If you've followed the How to Make Menus in Joomla tutorial, I’m here to guide you through adding menu items to your menus. Menu items link to content like articles, categories, or external pages, and even components. Menu items also let you control layouts and display settings. Let’s dive into this step-by-step guide to create your first menu item!
Why Add Menu Items in Joomla?
Menu items are the clickable links in your Joomla menus, directing users to specific content, like an article or a contact form. Each menu item lets you customize the page’s layout, template style, and whether to show or hide elements like the author name or publish date. This tutorial will show you how to add a menu item and link it to an article.
Step-by-Step Guide to Adding Menu Items
Follow these steps to add a menu item to an existing menu in Joomla 5. I’ll walk you through linking it to an article, but you can adapt these steps for other content types.
1. Log In to the Administrator Dashboard
Start by logging into your Administrator Dashboard at yourwebsite.com/administrator (change yourwebsite.com using your domain) with your login credentials.
2. Access the Menu Manager or the Menu
In the Administrator Dashboard, go to Menus > Manage from the left sidebar navigation column. Select the menu you want to add an item to, like “Main Menu,” by clicking the linked menu name, or you can click the Menu Items icon next to it.
The other method to access a menu is to go directly to the menu you want to add items to. For example, navigate to Menus > Footer Menu.
3. Create a New Menu Item
In the Menu Items screen, click the New button. This opens the New Menu Item form, where I’ll set up the link and its properties.
4. Configure the Menu Item
After clicking New, it's time to fill out the menu item parameters. I will keep this to the basics, but a more in-depth tutorial will take you through every setting that is available to you, since menu item management can be a bit overwhelming due to the level of flexibility they offer:
- Menu Title: As an example, the link text users see is “About Me.”
- Menu Item Type: Click Select and choose Articles > Single Article, then select an article (e.g., “About Me”) from the Select Article popup.
- Status: I set it to “Published” to have this item become active and seen.
You can also use the Options tab to show/hide elements like the author name or category, or the Template Style tab to choose a specific layout for this page. However, I will go through this in a more in-depth tutorial about managing template styles and options—it's extensive!
5. Save the Menu Item
Click the Save & Close button at the top to add the menu item and return to the Menu Items list. If you want to add another item to the same menu, instead of Save & Close, click the down arrow and select Save & New.
6. Check the Menu Item on Your Site
I visit my website’s frontend to test the new menu item. Clicking it should load the linked article with the chosen layout and display settings. If it doesn’t appear, I ensure the menu module is published and assigned to the correct pages via Content > Site Modules.
When viewing your website, you will see your menu and its menu items displayed.
Tips for Success
- Use clear, concise Menu Titles to help users understand the link’s purpose.
- Try to avoid long menu item titles.
- Explore the Options tab to customize what’s shown (e.g., hide publish dates for static pages like “Contact”).
- If the menu item doesn’t show, check the menu module’s Menu Assignment settings to ensure it’s assigned to the desired pages.
What’s Next?
With your menu items added, you're ready for my next tutorial. I’ll guide you through menu types and what each one offers.
Continue to the Next Tutorial: Understanding Joomla Menu Types