Appearance Menus
Appearance Menus Guide
This guide explains how the theme uses Appearance → Menus in WordPress, including menu locations and the extra Add Menu Items panels added by the theme.
Open the Menus Screen
- Go to WordPress Dashboard → Appearance → Menus.
- Create a new menu or select an existing menu to edit.
- Add menu items from the Add Menu Items panels on the left.
- Arrange the items in the order you want them to appear.
- Assign the menu to the correct Display location.
- Click Save Menu.
Menu Locations
The theme registers these menu locations:
| Menu Location | What It Controls |
|---|---|
| Primary Menu | The main site navigation used by the header navigation. |
| Footer Menu | The footer navigation shown near the site copyright area. |
| Dashboard Menu | The sidebar navigation inside the frontend dashboard. |
| User Menu (Dropdown) | The logged-in user dropdown menu in the site header. |
| Mobile Bottom Nav | The logged-in mobile bottom navigation bar. |
| Community Menu (Left Rail) | The desktop left rail community navigation. |
| Mobile User Drawer | The dashboard-style links shown inside the mobile drawer opened from the mobile bottom nav. |
Assign each menu to the location that matches where you want it to appear.
How “Add Menu Items” Works
The Add Menu Items section is where you choose links to add to the menu you are editing.
WordPress may show standard panels such as:
- Pages
- Posts
- Custom Links
- Categories
The theme also adds custom panels for common theme navigation items. These panels create the correct menu item labels, URLs, and supporting data so you do not have to build every link manually.
To use a panel:
- Open the panel in Add Menu Items.
- Check the items you want to add.
- Click Add to Menu.
- Reorder the items in the menu structure.
- Click Save Menu.
Dashboard Menu Items
The Dashboard Menu Items panel adds links for the frontend dashboard.
Use this panel when building the menu assigned to Dashboard Menu.
These items are built from the dashboard tab system. They are designed to point to dashboard tabs using the correct tab links. Do not manually remove or change the dashboard tab portion of these URLs after adding them.
Some dashboard items only show for certain users. For example, Business-related dashboard links depend on the user’s account type. Some labels can also change by account type, such as Appointments versus My Appointments.
Mobile Drawer Items
The Mobile Drawer Items panel adds dashboard-style links for the mobile user drawer.
Use this panel when building the menu assigned to Mobile User Drawer.
These items are also built from the dashboard tab system, but they use mobile-friendly dashboard links. The drawer already includes an account section with profile and logout links, so this menu is mainly for dashboard navigation links.
Mobile Bottom Nav Items
The Mobile Bottom Nav Items panel adds links for the logged-in mobile bottom navigation bar.
Use this panel when building the menu assigned to Mobile Bottom Nav.
The theme provides these preset mobile bottom nav items:
- Activity
- Notifications
- Members
- Menu
The mobile bottom nav is intended to stay short. Keep it to 3–5 items. The theme automatically limits this menu to a maximum of 5 top-level items.
The Menu item is special. It uses the current user’s avatar and opens the mobile user drawer.
The Notifications item is also special. It can display an unread notification badge when unread notifications are available.
User Menu Items
The User Menu Items panel adds common logged-in account links.
Use this panel when building the menu assigned to User Menu (Dropdown).
Available user menu items include:
- Dashboard
- My Profile
- Edit Profile
- My Videos
- Members Directory
- Activity Feed
- Settings
- Sign Out
The My Profile item is dynamic. It points to the currently logged-in user’s own profile when the menu is shown on the frontend.
The Sign Out item uses the theme’s logout handling when displayed on the frontend.
Community Menu Icons
When editing an individual menu item, the theme adds a Community Menu Icon field.
This icon is only used when the item appears in the Community Menu (Left Rail) location.
To set an icon:
- Expand a menu item in the menu editor.
- Find Community Menu Icon.
- Choose an icon from the dropdown.
- Save the menu.
If no icon is selected, the item can still appear as a normal menu item.
Menu Item Visibility
When editing an individual menu item, the theme adds a Visibility section.
You can choose whether a menu item should show to:
- Logged-in users
- Guests
- Specific WordPress roles
If you leave all visibility options unchecked, the menu item shows to everyone.
Administrators can see all menu items, which helps when building or testing menus.
If a parent menu item is hidden by visibility settings, its child menu items are hidden too.
CSS Classes and Special Menu Behavior
WordPress can hide the CSS Classes field unless it is enabled.
To show it:
- Open Appearance → Menus.
- Click Screen Options at the top of the page.
- Enable CSS Classes.
The theme can use CSS classes for certain special behaviors. For most users, the preset menu panels are the safest way to add these items because they add the correct supporting data automatically.
Recommended Menu Setup
A typical setup is:
- Create a main navigation menu and assign it to Primary Menu.
- Create a footer menu and assign it to Footer Menu.
- Create a dashboard menu using Dashboard Menu Items and assign it to Dashboard Menu.
- Create a user dropdown menu using User Menu Items and assign it to User Menu (Dropdown).
- Create a mobile bottom menu using Mobile Bottom Nav Items and assign it to Mobile Bottom Nav.
- Create a mobile drawer menu using Mobile Drawer Items and assign it to Mobile User Drawer.
- Create a community left rail menu and assign it to Community Menu (Left Rail).
Test the Menus
After saving menus:
- Visit the site header and confirm the Primary Menu appears.
- Log in and confirm the user dropdown menu appears if it is enabled in the header settings.
- Open the frontend dashboard and confirm the Dashboard Menu tab links work.
- View the site on a mobile screen and confirm the Mobile Bottom Nav appears for logged-in users.
- Tap the mobile Menu item and confirm the Mobile User Drawer opens.
- Check the community layout and confirm the Community Menu appears where expected.
- Test as both logged-in and logged-out users if you use visibility rules.
Troubleshooting
A menu does not appear
Confirm the menu is assigned to the correct Display location and click Save Menu.
A dashboard link does not open the expected tab
Use the Dashboard Menu Items panel again and avoid manually changing the dashboard tab URL after the item is added.
Mobile bottom nav shows fewer items than expected
The mobile bottom nav only displays top-level items and is automatically limited to 5 items.
A menu item is hidden for some users
Expand the menu item and check the Visibility settings. If roles, logged-in users, or guests are selected, the item only appears for matching visitors.
Community menu icons do not show
Confirm the item is assigned an icon in Community Menu Icon and that the menu is assigned to Community Menu (Left Rail).