Navigation: Menus, Paths, & Links

Last Updated March 2025

We cannot over emphasize the importance of navigation. Please consider all way-finding decisions carefully and follow best practices.

Be aware of issues:

• resulting from trying to add a duplicate menu item to a page within the site,
• with changing URL path addresses after content is already “live” and
• that menu items display a visual menu trail to improve information scent.

There are several tools within the Drupal site for managing navigation. However, you do not have to use them all. Determine a design pattern and stay consistent throughout your site. You are encouraged to develop a governance strategy.

In this section:

• How to Edit Menus – Main site navigation, header and footer menus
• Section or Secondary Menu
• Quick Links Block – to mimic a Secondary Menu or make a Table of Contents jump links menu
• URL Path Address
• Create a Link
  • Linking to Another Spot on the Page
  • Link to Pre-Filtered Aggregated List
  • Non-Visible Link Context and Visually Hidden
• Duplicate Menu Labels, URLs or Titles

User Role Access

Since Information Architecture requires a governance strategy, not all content contributor user roles have access to edit menus. Only Content Administrators can control menus and create custom URL path addresses.