Creating a Template Main Menu

The Main Menu is a central feature in any website navigation. In SmartSpace every website template has the option of having a Main Menu.

The SmartSpace Main Menu can have up to ten menu items (depending on the template design - refer to the template manual) as well as up to twenty sub-menu items in each item.

When selecting any template, a Main Menu Content Panel is created an is ready to configure. Navigate to:

Content Manager > Website Templates > Main Menu

Adding Menu Links

When you go to the Main Menu page, you will find a summary of the menu items available. To add more items, click "Add Main Menu Links"

• There will be the status of the main menu in terms of the number of items available to be added
• If required, add the extra number of links you require in the Add Extra Links field and click Next >>
• This will take you to a page with all the links now created, on them
• Configure the extra links a described below

Configuring Main Menu Links

Each Main Menu link can be configured independantly from each other, however, if you plan to use Smart Tabs you may need take this feature into consideration. Read more here about Smart Tabs

• Ensure that you place the required Link Text into the adjoining field - Content title or category is not used for link text in the main menu
• If you wish to deactivate a link either untick the Activate check box or set the Order Number to 0
• Set an Order Number greater than zero, if you want them to appear
• Note that the Order Numbers do not have to be consecutive - numbers are not shown
• There is no way of knowing what order Links will appear when the order number for them is the same
• They will appear side by side
• They will be in relative order to the rest of the links

Auto Links

• To generate an automated link, ensure that the Auto radio box selection is made
• Once this is made, you make a selection from the Auto Selection drop down list
• Some of these selections then require a further Id to narrow the selection (see below)
  • Content - User Created Category  -  use a Content Category Id
  • Content - Specially selected page - use an Article Id
  • Content - Trader Content Category - use a Content Category Id
  • Department - Special Category -use the Department Id
  • Department - User selected Ids - use one or more Department Ids - comma separate if more than one
  • Groups - User selected Ids - use one or more Group Ids - comma separate if more than one
  • Products - User selected Ids - use one or more Product Ids - comma separate if more than one
• The remainder of the selections will link to the the intended selection
• Records Returned allows you to determine the maximum number of sub menu items returned depending on the selection
  • When some form of category is selected, the menu will attempt to return that number of products, articles or groups
  • It will only return the number available if the maximum is not met
  • Some widget links will never return a sub menu
  • The Home Page Link
  • Specially selected page or product
• The redirection feature in the Content Manager can be used to manipulate the system to produce just about any sub menu you want
• Make sure you click the  Next>> button at the bottom of the page to save your changes

Manual Links

If the Manual radio box selection is made, you must build that set of links manually. This is done with a special link builder, which is available after you save your changes to the overall menu

• After clicking Next>>, this takes you back to the Main Menu status page.  Manual Links are listed separately
• Click Manage Attached Manual Links
• Insert a complete URL in the Parent Link field - this is the main link from the visible menu item
• If no URL  is placed in the Parent Link field, clicking on the link text will take you nowhere
• In this case, Child Links must be created, otherwise the link is useless
• Child Links are the links that appear in the submenu
  • it should always start with http:// or in the case of a secure site, https://
  • Add and manage child links in the same way
• Always check manual links to ensure they work as intended after creating or editing manual links
• The preferred way of creating these links is:
  • Oen another tab in your browser
  • Go to the page you wish to link to
  • Copy the address that is in the address bar of the browser with Ctrl+C
  • Paste the link into the appropriate field in the Main Menu manager with Ctrl+V

Note: Reactivating the Auto setting in the Menu configuration will not delete the manual links, but will disable them. You will need to change the setting back to Manual to reactivate or to edit them.

Always check your menu after editing.