Extended Menu

[pastoweb]

Ok, I threw up a brand new installation of Joomla, and now everithing seem to work ok (apart from the tooltips, maybe an issue with FF 1.5?)
You can see it working on http://www.pastonudo.it/

Daniel, I think you made a great job, your module should become a standard for J. Soon I will provide you with an italian translation... but now I must keep on testing all the features! 

[de]

Ok, I threw up a brand new installation of Joomla, and now everithing seem to work ok (apart from the tooltips, maybe an issue with FF 1.5?)
You can see it working on http://www.pastonudo.it/

Daniel, I think you made a great job, your module should become a standard for J. Soon I will provide you with an italian translation... but now I must keep on testing all the features! 

Ok, I am glad it is working for you now... molto grazie per un traduzione (whenever you have time)... ma... unfortunatelly a translation of parameters is not yet supported. So a translation is currently maybe hard to maintain (with every new version).

Edit: Btw. I am using Fx 1.5 as well (but on Linux now actually).

[TomT]

Hmm but for example your "Contact" link is: http://nestorkring.nl/joomla/index.php? ... &Itemid=49
While "Contactgegevens" has almost the same link but the Itemid 50. If now your mainlevel menu item would be a URL-link to the URL with the Itemid=50 then this will probably work.

I created the 'highligting' button to test this and it doesn't work, allthough highlighting and highlighting sub both link to /index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=33&Itemid=55 only one gets the  mainlevel_current class.
I'll see if I can find a (not to complicated) workaround.

[de]

I created the 'highligting' button to test this and it doesn't work, allthough highlighting and highlighting sub both link to /index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=33&Itemid=55 only one gets the  mainlevel_current class.
I'll see if I can find a (not to complicated) workaround.

Are you sure that the menu item in the top menu is the URL-link and not the menu item of the sub menu? Btw... I'd expect that the sub menu item gets mainlevel_current and the menu item of the top menu gets mainlevel_active (because it is the parent of the current menu item).

[pastoweb]

... molto grazie per un traduzione (whenever you have time)... ma... unfortunatelly a translation of parameters is not yet supported. So a translation is currently maybe hard to maintain (with every new version).

Edit: Btw. I am using Fx 1.5 as well (but on Linux now actually).

I was thinking of translating the xml file to provide an alternative localized version, not tu keep all the translation in the same file! Why hard to mantain? Will you rename all the parameters in every new version? 

Non I'm trying the split menu feature, how should I set parameters to have only sublevels shown in left menu? (http://www.pastonudo.it/index.php?optio ... e&Itemid=1)

[de]

I was thinking of translating the xml file to provide an alternative localized version, not tu keep all the translation in the same file! Why hard to mantain? Will you rename all the parameters in every new version? 

No, I try to not rename them constantly... but with every new version a new localized XML file would need to be created... that does not seem to be too much fun to me to do many times if you were asking me :P
(A language file on the other hand would need not change as long as no parameters were added/changed)

Non I'm trying the split menu feature, how should I set parameters to have only sublevels shown in left menu? (http://www.pastonudo.it/index.php?optio ... e&Itemid=1)

The parameter "Begin With Level" should do what you want.

[pastoweb]

Ah ok, I just found it. It was only a little bit confusing, thought I had to use the split parameter, and also is not so clear that default is intended as "0" and first sublevel as "1".

As said, your module needs a manual! 

So, what are Split Menu and Menu Count for? Can u give son examples? 

thanks as usual!

[de]

Ah ok, I just found it. It was only a little bit confusing, thought I had to use the split parameter, and also is not so clear that default is intended as "0" and first sublevel as "1".

As said, your module needs a manual! 

Ok, ok... I admit that the documentation could be improved "slightly" :P
(but at least there is a small text for each parameter)

So, what are Split Menu and Menu Count for? Can u give son examples? 

