Adding Custom Pages and/or Custom Links to your Custom Nav Bar:
Path, from the left navigation menu: ['Customization' section] > Custom Nav Bar
The Custom Nav bar is a 'panel' (like your 'New Releases' panel, 'Category list' panel, etc) on your page template which contains a selection of either, or both of, 'Custom Links' and links to 'Custom Pages'. This affords you a prominent spot on your site's pages from which to either pick out particular pages on your Partner System site (perhaps an individual product page or 'Special Offer' pages) or, alternatively, to take the customer to a page off your site (perhaps your own sub-site, or an affiliate's niche site you want to promote). You can even use mailto: links in this panel if required.
Changing the links on this panel is so quick and easy - it's a great way to keep your site looking fresh and to highlight special sites / offers you wish to promote from one week to the next.
Note: You must have first set up at least one example of custom content (Custom Links or Custom Pages) before you can start adding links to your Custom Nav Bar.
To load the Custom Nav Bar page, in order to add/remove links, you need to select the link entitled "Custom Nav Bar" under the Customization section of the left navigation menu, as shown here:
Fig. 2.5.8.1: The "Custom Nav Bar" link for reviewing / changing your site's Custom Nav Bar Links:
This will load the Custom Nav Bar screen, shown below:
Fig. 2.5.8.2: The "Custom Nav Bar" screen from which you can select links for inclusion within the Custom Nav Bar, throughout your site:
There are two areas of the screen that you will be using: The 'Items Showing List' and the 'Items Not Showing List'. The two lists can be described as follows:
Items showing on the menu:
As the name suggests, here you can see a list of all the Custom Pages, and also the Custom Links, which are currently being displayed on your Nav Bar, at the present moment in time.
This list has four types of information, or headings:
URL
The URL is the path to the Custom Page (relative to your Partner website) or the Custom Link (the path to the web-page in question).
Link Text
This is the Link Text name you gave to your Custom Page, or the Link Text you specified when creating a Custom Link. These link texts are the exact wording that the customer will see when the links are presented on the Nav Bar.
Move up/down Nav Bar panel (links)
Enables you to move Nav Bar Panel Links up and down the list of links - read the section 'Adding / Removing Links on the Nav Bar', below, for more information on repositioning links within the Nav Bar Panel.
Remove-from-menu (link)
Clicking this link removes a Custom Page, or Custom Link, from the 'Items showing on the menu' list, and inserts them in the 'Items not showing on the menu' list. This has the effect of making the Custom Page / Custom link invisible to visitors of your site.
Items not showing on the menu:
Again, as the name suggests, this list shows all those Custom Pages, and also the Custom Links, which are currently not being displayed on your Nav Bar, at the present moment in time.
This list has three types of information, or headings:
URL
The URL is the path to the Custom Page (relative to your Partner website) or the Custom Link (the path to the web-page in question).
Link Text
This is the Link Text name you gave to your Custom Page, or the Link Text you specified when creating a Custom Link. These link texts are the exact wording that the customer will see when the links are presented on the Nav Bar.
Add-to-menu (link)
Clicking this link removes a Custom Page, or Custom Link, from the 'Items not showing on the menu' list, and inserts them in the 'Items showing on the menu' list. This has the effect of making the Custom Page / Custom Link visible to visitors of your site, as links on the Nav Bar.
Previewing your Nav Bar:
As you make changes to your Nav Bar (and add/remove links to/from the Nav Bar list of links, you will see the preview Nav Bar (shown below the two tables described earlier in this section) change accordingly. This is a useful visual confirmation of the changes you have made to the items included within your Nav Bar.
Adding / Removing Links on the Nav Bar:
The simple premise of this screen is that you can move Custom Pages, and Custom Links, between the two lists (i.e. you can make them visible on the Nav Bar, or not visible on the Nav Bar) as required. To do this, all you need to do is click the text-link on the relevant list, either "Add to Menu" or "Remove from Menu" appropriately.
Once you have all of the links you require in the 'Items showing on the Nav Bar list, you can rearrange them using the '^' and 'v' links in the list.
Clicking ^ will move an item UP the Nav Bar menu.
Clicking v will move an item DOWN the Nav Bar menu.
The other list items will automatically be reordered as items move up or down the Nav Bar menu.
What about when I add new Custom Pages and Custom Links?
Any new Custom Pages or Custom Links you create will, by default, be put into the list of 'Items not showing on the menu'. It will be down to you to go back into the Nav Bar screen and add new links to your Nav Bar as required, from time to time.
Don't I need to save my changes?
The changes you make in this screen are effective immediately - there is no need to save any changes.
Tip: You should ensure that your Custom Pages are fully edited and reviewed, before you put a link to them on your Custom Nav Bar. This will, of course, avoid any chance of a customer clicking a link on your site which takes them through to an unfinished, or otherwise poor quality custom page.