<p>It appears the preferred way is by using <code>getDescendants()</code> — In fact, the <code>children</code> property is actually an alias for <code>getDescendants(1)</code>. (The parameter specifies a maximum distance (i.e. number of levels) of the child from the parent.)</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-12-04T14:12:31.120Z
Yes, you should use `getDescendants`. But the error came because you applied `getChildren` to the wrong type of elements (`getChildren` was replaced with `relatedTo` for these type of relations at some point).
carlcs
CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-12-04T14:15:50.313Z
Just found it in the [Craft 1.3.2409 release notes](http://buildwithcraft.com/updates#build2409).
carlcs
CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-12-04T14:00:22.693Z
2014-12-04T14:00:22.693Z
Michael Rog
<p>My templates that referenced <code>entry.children</code> or <code>entry.getChildren()</code> have started throwing deprecation notices:</p>

<blockquote>
  <p>Calling getChildren() to fetch an element’s target relations has been deprecated. Use the relatedTo param instead.</p>
</blockquote>

<p>What is the preferred way to search for an entry's children — either ALL of its children, or just its direct children — using the <code>relatedTo()</code> param?</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-12-04T07:57:23.523Z
What type of entries are these? You should not get these messages for structure entries (see [BaseElementModel, line 540](https://github.com/pixelandtonic/Craft-Release/blob/059e8e12ea3886dd1d8b5900a81c22fb562f7759/app/models/BaseElementModel.php#L540)).
carlcs
CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-12-04T14:03:41.477Z
Good catch, @carlcs. My use case is in generating some nav links. (There are a few edge cases where my `entry` may not be a structure entry, in which case it has no children and generates no nav options...)
Michael Rog
<structure><relations><children>
How to search children with relatedTo param
# How to search children with relatedTo param

(Asked by: username_0 on 2014-12-03)

My templates that referenced `entry.children` or `entry.getChildren()` have started throwing deprecation notices:

> Calling getChildren() to fetch an element’s target relations has been deprecated. Use the relatedTo param instead.

What is the preferred way to search for an entry's children — either ALL of its children, or just its direct children — using the `relatedTo()` param?

**Tags:** structure, relations, children
> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: What type of entries are these? You should not get these messages for structure entries (see [BaseElementModel, line 540](https://github.com/pixelandtonic/Craft-Release/blob/059e8e12ea3886dd1d8b5900a81c22fb562f7759/app/models/BaseElementModel.php#L540)).  
> **username_0**: Good catch, @carlcs. My use case is in generating some nav links. (There are a few edge cases where my `entry` may not be a structure entry, in which case it has no children and generates no nav options...)  

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## 1 answers

### Answer by username_0 on 2014-12-04. Score: 5

It appears the preferred way is by using `getDescendants()` — In fact, the `children` property is actually an alias for `getDescendants(1)`. (The parameter specifies a maximum distance (i.e. number of levels) of the child from the parent.)

> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: Yes, you should use `getDescendants`. But the error came because you applied `getChildren` to the wrong type of elements (`getChildren` was replaced with `relatedTo` for these type of relations at some point).  
> **username_1**: Just found it in the [Craft 1.3.2409 release notes](http://buildwithcraft.com/updates#build2409).  

---

