Link types

Understanding the different link types in Matrix is essential when creating assets for a Site. The link type you select affects how an asset displays on your Site’s frontend. The way you reuse assets in your Site (referred to as linking assets) is also heavily reliant on link types.

The available link types have corresponding numeric values for use in system configurations (for example, web services).

Table 1. Link types reference
UI link	System link	Link value	Description
Menu link	`TYPE_1`	`1`	Assets with this link type display in the asset tree, and usually appear in the navigation menu and breadcrumbs on a site’s frontend.
Hidden link	`TYPE_2`	`2`	Assets with this link type display in the asset tree (with an orange icon) but usually do not appear in navigation menus and breadcrumbs on the frontend.
Invisible link	`TYPE_3`	`4`	Assets with this link type do not display in the asset tree, nor do they typically appear on the frontend. This link type indicates that a special or hidden relationship exists between the assets. For example, a submission asset created as a result of a website user completing a custom form creates a `TYPE_3` linked asset relationship.
Reference link	`NOTICE`	`8`	Matrix creates links of this type to indicate that another asset is affected if you delete this asset. The following scenarios apply to the Reference link type: An asset has been linked within the bodycopy content of another asset. For example, if you create a hyperlink to a PDF Document within the bodycopy of a standard page, this link will appear as a `Reference` link on the Linking screen of the bodycopy container. An asset is the Index Page or home page of a Site.