WordPress navigation menu – how to create it. How to add elements to it, insert your own link and manage menu locations in the theme.
Table of Contents
What is the navigation menu?
The navigation menu helps visitors orient themselves in the content of the site. By using it, they will find the information they are looking for. Navigation creates the structure of a WordPress site. Most often you will find it at the top or side of the page.
Navigation creation and editing tools can be found in the WordPress administration under Appearance. The navigation contains links to pages, entries, categories or other types of page content.
How to create a navigation menu in WordPress
Most WordPress themes allow you to create more than one navigation menu. You can create several of them – in the header, sidebar (as a widget) or at the footer of the page. To create a new navigation, click Menu under Appearance in the theme administration. A message window will open.
When you click Create new menu, a window will open in which you will fill in its name. Click Create menu to create a new navigation item.
If you want to create a so-called mega menu, you can use this plugin, or choose a theme that supports it.
Editing existing navigation
You can further customize individual navigation options. Their list is displayed after clicking the arrow on the menu Select menu to edit. After selecting a specific item, click Select. You can now edit some attributes of the navigation bar:
In the Pages window you set the page to which the navigation option will link. Only the latest pages of your site are displayed. Click Show All to display the entire list of pages. You can also search for a specific page. To add a page to navigation, check the box next to its name.
In addition to pages, you can add posts, links and categories, and tags for navigation. All changes appear on the right side of the screen.
Each element can also be moved to a new location in the navigation hierarchy. You can simply grab a specific object with the mouse and move it to the desired place. Remember that you can move links not only up and down, but also to the right. This causes the link to be a sub-link to the link above.
Remember to save all settings by clicking Save menu.
Editing of options
When editing navigation, you can also set some options for each item. When you click the small arrow next to the item name, a new window will open. Here you can edit:
Title attribute – this description appears when you hover over an item.
Open link in a new tab – the default way to open a new item is in the same browser window. Check this box to open the link in a new tab.
CSS classes – You can add CSS classes to an element.
Xhtlml Friends Network (XFN) – allows you to generate XFN attributes to show how you connect with the authors of the page to which the link leads.
Description – description of the item
Then you will find the option to move the item Up one and Down one. You can also change the location of the navigation element by selecting Under Home Test… or To the Top.
Recent links include these features:
Delete – deletes the item
Cancel – cancels the changes.
Click Save menu to save the changes.
Editing link name
In the Pages window, select the page from which you want to connect to navigation. The created item will have a name that also has a page. To edit the title, click the arrow next to the item added on the right side of the screen. In the Navigation Tag window, enter the name you want.
Adding an entry and a link to the category
You can also add links to specific entries and categories for individual menu items. To do this, click the arrow next to Entries or Categories. Use the Entries function to insert a link to the posts section in the navigation. Use the Categories function to assign specific categories to navigation.
Insert your custom link
To insert a link to another site in the WordPress site navigation, click the arrow next to Custom Links. In the window that opens, copy the URL and enter the link text. Then click Add to menu. Make sure you use the Save menu button on the right side of the screen.
Removing item
If you want to remove a specific link, click the arrow next to its name. From the displayed options, select Delete. To save your changes, click Save menu.
Menu location management
Location management options can be found at the top of the menu editing window. Click Manage Locations to open a new window. You will see a list of many placement options used by your WordPress theme.
You can have one or more placements here.
To assign a navigation element to a specific setting, select from the list of locations. Click Save Changes to save the changes.
More technical information – how to register and view the navigation menu in your own theme can be found in the official documentation of the developer.
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