Home > Articles > Web Development

This chapter is from the book

Menus and Menu Items

If you have been following along step by step, you have now created several articles and categories. However, if you look at the front end of your site, it does not look any different. That is because we have not done anything to display the pages. There are a lot of ways to display content in Joomla!, but the most important is through the use of menus and menu items. You currently have one menu on the front end of your site, and it displays one menu item, a link to the home page, which, as of now, is blank. What we will do next is change the home page by changing the Home menu item.

Menu Manager

You can access the Menu Manager by navigating to Menus in the top menu of the Control Panel and clicking Menu Manager. The Menu Manager will show the existing menus. The table columns show data associated with each menu:

  • Title: This is the name of the menu. You can reach an item on a menu by clicking its title.
  • Menu Type: This is the unique name of the menu. Each menu must have a unique name. Although the name is linked for editing, there are almost no circumstances in which you should edit it; doing so can have serious consequences.
  • Published: This is the number of published individual menu items. Menu items have states just as articles and categories do.
  • Unpublished: This is the number of unpublished individual menu items.
  • Trashed: This is the number of individual menu items that have been deleted but not yet removed from the menu trash.
  • Modules: This is the number of modules with which a specific menu is associated. Menus are displayed on a site using modules. Sometimes you will want to display the same menu in several different modules.
  • ID: This is a unique number that is assigned to each menu.

Menu Items

To access the menu items for a menu, you can click the menu name, click on the Menu Items link in the submenu, or navigate to it by using the top menu and going to Menus and then selecting the menu you want to edit from the list of existing menus.

Once you have gone to the Menu Item Manager screen for that selected menu, you will see a list of existing menu items, if any. You will also see a toolbar with a very similar set of options to those for editing an article. For example, you can click New to create a new item, or select an item and click Edit to change it. You can also change the state of menu items. There is batch processing to handle move, copy, change access level, and change language. Two additional buttons are Home and Rebuild. Rebuild should be clicked only if you have made extensive changes to the menu structure. Home allows you to set the home page for your site. This is the page that people will see when they visit yourdomain.com without any additions to the end of the URL. You must always have a home page for your Joomla! site to work.

In the Menu Item Manager, click New. The screen will look as in Figure 5.9.

Figure 5.9

Figure 5.9. Menu item creation screen in (A) Joomla! 3 and (B) Joomla! 2.5

The first step in creating a menu item is to select a type. To do this, click the Select button. This will give you a list of types. In Joomla! 3 the initial list gives general headings that should be clicked to see specific listings. In Joomla! 2.5 the entire list is shown without the need to click.

  • Contacts: This allows you to create links to a single contact, a category of contacts, featured contacts, or a list of all contact categories. Contacts are created and managed using the Contact component located in the Components menu.
  • Articles: This allows you to create links to individual articles or to articles grouped by category, a group of featured articles, and a list of article categories. If you select a group type of category, you can choose a Blog layout showing the introductory text of the articles of the group, or a List layout, which will show the titles and article information in a tabular list.
  • Smart Search: This allows you to make links to Smart Search. There are many variations of menu links within the Smart Search type.
  • News Feeds: This allows you to create a menu link to any news feeds you have configured using the News Feed Manager located in the Components menu to a list of news feeds in a category, or to a list of all news feed categories.
  • Search: This allows you to create a menu link to a detailed search page.
  • User: This allows you to create a menu link to items related to users on your site such as login, registration, reminder for lost passwords and usernames, user profile (which displays a profile), and edit user profile (which allows users to edit their profiles).
  • Web Links: This allows you to create a menu link to a category of Web links you have created using the Web Links component located in the Components menu and to a list of all Web link categories. You can also create a menu item for a submission form to allow users to submit Web links to your site.
  • Wrapper: The Wrapper menu item allows you to display an outside page link inside your site using an HTML iframe. Wrapping an external site inside your site can be useful if you want your users to view and be able to navigate another site but still have your site and its navigation available to them.
  • System Links: These allow you to add an External Link (to a location outside your site); a Menu Item Alias, which allows you to link to an existing menu item (you should always use this when making a second link to the same content); and Text Separator, which creates a menu item type that acts as a spacer between other menu items. You can apply a graphic or text to it.

As you add components and extensions, new menu item types may become available that are specific to those components or extensions. After you have selected a menu item type, you will be directed to the screen that allows you to configure the menu item and edit the menu item parameters. These parameters change from menu type to menu type.

Article Menu Types in More Depth

The most commonly used menu item types for articles are Single Article, Category List, Category Blog, and Featured. In this section we will briefly review these menu item types, giving you a quick rundown on some of the basic parameters that are common to all the menu item types.

