Navigation

← Return to the Drupal User Guide

This section covers how to manage your site's navigation, including adding, removing, and changing the sort order of navigation items.

5.1 Accessing a Site's Navigation

To access a site's navigation, go to 1) Site Settings. Then click 2) Manage Navigation in the submenu. This will open the Navigation editor (see 5.2).

Figure: Access the Navigation editor from the Site Settings menu.

5.2 How the Navigation Editor Works

1. Title - The name displayed at the top of the navigation component. This is always the name of your homepage and should not be changed.
2. Menu Link - Displays all webpages that appear in your site's navigation. To rearrange navigation items, hover over the + icon to the left of a page name. When the cursor changes, click and drag the page to its new location.
3. Enabled/Disabled - Check or uncheck this box to temporarily show or hide a navigation item.
4. Operations - This dropdown menu allows you to Edit an existing link name or Delete it from the navigation.
5. Add Link - Allows you to add a new navigation link. See section 5.4 for more information.
6. Save - Click Save for your changes to appear on the website.

Changes Are Immediate

All navigation changes become live as soon as you click Save. Unlike page content, navigation changes do not have a draft state.

Figure: The Navigation editor.

5.3 Arranging the Sort Order of Navigation

Moving your mouse over the + icon changes the cursor so you can click and drag a menu item to a new position. Items indented beneath another menu item become child pages of the parent above them.

Drupal supports up to four levels of navigation.

Figure: Drag and drop menu items to change the navigation hierarchy.

Best Practice

It is recommended that you keep your navigation to three levels whenever possible. Although Drupal supports a fourth level, limiting your navigation depth generally makes websites easier to navigate.

For example:

• 1st Level — Biology Homepage
• 2nd Level — Academic Program
• 3rd Level — Course Majors & Minors
• 4th Level — Optional (if needed)

5.4 Adding a Page to Navigation

To add a new page or link to the navigation, click the Add Link button in the Manage Navigation screen.

Figure: Select Add Link to create a new navigation item.

1. Link - Place your cursor in the Link field and begin typing the title of the page you wish to add (for example, "Admissions"). You may also enter an internal path such as /admissions-aid or an external URL such as https://swarthmoreathletics.com/.
2. Menu Link Title - This is the text displayed in the navigation. When selecting another Drupal page, this field is automatically populated using the page title. If linking to an external website or document, you will need to provide your own title.
3. Link to a Document - Select or upload a document to create a navigation link directly to that file.
4. Enabled/Disabled - Determines whether the navigation link is immediately visible.
5. Parent Link - Places the link beneath an existing navigation item when it is created, reducing the amount of drag-and-drop required afterward.
6. Save - Save your changes.

Figure: The Add Menu Link form.

5.5 Editing or Removing a Navigation Link

You can edit or remove an existing navigation link using the Operations menu.

1. Click Edit in the Operations dropdown to edit an existing navigation link.

Figure: Choose Edit to modify a navigation link.

1. Select Delete from the same menu if you wish to remove the navigation link.

Figure: Choose Delete to remove a navigation link.

If you select Edit, Drupal opens the Edit Menu Link window.

1. Link - Displays the current webpage, external URL, or document referenced by the navigation item.
2. Menu Link Title - Displays the text shown in the navigation.
3. Link to a Document - Allows you to change the linked document.
4. Enabled/Disabled - Allows you to show or hide the navigation link.
5. Save - Click Save to commit your changes.

Figure: The Edit Menu Link dialog.