The "Split Menu" has a similiar meaning like "Max Depth"... if "Menu Count" is 1, "Split Menu" ~= "Max Level"+1 (the smaller value of both counts... "Flat List" and "Horizontal" menu styles forces "Max Depth" to 0)
But the reason for the existens is when "Menu Count" is greater than 1... "Menu Count" limits the amount of "menu" instances within a single menu module instance... each "menu" instance has up to "Split Menu" levels. So this is basically a quicker way to split the menu as long as you are fine with it displayed within a single module instance... but there is less use for it when you distribute it along different module positions (because then you need multiple module instances anyway). To use other words... this can be an easy way to make the sub menu items appear below the mainlevel menu items (and not below/within the active/current menu item).

I hope that explains it a bit.

[pastoweb]

Hi daniel, I'm trying your module on this site: http://www.bioservice-spa.com
At the moment I'm using it only for the top menu, but I see a strange behaviour: only the "products" item gets the active state. All the items are normal content link...can you understand the problem?

For what concerns documentation, well, you are writing it here in this thread! 

[TomT]

For what concerns documentation, well, you are writing it here in this thread! 

I was just joking yesterday: it's a great module, but not 'power in simplicity' yet  . But allthough it takes some time to understand it fully, I think it is a big step forward from the original Joomla menu. I'll probably use it in all my future sites.

[de]

Hi daniel, I'm trying your module on this site: http://www.bioservice-spa.com
At the moment I'm using it only for the top menu, but I see a strange behaviour: only the "products" item gets the active state. All the items are normal content link...can you understand the problem?

Hmmm... for content items... do you have maybe other menu items to the same content items? You could try to set "Resolve Itemid By Content Item" to "No". And if your first menu item is the first of your mainmenu menu and not a URL-link then I am not quite sure why it should not highlight.

[Nic]

Hi Daniel,

I knew about your Extended Menu for some time but now finally had the chance to test it and just wanted to stop by to say "great job". It really adds a lot of very much needed features to the default one. Finally expanding list menus and finally it is possible to easily create image based menus without hacking the mod_mainmenu.

I read your thread suggesting this as an replacement/update to the standard mod_mainmenu and would also be happy to see that! As soon as that is up for discussion again you have my vote.

Thanks a lot for a long needed tool.

Nic

[pastoweb]

Still playing with extended menu: is it possible to make only current level expanded?
i.e, in this kind of structure:

Home
Company
- profile
- where
- staff
Products
- Product 1
- Product 2
- Product 3
Contacts

having the item "Product 2" selected, the menu should show up like this:

Home
Company
Products
- Product 1
- Product 2
- Product 3
Contacts

Can I set up your module to act so?
Thanks!

[de]

Still playing with extended menu: is it possible to make only current level expanded?
...

Hmm... that should be the behaviour when "expand" is set to "No" (like in the default mainmenu module)... but if Product 2 had sub menu items they would appear as well, if that is ok?

[pastoweb]

That's ok...
Can't imagine how you could manage controlling also sub-su-menus...do you think it's possible? Someone may need also this possibility.

[de]

Can't imagine how you could manage controlling also sub-su-menus...do you think it's possible? Someone may need also this possibility.

I would love to answer you... if I just could understand what you mean :-)  if you mean the level than it is not limited... you can open the 100th sub menu level with the same logic if you ever feel any use of this.

[pastoweb]

Sorry... i mean,

... but if Product 2 had sub menu items they would appear as well, if that is ok?

so, in the same structure than above but with more sublevels:

Home
Company
-- profile
-- where
-- staff
Products
-- Product 1
-- Product 2
----- Red Product 2
----- Blue Product 2
-- Product 3
Contacts.

keeping non active levels AND third level (ore all sublevels from level 3) collapsed until the user clics on it:

Home
Company
Products
-- Product 1
-- Product 2
-- Product 3
Contacts

[de]

...
keeping non active levels AND third level (ore all sublevels from level 3) collapsed until the user clics on it:
...

That is currently possible with a patTemplate file only (which checks for the level) or until a fixed level (e.g. max depth=1). But I will consider it. I just try to keep only "theoretical" useful things out as each additional parameter may confuse even more.

[TomT]

finally it is possible to easily create image based menus without hacking the mod_mainmenu.

