Working with Menus

Last updated May 1, 2011. Created by jstarbow on May 9, 2005.
Edited by arianek, LeeHunter, AjK, O Govinda. Log in to edit this page.

Menus are a collection of links (menu items) used to navigate a website. The Menu module provides an interface to control and customize the powerful menu system that comes with Drupal. Menus are primarily displayed as a hierarchical list of links using Drupal's highly flexible blocks feature. Each menu automatically creates a block of the same name. By default, new menu items are placed inside a built-in menu labeled Navigation, but administrators can also create custom menus.

Drupal 7

Uses

In Drupal 7, you can add, remove and rename menus and menu items. You can also configure a special block for a menu and you can specify the default menu to which new items will be added.

In many themes there are at least two menus, the Main (or primary) menu, and a secondary menu. The Main menu's links drive the main navigation structure for your site, and are often displayed prominently across the top or side of the site. The Secondary menu is often used for items like the copyright and privacy notices and are often displayed at the bottom or very top of the page in smaller text. You can specify which menus are used for the main and secondary links.

When adding or editing site content, you can also specify the content's menu item. You can specify a default menu for the content authoring form.

Each default or custom menu has a corresponding block. For more information on blocks, see Working with Blocks.

Configuration

Creating a menu

1. Navigate to the Menus page (Structure > Menus or http://example.com/admin/structure/menu).
2. Click Add menu.
3. In the Title field, enter a title.
4. In the Description field, enter an optional description.
5. Click Save.

To learn how to add new menu items to the menu, read further on Adding a link to a menu.

Enable the menu

Assuming you plan to add nodes to your menu and not just external links, you must enable it in the content type for the node(s) that will be the target of the menu's links. It is possible to add menu links that are not enabled this way through the Menus page. If you do, you will find that certain changes cause your link to disappear from the assigned menu. Menus can be enabled on multiple content types.

1. Navigate to the content type for the node(s) (Structure > Content type or http://example.com/admin/structure/types).
2. Locate the content type and click edit.
3. Choose Menu settings.
4. Click the checkbox of the menu(s) you want to enable.
5. (Optional) Set the Default parent item to choose a default menu for the content type.

Specify the menus to use for main and secondary links

1. Navigate to the Menu settings page (/admin/structure/menu/settings).
2. Specify any of the following settings:
• Source for the main links: The menu that will provide the "main links". In many themes, the main links are displayed at the top of the page.
• Source for the secondary links : The menu that will provide the "secondary links". In many themes, the secondary links are displayed at the bottom of the page.
3. Click Save configuration.

Renaming menus

1. Navigate to the Menus page (/admin/structure/menu).
2. Click Edit Menu.
3. In the Title field, enter a new title.
4. Click Save.

Note: The default menus cannot be renamed.

Removing a menu

1. Navigate to the Menus page (/admin/structure/menu).
2. Click Edit Menu.
3. Click Delete.
4. Click Delete again to confirm.

Note: The default menus cannot be deleted.

Drupal 6 and earlier

In Drupal 6 and earlier, themes generally provide out-of-the-box support for two menus commonly labeled "primary links" and "secondary links". These are sets of links which are usually displayed in the header or footer of each page (depending on the currently active theme). Any menu can be designated as the primary or secondary links menu via the menu settings page.

Configuration

• On the Menu administration page, administrators can "edit" to change the title, description, parent or weight of a menu item. Under the "Enabled" column, click on the checkbox to toggle a menu item on or off. Only menu items which are enabled are displayed in the corresponding menu block. Note that the default menu items generated by the menu module cannot be deleted, only disabled.
• Use the "add menu" tab to submit a title for a new custom menu. Once submitted, the menu will appear in a list toward the bottom of the administer menu page underneath the main navigation menu. Under the menu name there will be links to edit or delete the menu, and a link to add new items to the menu.
• Use the "add menu item" tab to create new links in either the navigation or a custom menu (such as a primary/secondary links menu). Select the parent item to place the new link within an existing menu structure. For top level menu items, choose the name of the menu in which the link is to be added.

Menu administration options:

• Administer menus at Administer > Site building > Menus.
• Add a menu at Administer > Site building > Menus.
• Add a menu item at Administer > Site building > Menus > Add menu item.
• Modify menu settings (in particular, to specify a menu to use for primary or secondary links) at Administer > Site building > Menus > Settings.
• Manage menu blocks at Administer > Site building > Blocks.