The Joomla! CMS includes a wide range of different typess of Menu Item or Menu Link.
These are clustered into groups for your convenience when creating new Menu Links.
The Articles group of Menu Links is the one we use more than any other.
Choosing a Type of Menu Link
When creating a new Menu Link you will need to choose which type.
To do so, click the Select button next to the Menu Item Type field when editing a Menu Link in your website's Dashboard.
See image below.
When you do you will be presented with a list of Menu Link types.
Types of Menu Link are organised into groups.
The types of Menu Link you will most likely use most in your website can be found in the Articles group.
Example: Single Article Menu Link.
Articles
Single Article Menu Link
The Single Article Menu Link enables you to quickly and easily publish (i.e. present on screen) an Article.
Read more: How to create a Single Article Menu Link.
Category Blog Menu Link
The Category Blog Menu Link enables you to quickly and easily publish (i.e present on screen) several Articles at a time.
The name of this type of link reflects the fact that the result, when presented on screen. looks like a blog.
Configuration
If you use these types then be sure to check their use is restricted to use by users with Special Permissions.
You can change the Access setting in the Menu Link screen using the field labelled Access.
Contacts
The two most useful types of Menu Link in the above list are Single Contact and List Contacts in a Category.
The Contact Us link in this website is a Single Contact Menu Link.
News Feeds
News Feed Menu Links provide the option of displaying external website content in your website.
Smart Search
System Links
We use the following three kinds of System Menu Link in our own website.
URL Menu Link
We use URL Menu Links when we want to link to another website.
To ensure the landing page is displayed in a new window (or tab) we ensure that:
- Target Window = New Window with navigation.
The default setting (= Parent) will otherwise result in the external website being loaded in the same window (or tab) as our own website.
Ouch!
Menu Heading
We use Menu Headings to signpost the presence of Sub Menu Links
The Menu Heading is being used as a PARENT Menu Link.
When it is selected, a list of Sub Menu Links will be displayed.
In the image shown below, Templates and Customise Appearance are both Menu Headings.
Selecting either one will trigger the display of a list of Sub Menu Links.
Menu Item Alias
W use Menu Item Alias links when we want to publish two or more Menu Links to one website element (for example, an Article).
Reason: to avoid our website being punished by search engines for having published 'duplicate content' in our website.
When you choose to tag your Articles then you can also publish Tag menu Links in your website.
Users
Only one type of Menu Link in this group should be visible to the Public when used: the Login Form Menu Link.
The Access setting for the other types should be Registered User or a user group with Special Permissions.
You can change the Access setting in the Menu Link screen using the field labelled Access.
Wrapper
Wrapper Menu Links display external website content as if it is your own website's content.
We prefer not to use the Iframe Wrapper Menu Link type in our own websites.
Reason: it is more transparent to link to external website content using a URL Menu Link (see System tab above).
How to Manage Navigation
We tell you how to create and edit Menus and Menu Links in a separate article.
Read more: Menus and Menu Items.
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WYNCHCO Solutions help and support managers responsible for Joomla! CMS websites in UK business and third sector organisations across Cheshire, Greater Manchester, Merseyside and North West England.
