection and then you can create the nested relationships.

  • Start by creating the main or "parent" collection following the same procedures as you would for creating any collection, see Managing_Collections.
  • At the bottom of the Add Collection page, you will find a heading, Parent Collection. In that section, you will determine the main or parent collection of the one you are currently adding. Here we are creating the parent, called "Cars," and so we will not choose a collection.
  • To nest sub-collections, we create new collections as we did above, (named "Cadillac," "Hudson," Oldsmobile") and then in the Parent Collection section, select "Cars" as the parent for each.
    • Now, Cars is the parent, or main collection, and Cadillac, Hudson, Oldsmobile are child or sub-collections.
  • To view the hierarchy of all collections in your Omeka site, click on the Collection Tree tab (/admin/collection-tree) to see these relationships.
  • This process also works when editing existing collections. You may return to collections created before adding the Collection Tree plugin and create parent-child relationships.
    • Please note that one collection can have at most one parent collection and one collection can have zero OR more child collections.

Adding Items to Collections

  • When Adding or Editing an Item, go to the Collection tab to choose a collection from the dropdown menu.
  • As a reminder of the current relationships of parent and child collections, the collection tree displays in this screen.
  • You may choose to associate the item with a child or a parent collection, depending on how you wish to organize your items.
    • Your still image of a Phaeton probably will be organized into the Cadillac collection, which we know is already a sub-collection of Cars.

Public Display of Collections and Relationships

  • Only parent collections appear by default on the public /collections browse pages.
  • Clicking on a parent collection brings you its collections/show page, with a section called Collection Relations. Child collections are listed below that heading, with a link to each. The parent Cars would list Cadillac, Hudson, Oldsmobile and link to the collections/show page for each of those child/sub-collections.
  • Child/sub-collection show pages contain a link back to its parent.
  • On public item pages, the collection that the item is associated with will be displayed only (not the parent, if there is one).
    • The collection displayed on the Phaeton item page will be Cadillac.

Customizing Public Display of Plugin Info

  • Edit the CollectionTreePlugin.php file found in the plugin's main directory to edit the text of headings on the Collections/show pages, or to modify the plugin's functions.