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Training: The SoM Web Format & Contribute
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Add Links to Left Navigation

This tutorial discusses placing and editing links in your LeftColumn navigation area. Links in Breadcrumbs and Page Body are discussed elsewhere. Left navigation links are different from body links in two related ways:

  1. They are kept in special, separate files called server-side includes and
  2. The links must always use the full or "absolute" URL of the linked page, beginning "http://" or "https://"

Includes are snippets of HTML saved in separate file. Special coding in the page file causes the server to parse, or pull the code, into the flow of HTML delivered to the browser. The effect is that when updating the include, to add a link for example, every page that uses the include is updated.

NOTE: One of the limitations of Contribute is that one can edit the include, but cannot change the attachment of the include to a page. To create new page/include relationships, use Dreamweaver or contact Web Help.

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Step 1: View page and get full URL

  1. In Contribute, use the Choose button, browse to and view the page you want to link to
  2. Select the page's URL from the Contribute Address bar
  3. Switch to your regular Web browser (IE, Safari, Firefox, etc)
  4. Paste the URL into the browser's address bar and hit enter to view it
  5. Leave this window open on this page to save the URL; we will come back for it later
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Step 2: Find the include file for left navigation

  1. In Contribute, click on the "Choose" button and browse to the left navigation include attached to the page you want to link to
  2. Most site directories have their own "includes" folder
  3. However, a page in that subdirectory can also reference a left navigation file NOT in that subdirectory, typically using a higher-level includes file, such as the main Home page left navigation
  4. Look for a file with a name beginning "navigation," i.e. "navigation-left-home.htm" or just "navigation.htm"
  5. Some sites use the "expanding navigation trick," where there are multiple copies of the left navigation include, with individual link sections expanded. Any new top-level link should be added to all the copies of the left navigation file in sites using this technique

In the 2.0 format, each link has it's own table, and some underlying CSS structure. To create a new link, you must duplicate an existing link, then edit it.

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Step 3: Create a new main link

Main links are aligned left, and represent the major topics of your site.

  1. While viewing the correct include in Contribute, click the Edit Page button
  2. Place your cursor anywhere inside the link table you want to copy (use the first link under "Sample Links to Edit";
  3. Use the Table menu to "Select Table;"
  4. Edit > Copy
  5. CAREFULLY click the left or right arrow, to move the cursor before or after the source link table;
  6. Edit > Paste
    IMPORTANT: Make sure your cursor is NOT within another table
  7. Select the new link's text; DON'T delete; just start typing your new link text, e.g. "My New Page"
  8. Switch to your browser, select the full URL from the address bar, and Copy.
  9. With the cursor anywhere in the link text, get the menu command Format > Link Properties; paste the URL directly into the "HREF" text box in the Advanced section, replacing whatever link is there currently; DON'T paste it into the " Web address (URL)" text box or click this box after pasting in the HREF text box
  10. Click OK to set the link properties
  11. Click Publish to make the changes live
  12. View the page in your browser, reload and test the link by clicking around
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Step 4: Create a new subnavigation link (subnav section must already exist)

Subnavigation links are indented, and represent the child pages of major topics of your site. One generally has only one subnavigation section per include. If the include already has a subnavigation section, you can copy and paste link tables within the subnavigation section, just as you did in step 3. Just make sure you keep your cursor within <div#subnavigation>.

Unfortunately, you cannot add new subnavigation or subsubnavigation sections with Contribute. If you need new sectioning, contact Web Help.

Other Nav Links options

Left navigation links can also be divided by unlinked section labels. You cannont install them with Contribute, although you can edit existing ones. If you need new sectioning, contact Web Help.

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