Most websites have one navigation menu bar. Pages of the navigation menu might be configured to only be visible to specific users or a browsing session, but all public and private pages are a part of one navigation menu hierarchy.

Some websites may need multiple navigation menus with different pages on each menu. For example, a website owner may prefer to include unique footer links for pages that share information regarding their "Terms, Privacy, Contact Us, or Jobs" information, and do not prefer to have these links be displayed in the main navigation menu with the Home, Services, and Products pages.

There are two options to create a navigation menu with different pages from the Main Navigation Menu:

1. Hand-Built Special Menu
2. Dynamic Special Menu

The Hand-Built Special Menu approach is not dynamic because navigation pages do not automatically update as pages are renamed or moved; therefore, this is not the recommended method to create and manage special menu pages.

Steps: How to Add a Hand-Built Special Menu

1. Add pages as sub-pages of the main navigation menu pages and click to remove the checkmark in the [Show in menus?] checkbox.See: Add a Page and Sub-page

2. Insert a General Block in the desired location of the additional navigation menu. See: Add a Block

3. Type in the navigation menu page names and convert the text to links to each page. See Add Text and Add a Link

The Dynamic Special Menu approach is dynamic because navigation pages automatically update on the navigation menu as pages are renamed or moved; therefore, this is the recommended method to create and manage special menu pages.

Steps: How to Add a Special Menu with the Special Menu Field

1. Add a Menu Block in the desired location of the additional navigation menu. See: Add a Navigation Menu

2. Click to add a checkmark in the box next to "Configure Blocks" under the Click to Preview button.

3. Click on the "Configure" icon above the Menu Block.

4. Type a name in the [Special Menu Name] field.

This exact name (keystrokes and capitalization) will need to be added to all pages that will display in this special menu.

5. Click on the "Save" button.

6. Add a page to display on the Special Menu that is set to show at the Top of Hierarchy. See: Add a Page and Sub-page

If a page intended for the special menu is created as a sub-page of a page on the main navigation menu, the special menu page will not display in the special menu as intended. The page must either be set to show at the Top of the Hierarchy or as a sub-page of another page already on the special menu.

7. On the HotDoodle Toolbar, click on the "Pages/Menus" tab.

8. Click on the "Edit Page Properties" button.

9. Click on the "Advanced Fields" button.

10. Type in the exact special menu name in the [Special Menu Name] field.

This exact name (keystrokes and capitalization) will need to be added to all pages that will display in the special menu.

11. Click on the "Save" button.

12. Repeat steps 7-11 with all pages to display on the special menu.

With the addition of special menus, the navigation page hierarchy can become complex. To view all pages and see which are assigned to display in the special menu, use the Manage All Pages function.

Steps: How to View All Pages to Reveal Special Menu Assignment(s)

1. From the HotDoodle Toolbar, click on the "Pages/Menus" tab.

2. Click on the "Manage All Pages" button.

3. All Special Menu pages will list the special menu name under the Lang category.

4. Click on the "Return to Main Page" button.

If the special menu name is LANG for a page or a block, it will take the value of the language for that page. (The page language can be set on the page, as a website default, or by a session specific override taken by browsing a language preference.)

Using the value LANG is particularly useful in blocks that are mirrored or are in multi-page containers because the same block will have different LANG values depending on where it is located. Used properly, a menu on a "fr-ca" page will display only "fr-ca" pages.