DHTML Javascript Drop-Down Menu - Command: Link Compiled Menu to Web Pages

Command: Link Compiled Menu to Web Page(s)

Links a compiled menu (.js file) to a selection of web pages.

At this stage, AllWebMenus inserts the necessary menu link into the selected web pages. No DHTML or Javascript knowledge is required since the whole process is conducted by the application. The menu link is a few lines of code and can be easily identified inside the source code by a related comment.

The linking process requires only two pieces of information:

1. The compiled menu file (eg: mymenu.js)

2. The web page(s) where the menu link will be created.

In step 2, you may also use an optional Alternative URL where the user will be automatically redirected if his/her browser does not support dynamic HTML.

Obviously, you need to upload the updated web pages on the server so that the menu can be viewed on-line. However, it is important that you also upload...

1. the compiled menu file (eg: mymenu.js).

2. the awmdata folder.

...at the same directory structure where they reside locally.

See the Compile Menu command for more info on this issue.

To update the design of an already compiled menu you should first make the changes to its respective .awm file and then recompile it. Provided that you did not change the name or the directory of the compiled menu, you do not need to re-link the menu to the pages that already contain that link. However, you may need to do so if you are using a new AllWebMenus version with improved menu-linking code.

How does the menu-linking process work:

Let's say that you want to link a menu called "menu3.js" to a page. The process asks the following question and takes the respective action:

Does menu-linking code already exists for "menu3.js"?

Yes -> Replace the old menu-linking code with the new one

No -> Insert a new menu-linking code for "menu3.js" into the page

Notes:

Note about file extensions:

The link can be inserted in any kind of page, regardless of its extension. Just use the All Files (*.*) filter to select web pages that have an extension other than the typical .html or .htm one.

Note for Dreamweaver users:

If you like, you can also link the compiled menu to a template (.dwt) or a library (.lbi). Just select the related directory (Templates or Library) and use the All Files (*.*) filter so that you can view the template or library file.

The library (.lbi) is a special Dreamweaver file containing a collection of individual assets or copies of assets that you can place in your web pages. That means the menu linking code can be added in a library but you should make sure that the library should be placed as the first element after the BODY opening tag (<body>) and that the linking code is the first element, listed in the library file itself.

The menu does not have to be compiled inside the Templates directory. On the contrary, we do not advise you to do so as you will have to upload the Templates directory on the server too.

Note for FrontPage users:

Similarly to Dreamweaver, you can link your menu into an include so that it can be used by all other pages. Just make sure that this include contains only the menu and that it is inserted immediately before the </body> tag of the pages. To use the menu inside a Shared Border, please read the "How Do I Link menus to FrontPage Shared Borders" section.