How many MenuMachine menu objects do I need to put on the page to create a multi-level menu?

You only need to place ONE menu object on the page.
MenuMachine has been designed to handle your whole menu hierarchy.

You build your multi-level hierarchy using the MenuMachine Inspector.

You need to decide what menu items are the top-level items. These will always be displayed on screen. Submenus appear only when their parent item is activated (by click or rollover – you set this option.)

You need to decide what your hierarchy is going to be like by breaking up the individual items into groups. Click here for our sample menu in a diagram form which shows what items are grouped underneath other items.

Let's create the following example menu using ONE menumachine object.

1) Open or create a GoLive site. (if you are not familiar with sites, read this.)

2) Open a page which is saved in the site.

3) Drag a MenuMachine object onto the page (Objects > Basic palette)

4) Open the GoLive Inspector window if it is not already open.

The Inspector will change to the MenuMachine Inspector.

6) Click on the word MenuMachine in the Menu Tree area as highlighted in the picture at right.

7) Then go to the Menu Text field and type a new title for your menu item. Press Enter or Return or Tab to another field to confirm the changes.

In the image at right, we have typed 'Home' in the Menu Text field and confirmed the change.

8) To add the next menu item at the same level as 'Home' you would use the Create Menu button .

In the picture at right, a new top-level menu item has been created.

It has been given the title 'Products' using the same procedure as in the previous step.

The Create Menu button makes a new menu item at the same level as the item currectly selected in the Menu Tree area.

The newly-created item will have the same formatting (color, size etc.) as the item which was selected when it was created.

9) Once the remaining top-level items have been created, we can then create submenus.*

We want to add submenus to the item 'Products'.

Use the Create Submenu button to add the submenu item at the level below 'Products'.

In the picture at right, we are clicking on the Create Submenu button while the Prducts item is selected in the Menu Tree area.

The Create Submenu button makes a new menu item at the level below the item currectly selected in the Menu Tree area.

The newly-created item will have the same formatting (color, size etc.) as the item which was selected when it was created.

(*You do not have to create ALL your top-level items before begininning to make submenus. We are doing it in this order to more clearly illustrate the building up of our hierarchy on level at a time.)

10) In the picture at right, the new submenu item has been created and named 'Widgets'.

Then 'Widgets' is selected in the Menu Tree area.

Use the Create Menu button while 'Widgets' is selected to create another submenu under 'Products', at the same level as 'Widgets'.

The newly-created item will have the same formatting (color, size etc.) as 'Widgets'.

We now have a two-level menu hierarchy.

Note:
Click on disclosure triangles to hide or reveal the menu items in your hierarchy.

11) In the picture at right, the submenu item 'Widgets' has been given some sub-submenus.

This was done by selecting 'Widgets' in the Menu Tree area and using the Create Submenu button .

The newly-created items will have the same formatting (color, size etc.) as 'Widgets'.

We now have a three-level menu hierarchy.

12) Now the rmaining items in the menu have been created by using either the:

Create Menu button

(creates menu items at the SAME level as the currently selected item)

or the Create Submenu button

(creates menu items at the LEVEL BELOW the currently selected item)

As you can see, the hierarchy is now too large for the inspector.

There are three ways to navigate through your menu when it becomes large:

1. Click on the disclosure triangles to hide or reveal the menu items in your hierarchy.

2. Use the up and down arrows at the right of the Menu Tree area to scroll through the hierarchy (as pictured at right). Once you have reached the limit of your hierarchy at the top or bottom, that scroll arrow will become inactive.

3. Resize the Inspector.

13) Here is the Menu Tree area enlarged to show the finished hierarchy.

As you can see, only one menu object was used to create all the levels. Menus created using multiple menu objects will not as smoothly as a single menu structure.

Learn more:

To continue learning how to format and position your menu, please continue reading this manual.