Could you explain how to create image based menus? Ik know how to add backgroundimages to individual menu items using the id parameter. But I can't figure out how to actually use images as buttons.

[de]

Could you explain how to create image based menus? Ik know how to add backgroundimages to individual menu items using the id parameter. But I can't figure out how to actually use images as buttons.

For each menu item you can assign an image in the menu manager... using the "Show Menu Icons" you could make the image appear only. But if you need an hover image this is possible with CSS but it probably either sacrifies accessibility or compatibility with the IE.

[TomT]

Thanks, that's very clear. Personaly I prefer text links, so it's not a big issue.

[pastoweb]

...
keeping non active levels AND third level (ore all sublevels from level 3) collapsed until the user clics on it:
...

That is currently possible with a patTemplate file only (which checks for the level) or until a fixed level (e.g. max depth=1). But I will consider it. I just try to keep only "theoretical" useful things out as each additional parameter may confuse even more.

Thanks, I will take a look at patTemplate, actually I don't know how it works.

[de]

...
keeping non active levels AND third level (ore all sublevels from level 3) collapsed until the user clics on it:
...

That is currently possible with a patTemplate file only (which checks for the level) or until a fixed level (e.g. max depth=1). But I will consider it. I just try to keep only "theoretical" useful things out as each additional parameter may confuse even more.

Thanks, I will take a look at patTemplate, actually I don't know how it works.

You will probably have to use the IS_CURRENT variable in your patTemplate file and then don't display the sub menu items... there is already one sample condition in the menu.html shipped with the module itself... the relevant change in the menu.html probably looks like this:

Code: Select all

<patTemplate:tmpl name="condition_IS_CURRENT" type="condition" conditionvar="IS_CURRENT" varscope="menu_item" whitespace="trim">
<patTemplate:sub condition="0">
{SUB_MENU_ITEMS}
</patTemplate:sub>
</patTemplate:tmpl>

(This would replace just "{SUB_MENU_ITEMS}")

[mdshort]

What about getting the pure values of the link titles and link locations so I can pass it to my flash heading?

[de]

What about getting the pure values of the link titles and link locations so I can pass it to my flash heading?

Actually there are such patTemplate variables.... but well... I admit the documentation regarding patTemplate is really bad... well... non existing actually (it is really missing and I should do it). For now I could suggest to look at /modules/exmenu/views/pattemplatemenuview.class.php to get some ideas...
There is for example "URL" and "CAPTION".

[Websitemaker]

I tried to instal "mod_exmenu_0.3.2.zip" on Joomla 1.1 Alfa but got error message: 
Upload - (Upload Failed)
ERROR: Could not find an XML setup file in the package.

Upload module - (failed)
Installation file not found:
c:\appserv\www\joomla\media\install_43afe1b70f482\exmenu\

in version 1.0.5. works fine ...

Any idea ?

[de]

Hi, I did not try with a 1.0.5 Alfa yet.. but maybe it is just an access issue for you? Maybe Safe Mode or not enough rights on media? Also look at the default permissions for folders / files in your global configuration. Are you able to install other addons (modules, components, ...)?

[Websitemaker]

well i installed it mannualy ... and it works OK ...

but tell me ... is there any sitemap modul who works with extended menu ?

[conejero]

I have installed and setup extended menu on a site we are working on, and it seems to integrate quite nicely. However, I have one small issue which have been unable to resolve.

SITUATION.
Top menu for level 0, Left menu split from level 1 onward.

When I go into an article listed in the level-1 menu, the article shows up and the left menu dissapears. What I am doing wrong? I would want the left menu to remain on my left-bar and the level1 item as class active when I select any article within that section. I have tried the "Source Type" parameter, but to no avail.
Thank you.

[de]

but tell me ... is there any sitemap modul who works with extended menu ?

I don't know much about site map modules... but I'd guess they are using the menu structure. And the "extended menu" is a viewer of that menu structure only (except for menu types other than "menu"). So I would think they may work as if you were using the default mainmenu module.