CMS Custom Menu
Information Systems · How-To Guides

Description of Custom Menu

The Custom Menu is one layout choice for the left-hand column of a 2 or 3 column web page layout. It allows the author to include a custom menu which is editable to suit specific needs: navigation or otherwise. This feature enables the author to create and maintain one menu easily across all of the pages of a site.

Here's how it works. The custom menu is created on a specific page within a channel and can then be used on any page within that channel or subchannel. For instance, if a page is set to use the custom menu, it will first look for one in the current channel. If it doesn't find the custom menu page there, it will recursively search parent channels until a custom menu is found. If no custom menu pages are found then an error is displayed as the menu.

Any content on the custom menu page will be displayed as the menu content of the left column. Any type of content may be used and placed within the custom menu page placeholder. When inputting the content for the custom menu be aware of size limitations set for the lef t column of the pages on which it will be included.

Set Up a Custom Menu

  1. Navigate to the channel that will use the custom menu
  2. Click "Switch to Edit Site" link if you are not already in edit mode
  3. Select create a new page from the edit site menu
  4. Select "Left Custom Menu" template from the Main Template Gallery
    The create new screen pop up window showing the main template gallery with the selections for the templates, "Redirect" and "Left Custom Menu".  
  5. Enter the content you want in the custom menu into the placeholder. (When entering content be aware of how large your left column will be on the page.) 
  6. Click "Save and Exit"
  7. A dialog box will come up asking you to save the page. In the box marked "Name" type: custommenu . Then enter a display name and click OK.
    Save New Page Dialog Box with Name set to "custommenu" and display name set to a descriptive name.   
  8. Submit and approve the page (Without this step, you will not be able to use the custom menu on other pages.)

Enable the Custom Menu on a Page

  1. Navigate to a page where you would like to use the custom menu.
  2. Click "Switch to Edit Site" if you are not already in edit mode.
  3. Click "Page Properties" on the menu.
  4. Select the Custom tab.
    Page Properties dialog box custom tab. 
  5. Click the hand next to the auto_menu_type custom property
  6. Select 6- Custom from the drop-down list, then click OK.
  7. Click the hand next to the use_sidebar custom property
  8. Select any value other than "none" from the drop-down list, then click OK. (Ensure value selected is big enough for the custom menu you created.)
  9. Click the hand next to the sidebar_background custom property.
  10. Select the background you want for the left column from the drop-down list, then click OK. (Use blank if you do not want any styles set for the left column.)
  11. Click the hand next to the use_automenu_in_sidebar custom property
  12. Select "yes" from the drop-down list, then click OK.
  13. Save the changes for Page Properties by clicking OK again.
  14. Submit and approve the page

Edit a Custom Menu

  1. Navigate to the custom menu page you wish to edit
  2. Click the "Switch to Edit Site" if you are not already in edit mode
  3. Select edit from the menu
  4. Modify the custom menu as desired
  5. Click "Save and Exit"
  6. Submit and approve the page