Menu System

[NormanRouxel]

Hi, Gabriel

I'll have to get around to something that does the following.

1) Only load the top level (or top2 levels) on every page.

2) Dynamically load additional menu content for sections below that on demand.

3) Only generate the full menu once per Site build (computationally expensive to build a huge menu on every page).

This would deal with HTML bloat, Google not liking more than 100 links per page and backoffice site generation being slow.

All my recent menus Collapso, NorList, use simple HTML UL lists, and only use JS for animation. It's the page size issue for that HTML that's the real killer, especially as SPP is becoming more popular.

I just wish I had more free time. I had a brainwave last weekend about providing a way to sort products dynamically in the browser (no PHP or backoffice work needed). Of course, it wasn't as easy as I hoped, and there went a lot of time.

[gabrielcrowe]

1) Only load the top level (or top2 levels) on every page.

the php menu does this, please, give it a spin.

2) Dynamically load additional menu content for sections below that on demand.

it can also do this. fully expanded, contextual or otherwise.

3) Only generate the full menu once per Site build (computationally expensive to build a huge menu on every page).

it can do this too:
1- create a layout with a fully expanded menu, blank main template.
2- set in the htaccess, to render htm files as php, or ssi
3- in an actionc template, use a php or ssi include directive.

voila. no menu computation per page, server includes structure.

[NormanRouxel]

2) Dynamically load additional menu content for sections below that on demand.

Do you mean using an AJAX like capability, in that only small snippets of additional code are loaded when needed?

[gabrielcrowe]

actually, i meant that it knows what section its in and renders the uls below it.

but, it can be used ajaxy too. since it can be told to render from any level. but i think thats making an SEO timebomb. i dont ever use ajax for main navs, its a bad idea all round.