Menus are an important part of any website’s interface, allowing users to easily navigate and find content. On XenForo 1, you can create custom menus to add links to important pages, forums, or features. This article will show you how to easily create a custom menu on XenForo 1, helping you customize the forum interface and optimize the user experience.
Why Create Custom Menus On XenForo 1?
Creating a custom menu makes it easy for users to navigate to important parts of the forum, such as post categories, featured topics, or helpful resource pages. This not only improves the user experience, but also increases their engagement with the forum.
Custom menus also allow you to create a more flexible navigation structure that suits your forum’s needs and design. Instead of using the default XenForo menu, you can personalize links, add submenus, or even integrate special features into the menu.
Steps to Create Custom Menu on XenForo 1
To create a custom menu on XenForo 1, you need to follow these steps:
Step 1: Access the Admin Panel
First, you need to log in to your XenForo admin dashboard. Once logged in, go to the “Appearance” section to begin the menu customization process.
Step 2: Create a Template for the New Menu
In the theme admin section, select “Templates”. Here you can create a new template to contain the HTML code for your custom menu. To create a new template, click “Add Template” and enter a name for the template (e.g. `custom_menu_template`).
You can then write HTML code to create a menu in the new template. For example, the code below creates a simple menu with links to the home page, forum, and contact page:
<ul class="custom-menu">
<li><a href="/index.php">Trang chủ</a></li>
<li><a href="/forums/">Diễn đàn</a></li>
<li><a href="/contact/">Liên hệ</a></li>
</ul>
You can change these links to your needs and add other menu items if needed.
Step 3: Insert Menu Into Forum Interface
Once you have created a menu in your template, the next step is to insert it into your forum interface. You need to decide where you want to place the menu, usually in the header or main navigation bar.
To do this, find and edit the template navigation in the template list of the current theme. You can add the following code snippet to the desired location to display the custom menu:
<xen:include template="custom_menu_template" />
The above code will call the `custom_menu_template` template you created in the previous step and display the menu on the forum interface.
Step 4: Customize CSS For Menu
To make your menu look nice and match the overall look of your forum, you can add custom CSS. To do this, go to the “Style Properties” section in the admin dashboard and create a new CSS file or edit an existing CSS file.
Here is an example of basic CSS code to customize the look of the menu:
.custom-menu {
list-style-type: none;
margin: 0;
padding: 0;
overflow: hidden;
background-color: #333;
}
.custom-menu li {
float: left;
}
.custom-menu li a {
display: block;
color: white;
text-align: center;
padding: 14px 16px;
text-decoration: none;
}
.custom-menu li a:hover {
background-color: #111;
}
You can adjust colors, spacing, and other elements in CSS to make the menu match your forum design.
Add Dropdown Menu
If you want to create a submenu (dropdown menu) within your custom menu, you can add nested menu items in your HTML code. The example below will create a submenu that appears when the user hovers over the “Forum” item:
<ul class="custom-menu">
<li><a href="/index.php">Trang chủ</a></li>
<li class="dropdown">
<a href="/forums/">Diễn đàn</a>
<ul class="dropdown-content">
<li><a href="/forums/general/">Chung</a></li>
<li><a href="/forums/tech/">Công nghệ</a></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><a href="/contact/">Liên hệ</a></li>
</ul>
To make the submenu work, you need to add CSS to display the submenu when the user hovers over it:
.dropdown {
position: relative;
display: inline-block;
}
.dropdown-content {
display: none;
position: absolute;
background-color: #f9f9f9;
min-width: 160px;
box-shadow: 0px 8px 16px 0px rgba(0,0,0,0.2);
z-index: 1;
}
.dropdown:hover .dropdown-content {
display: block;
}
.dropdown-content a {
color: black;
padding: 12px 16px;
text-decoration: none;
display: block;
text-align: left;
}
.dropdown-content a:hover {
background-color: #f1f1f1;
}
With the above CSS code, the submenu will appear when the user hovers over the “Forum” item. You can customize the submenu appearance to your liking.
Test and Adjust Menu
Once you have finished creating and inserting your custom menu, test it in your browser to make sure it displays correctly and functions as expected. If necessary, you can adjust the HTML, CSS, or location of the menu to better match the look and feel of your forum.
Don’t forget to test your menu on multiple browsers and devices to make sure it’s compatible and looks good on both desktop and mobile devices.
Create custom menu
Creating a custom menu in XenForo 1 is a great way to personalize the look of your forum and improve your users’ navigation experience. By following the steps above, you can create a flexible menu that is easy to customize and integrates into your forum’s look and feel. Be creative and experiment with different menu styles to create a beautiful and user-friendly interface.