Single Article

We will start by creating a menu item linking to one of the articles created earlier. In this case, select Single Article. Once you have done this, a new field will appear directly beneath the menu type in Joomla! 3 or on the upper-right side of the editing area in Joomla! 2.5 as shown in Figure 5.10. This field will allow you to select a specific article to link. Select an article (such as “First Article”) and save the menu item.

Figure 5.10

Figure 5.10. Menu item field for selecting an article in (A) Joomla! 3 and (B) Joomla! 2.5

Now go to the front end of your site and refresh the page. Your new menu link should now be on the menu beneath the Home link. Click on it and you will see your article as shown in Figure 5.11.

Figure 5.11

Figure 5.11. Site with a Single Article menu link on the menu, displaying the linked page

Category Blog

The Blog layout will allow you to set up a page that has the introductory text from a number of articles in one combined view. The page will include “Read more” links to the full articles. You must select the category you want to display. If we make a Blog menu link to the Uncategorised category and follow the link in the menu, it appears as in Figure 5.12.

Figure 5.12

Figure 5.12. Category Blog layout

Category List Layout

Category List layouts allow you to show a list of available articles in a category in a table. Figure 5.13 shows a Category List layout as it would appear on the front end of your site.

Figure 5.13

Figure 5.13. Category List layout view on the front end

Featured Layout

The Featured layout is similar to the idea of a front page in a print newspaper. It displays selected articles from a number of different categories in a blog-style layout. To place items in the Featured layout, when editing an article, set the Featured field to Yes. Featured articles are marked with yellow stars when the list of articles is shown, as in Figure 5.14.

Figure 5.14

Figure 5.14. Making an article Featured

The Home menu item is already a Featured menu link. Now if you click on the Home menu link, you will see your Featured article or articles as shown in Figure 5.15. (We featured two articles for this example.)

Figure 5.15

Figure 5.15. The home page now displays the Featured articles.

Create Article

This view allows users with appropriate permissions to create a new article from the front end of the Web site. We will examine this in more detail in Chapter 6.

InformIT Promotional Mailings & Special Offers

I would like to receive exclusive offers and hear about products from InformIT and its family of brands. I can unsubscribe at any time.

Overview


Pearson Education, Inc., 221 River Street, Hoboken, New Jersey 07030, (Pearson) presents this site to provide information about products and services that can be purchased through this site.

This privacy notice provides an overview of our commitment to privacy and describes how we collect, protect, use and share personal information collected through this site. Please note that other Pearson websites and online products and services have their own separate privacy policies.

Collection and Use of Information


To conduct business and deliver products and services, Pearson collects and uses personal information in several ways in connection with this site, including:

Questions and Inquiries

For inquiries and questions, we collect the inquiry or question, together with name, contact details (email address, phone number and mailing address) and any other additional information voluntarily submitted to us through a Contact Us form or an email. We use this information to address the inquiry and respond to the question.

Online Store

For orders and purchases placed through our online store on this site, we collect order details, name, institution name and address (if applicable), email address, phone number, shipping and billing addresses, credit/debit card information, shipping options and any instructions. We use this information to complete transactions, fulfill orders, communicate with individuals placing orders or visiting the online store, and for related purposes.

Surveys

Pearson may offer opportunities to provide feedback or participate in surveys, including surveys evaluating Pearson products, services or sites. Participation is voluntary. Pearson collects information requested in the survey questions and uses the information to evaluate, support, maintain and improve products, services or sites, develop new products and services, conduct educational research and for other purposes specified in the survey.

Contests and Drawings

Occasionally, we may sponsor a contest or drawing. Participation is optional. Pearson collects name, contact information and other information specified on the entry form for the contest or drawing to conduct the contest or drawing. Pearson may collect additional personal information from the winners of a contest or drawing in order to award the prize and for tax reporting purposes, as required by law.

Newsletters

If you have elected to receive email newsletters or promotional mailings and special offers but want to unsubscribe, simply email information@informit.com.

Service Announcements

On rare occasions it is necessary to send out a strictly service related announcement. For instance, if our service is temporarily suspended for maintenance we might send users an email. Generally, users may not opt-out of these communications, though they can deactivate their account information. However, these communications are not promotional in nature.

Customer Service

We communicate with users on a regular basis to provide requested services and in regard to issues relating to their account we reply via email or phone in accordance with the users' wishes when a user submits their information through our Contact Us form.

Other Collection and Use of Information


Application and System Logs

Pearson automatically collects log data to help ensure the delivery, availability and security of this site. Log data may include technical information about how a user or visitor connected to this site, such as browser type, type of computer/device, operating system, internet service provider and IP address. We use this information for support purposes and to monitor the health of the site, identify problems, improve service, detect unauthorized access and fraudulent activity, prevent and respond to security incidents and appropriately scale computing resources.

