Valid Family Relationships
A family tree has to make sense as a family: people need to fit into generations, with parents above their children. StructureGram checks every parent, child and partner link you record against a small set of rules, and refuses a link that would break one. That applies on a family tree, in a relationship form, and in a scenario on an ownership diagram. Imports and XPM sync work differently; see Imports and XPM below.
These rules apply only to family relationships (parent, child and partner). Ownership and role relationships such as shareholder, director, trustee and beneficiary are not affected.
The Rules
1. No one is their own parent, child or partner
A person can't be linked to themselves in any family relationship.
2. No one is their own ancestor
A parent line can't loop back on itself. You can't make someone the parent of their own parent, grandparent or anyone further up their line. If Sophie is Monika's mother, Monika can't also be recorded as Sophie's parent, or as the parent of Sophie's mother.
3. A parent is recorded once
A person can only be recorded once as a particular child's parent. To change how they are a parent (for example from biological to adoptive), edit the existing link rather than adding another.
A child can have more than two parents. Adoptive parents, foster parents and guardians are recorded alongside the biological parents. See Family Relationship Types.
4. Partners are not also parent and child
Two people who are partners can't also be recorded as parent and child, in either direction.
5. No one partners an ancestor or descendant
A partner can't be someone's parent, grandparent, child, grandchild or anyone else in their direct line. This is checked both ways:
- When you add a partnership: you can't partner someone with a person in their own direct line.
- When you add a parent or child: you can't add a parent or child link that would put one partner in the other's direct line. For example, if Mum and Ed are partners, Mum's child can't be recorded as Ed's parent, because that would make Mum Ed's grandmother.
The rules cover direct lines only: parents, grandparents and so on, up and down. Relatives by marriage, such as a partner's parents or a parent's new partner, aren't in anyone's direct line, so they don't trigger this rule.
What You See
On a family tree
When you add a parent, child or partner from the inspector, people who would break a rule are greyed out in the list, with the reason next to their name:
| Reason shown | Rule |
|---|---|
| A descendant cannot be a parent / An ancestor cannot be a child | 2. No one is their own ancestor |
| Already a parent / Already a child | 3. A parent is recorded once |
| A spouse cannot be a parent / A spouse cannot be a child | 4. Partners are not parent and child |
| An ancestor or descendant cannot be a spouse | 5. No partnering an ancestor or descendant |
| Would make a married couple ancestor and descendant | 5. The same rule, triggered by a parent or child link |
| Already a spouse | You are already partners, so the list doesn't offer them again |
If everyone in the list is greyed out, a note at the top explains why.
The list is checked against the family recorded in this group. If a link would break a rule through someone outside the group, that person can still appear in the list, and saving the link is refused with one of the messages below.
When saving a relationship elsewhere
If a relationship form, or a scenario being committed on an ownership diagram, would break a rule, the save is refused with a message naming the rule:
- A person cannot be their own parent or spouse.
- This parent link would make a person their own ancestor.
- This person is already a parent of that child.
- Spouses cannot also be parent and child.
- An ancestor or descendant cannot be a spouse.
- This link would make a married couple ancestor and descendant. (a parent or child link that would put one partner in the other's direct line)
Nothing is saved when a link is refused. In a scenario, the change stays staged, so you can correct it and commit again.
"That person is no longer in this family tree"
On a family tree that shows a chosen set of people (a diagram scope), you can only link to people who are currently in it. If someone was removed from the tree in another tab or window, reload the diagram and try again.
Imports and XPM
- Imports (ASIC extracts and trust deeds) create ownership and role relationships. They never create family relationships, so add those in the app.
- XPM sync brings in family relationships as XPM holds them. It doesn't apply these rules, so check family links that come from XPM on the family tree. The one exception: if two XPM clients both match the same person in StructureGram, a family link between them would link that person to themselves. The sync skips that link, notes it in the sync's warnings, and imports everything else.
Why These Rules Exist
Every rule protects the family tree's layout and its meaning. A person who is their own ancestor has no generation, a parent–child pair who are also partners can't be drawn sensibly, and an impossible family makes every report and diagram built on it wrong. Refusing the link when you record it is kinder than a tree that silently draws something misleading.