> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://docs.work-relay.com/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://docs.work-relay.com/processes/process-steps/process-step-settings/connection-points.md).

# Connection points

Connection points allow you to link different processes (not sub-processes) so they can be shown together in the Process progress component and Gantt chart.

Go to Process builder. Open [Step Settings](/processes/process-steps/process-step-settings.md) (1) and expand "Connection Points" (2). Click "add" link (3) to open connection point config popup:

![](/files/4d13b6551dddb96d125e871cde64a070de6c9930)

There are different types of connection points:

* Lookup
* Relationship
* Junction Lookup
* Junction Relationship

What can be used in a particular situation depends on relations between Data Source Objects.

Processes data source objects should have a lookup relationship to be linked via a Connection point.

## Lookup connection point

Initial: you need a connection point from a process at object A to a process at object C. These objects may be different or may be the same object. Object A has a lookup field looking at Object C.

Go to the process on object A, select a step where the other process will be connected, and create a custom data field with these properties:

* Type = Connection Point
* Source = Lookup
* Relationship = object C
* Process = process on object C to be connected

![](/files/fe79934812f7a2b40b34ea0f6b941edac833e74b)

When Process is selected, a versions list will appear (4). You can select any available process versions or leave the default "All versions". This feature allows only instances started on a specified version to be connected, or any—and even all - instances started for the same record on different versions of the same process, if the connected process allows [duplicates between versions](/processes/working-with-processes/process-versions.md).

* Starting release 6.0, you can select process versions in connection points.
* This feature works for all types of Connection Points.
* Only Primary versions of connected processes will be shown in the [Gantt](/functional/gantt-chart/introduction-to-gantt-charts.md) chart.

## Relationship connection point

Initial: you need a connection point from a process at object A to a process at object C. These objects may be different or may be the same object. Object C has a lookup field looking at Object A, so records of A have related lists with records of C.

Go to the process on object A, select a step where the other process will be connected, and create a custom data field with these properties:

* Type = Connection Point
* Source = Relationship
* Relationship = object C
* Process = process on object C to be connected

![](/files/74cbc8abca98a06d229f92e82c6325bdc07dbe04)

## Junction Lookup connection point

Initial: you need a connection point from a process at object A to a process at object C. These objects have no relations between them. You need to have or create an intermediate object B that has lookups to both A and C:

![](/files/a7f9c60082eda82395516e2057ee20ca431076c2)

Go to the process on object A, select a step where the other process will be connected, and create a custom data field with these properties:

* Type = Connection Point
* Source = Junction Lookup
* Relationship = intermediate object B
* Field = lookup to object C
* Process = process on object C to be connected

![](/files/7bff88c35f710af9498de81e3b2393e28d2a72cb)

Start both connected processes on objects A and C, then see connection points on process A. You will not see any connected processes C until you create record(s) on object B whose lookups point to the proper records at A and C.

![](/files/d2813d83319459813929f19870a458a7aacca7f9)

You can create records on B in advance. Then processes on A and C will be connected automatically when started on proper records, which are targets of lookups on records of object B.

## Junction Relationship connection point

Initial: you need a connection point from a process at object A to a process at object C. These objects have no direct relations between them, but there is an intermediate object B with the following properties:

* Object B has lookup to object A.
* Object C has lookup to object B.

So, relations between objects look like `C → B → A` (where `→` is a lookup). In this case, a record of object A has a list of records of object B (Related list), and a record of B has a list of records of C:

![](/files/aa57fd01ba63455510bf587a2da8892b72fba107)

Go to the process on object A, select a step where the other process will be connected, and create a custom data field with these properties:

* Type = Connection Point
* Source = Junction Relationship
* Relationship = intermediate object B
* Junction Relationship = object C
* Process = process on object C to be connected

![](/files/7e9764f75941bf6f845c12908e630f58a04a1e6f)

* Start both connected processes on objects A and C and see connected instances on process A.
* You will see connection points on process A. You will not see any connected processes C until you create record(s) on object B whose lookups point to proper records at A and whose related list contains record(s) of object C. After creating these junction records, you will see all instances of process C that were started on records with lookups to records of B, which have lookups to the observed record A.
* If you modify records on B or C to make both lookups `B → A` and `C → B` point to started process instances, the proper process instances will be connected to record A automatically.

![](/files/c1a9567cc358ba67ad0ee36e4e4e60be3b55ae23)

You can create records on B in advance. Then processes on A and C will be connected automatically when started on proper records.

## How to see connected instances

After all necessary records have been started, connected instances will be shown automatically in the following places.

### Process progress component

{% stepper %}
{% step %}

#### Open the process progress bar

Go to the process details page, or any other page where this process progress bar is shown, such as the record page.

Select the necessary record to see its progress bar.
{% endstep %}

{% step %}

#### Open the connection point

Find a step with the connection icon (5).

Click the connection icon to show the list of connection points (6).
{% endstep %}

{% step %}

#### View connected instances

Click the needed connection point in the list. A connected process popup will be shown (7) with the list of connected instances (8).

Click the "View" button (9) on the necessary instance to open its progress bar, or the "View All" button (10) to open all of them. Click menu (11) items to open only specific instances.
{% endstep %}

{% step %}

#### View several connected instances

To show several connected instances at once, check the needed checkboxes (12) and click the "View" button (13) at the bottom of the popup.
{% endstep %}

{% step %}

#### View connected instance progress bars

The progress bar for connected instance(s) will be shown (14).
{% endstep %}
{% endstepper %}

![](/files/01b1ba0780d9b8eed47b8d7ee1f6cf321efb742f)

![](/files/3af6048bd87e5da4b593dba78b29ff62b2b244ac)

If you open some connected instances, checkboxes (12) will be checked for proper records in the popup (7) when you open it. If you uncheck some of these checkboxes, progress bars for proper connected instances will disappear from the progress component.

You can load all connected instances by clicking the proper button (15) in the parent process progress bar menu.

Connected instances, all or active only, can also be loaded automatically if the proper option was selected in Progress Component Settings of process (16).

![](/files/aa2ba16c9f8286102a3100a41a4f2b27f95f8637)

![](/files/c272ad93533d4e8467b97ef38923dfad0aca4ff4)

### Gantt chart

Connected instances will be shown for started processes only, in both View (17) and Edit (18) modes:

![](/files/3f3f3a67423d0df7dadec10ce29c43752dbb700c)

![](/files/9c1a83943a7d5c2c4e79ff27c4bc65340b945ea6)

### Progress dashboards

Connected instances are shown in custom (19) and automatically generated process dashboards (20):

![](/files/26d9e7f30f97b1e2e2c92ec1c4266b2d819a71ab)

![](/files/84704b4a73c58949c9e32375355896e473657611)