Web Analytics

Pearson may use third party web trend analytical services, including Google Analytics, to collect visitor information, such as IP addresses, browser types, referring pages, pages visited and time spent on a particular site. While these analytical services collect and report information on an anonymous basis, they may use cookies to gather web trend information. The information gathered may enable Pearson (but not the third party web trend services) to link information with application and system log data. Pearson uses this information for system administration and to identify problems, improve service, detect unauthorized access and fraudulent activity, prevent and respond to security incidents, appropriately scale computing resources and otherwise support and deliver this site and its services.

Cookies and Related Technologies

This site uses cookies and similar technologies to personalize content, measure traffic patterns, control security, track use and access of information on this site, and provide interest-based messages and advertising. Users can manage and block the use of cookies through their browser. Disabling or blocking certain cookies may limit the functionality of this site.

Do Not Track

This site currently does not respond to Do Not Track signals.

Security


Pearson uses appropriate physical, administrative and technical security measures to protect personal information from unauthorized access, use and disclosure.

Children


This site is not directed to children under the age of 13.

Marketing


Pearson may send or direct marketing communications to users, provided that

  • Pearson will not use personal information collected or processed as a K-12 school service provider for the purpose of directed or targeted advertising.
  • Such marketing is consistent with applicable law and Pearson's legal obligations.
  • Pearson will not knowingly direct or send marketing communications to an individual who has expressed a preference not to receive marketing.
  • Where required by applicable law, express or implied consent to marketing exists and has not been withdrawn.

Pearson may provide personal information to a third party service provider on a restricted basis to provide marketing solely on behalf of Pearson or an affiliate or customer for whom Pearson is a service provider. Marketing preferences may be changed at any time.

Correcting/Updating Personal Information


If a user's personally identifiable information changes (such as your postal address or email address), we provide a way to correct or update that user's personal data provided to us. This can be done on the Account page. If a user no longer desires our service and desires to delete his or her account, please contact us at customer-service@informit.com and we will process the deletion of a user's account.

Choice/Opt-out


Users can always make an informed choice as to whether they should proceed with certain services offered by InformIT. If you choose to remove yourself from our mailing list(s) simply visit the following page and uncheck any communication you no longer want to receive: www.informit.com/u.aspx.

Sale of Personal Information


Pearson does not rent or sell personal information in exchange for any payment of money.

While Pearson does not sell personal information, as defined in Nevada law, Nevada residents may email a request for no sale of their personal information to NevadaDesignatedRequest@pearson.com.

Supplemental Privacy Statement for California Residents


California residents should read our Supplemental privacy statement for California residents in conjunction with this Privacy Notice. The Supplemental privacy statement for California residents explains Pearson's commitment to comply with California law and applies to personal information of California residents collected in connection with this site and the Services.

Sharing and Disclosure


Pearson may disclose personal information, as follows:

  • As required by law.
  • With the consent of the individual (or their parent, if the individual is a minor)
  • In response to a subpoena, court order or legal process, to the extent permitted or required by law
  • To protect the security and safety of individuals, data, assets and systems, consistent with applicable law
  • In connection the sale, joint venture or other transfer of some or all of its company or assets, subject to the provisions of this Privacy Notice
  • To investigate or address actual or suspected fraud or other illegal activities
  • To exercise its legal rights, including enforcement of the Terms of Use for this site or another contract
  • To affiliated Pearson companies and other companies and organizations who perform work for Pearson and are obligated to protect the privacy of personal information consistent with this Privacy Notice
  • To a school, organization, company or government agency, where Pearson collects or processes the personal information in a school setting or on behalf of such organization, company or government agency.

Links


This web site contains links to other sites. Please be aware that we are not responsible for the privacy practices of such other sites. We encourage our users to be aware when they leave our site and to read the privacy statements of each and every web site that collects Personal Information. This privacy statement applies solely to information collected by this web site.

Requests and Contact


Please contact us about this Privacy Notice or if you have any requests or questions relating to the privacy of your personal information.

Changes to this Privacy Notice


We may revise this Privacy Notice through an updated posting. We will identify the effective date of the revision in the posting. Often, updates are made to provide greater clarity or to comply with changes in regulatory requirements. If the updates involve material changes to the collection, protection, use or disclosure of Personal Information, Pearson will provide notice of the change through a conspicuous notice on this site or other appropriate way. Continued use of the site after the effective date of a posted revision evidences acceptance. Please contact us if you have questions or concerns about the Privacy Notice or any objection to any revisions.

Last Update: November 17, 2020