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Extended Menu, by Daniel Ecer - Joomla Extension Directory

Introduction

Menu Systems

This menu module offers almost all features of the mainmenu module plus many many more.... Like:
- CSS- Menu with Sub-Menues
- patTemplate support
- split the menu up (e.g. sub-navigation on the side)
- navigate through sections, categories, content items (you can even make it expand regular section/category link menu items)
- plugin support (load menu items from a custom database table or create complex views)
- use one of the available menu templates (mainly based on other great resources like the suckerfish CSS menu, an accessible dTree menu, mountain-top rounded corners...) or create/modify your own menu template (you may want to make this one then available to others).


(please see the homepage for more details)

Just an additional note as some may misunderstand some things about this module:
- it main emphases is not to make it simpler than the built in mainmenu but add some more possibilities and sacrifices some simplicity for flexibility (separate sub modules could probably be created to overcome this)...
- those are mainly focused on giving the web developer/designer the possibility to create standard based web sites (menu wise)
- that is to be able to separate structure (HTML) from design (CSS)
- for integration, design and other reasons this is not a component but just a module with it's limitation
- (a required step may not be required for a later Joomla version)

This may help your decision:
- don't use this module if you don't need/want any of it's additional features
- don't use it if you are not sure what HTML/CSS is and you actually don't care about web standards (accessibility etc.)
- if you desperately want JavaScript/Flash effects other menu modules may suit you better (even though possible there is not a lot effort put into making such easier)
- otherwise just check it out.. it depends on your knowledge, preferences and what you actually want to archive

Note: Unfortunately I can't reply to comments. If you believe there is a bug or it is not working as advertised then please do contact me or raise an issue in the bug tracker.
e.g. this module is compatible with Joomla 1.7 since the snapshot version 2011-11-10.
(1.0.6 on the other hand was not compatible)

I just love this module. I quickly came to the limits of the normal joomla mainmenu module. But with the template feature of extended menu i can over come all problems i have with a normal menu.



Pro:

+ patTemplate

+ attach it to menus, sections, categories

+ unfold categories, articles

+ remove the first lnk from am menu, only show the second level of the active menu and on and on

+ devide one menu into multiple modules

+ more CSS Classes and if you write your own template you can do anything.



Contra:

- patTemplate can't use PHP (not really a ext menu problem)

- The unfolding of sections, categories and articles is buggy.



As the developer wrte above this is not easy to pic up. But if you know what you are doing this is the best!



But i hope its still developed as there are no updates for i believe more than 6 Months.

does not work properly in IE7



Posted on 13 December 2006
menu does not seems to be working in IE7 correctly, needs a little bit tweaking, probably they are already working on it .

HIGH FIVE!



Posted on 30 November 2006
Thank you so much! I have other php programs running and couldn't use the standard menus to link to them. This mod installed easily and runs PERFECTLY!
Pros -- Powerful, versatile. Some very good code in places.



Cons -- Terse documentation leaves out critical details. Module setup screen is huge and confusing. Inconsistent implementation of menu functionality across the various menu types. dTree menu setup is 'magic': arcane, badly documented, easy to screw up and hard to understand.



Summary -- Extended Menu generates many questions and few answers on the Joomla forums.

* If you are a beginner, and one of the examples is exactly what you want, you have a fair chance of success, unless it is the dTree menu.

* If you are an advanced developer, the cost of modifying the module to get exactly what you want is almost equal to the cost of building it yourself from scratch.

If you are one of the few who can make it work, more power to you. The many who can't should look elsewhere.

Works For Me!!!



Posted on 21 November 2006
I was struggling to get my menu to display the content items without displaying each section title. Well, this module did the trick!



Excellent Module!

Unstable



Posted on 09 August 2006
Shouldn't have followed the herd on this one. It works for basic menuing, but then there are much leaner extensions to handle the simple stuff (this extension has a LOT of files).



If you try to use any of its advanced features it quickly breaks down. For example, it does not reliably split the parent menu and child menus apart. Instead it loses child menu items. It seems like the longer the URL of the child menu, the more chance there is that it will be lost.



I spent two days trying to debug this piece of code-bloat, but there are simply too many files and too few comments to do that.
After playing with it for less than an hour I think it's a great extension. Yep, will take a while to figure it all out and I'm not ready to go live with what I've go so far, but that's because I have more to learn.



It assumes a good knowledge of underlying technologies. I can see I need to bone up on advanced CSS and get my head around patTemplate. Not unreasonable expectations for anyone claiming to develop advanced interface features, such as this enables.



How about a field on this site for "Required knowledge/skills"? Here's what I'd put for ExtMenu:



Required knowledge: Advanced CSS, patTemplate, mod_mainmenu functions
Finally a normal menu system





Pre requisites



I new to Joomla! One week

I new CSS again one week

I have no clue from PHP or 5% idea



BUT this module is great and shout be included in the standard menu manager in Jommla with advance option for all the user how don’t understand CSS or the benefit of the advanced options.



Regards to developer and the editors

Not For Me



Posted on 29 June 2006
I'm not dishing this mmwnu; I WANT to use this mod. Since it's release I have made several attempts on various versions of Joomla, on various Domains and various servers. I've even previously reviewed this mod in conjunction with Joomfish (see site crash in earlier review)



I have developed dozens of Mambo/Joomla Websites and am comfortable creating templates and css files from scratch and modifying snippets of code. I've never gotten this mod to work on any site, and today using Joomla 1.09 is no exception.



Everyone seems to rave about this menu, and I still want to use it, but at this point how much time should one spend when the LX Menu product works so well?



How did this possibly make the Editors Pick?

Using extended message



Posted on 25 June 2006
Joomla has been designed, not just for use on peoples fun web sites, but also as a serious competitor for non-open source CMS'. In the corporate world, time is money and often the difference between a paid for product and open source is the level of supporting documentation.



Here is where extended menu is let down. The documentation is there but not well organised. If you are in the same position I was in and need this running, and running fast, follow these steps.



1. Make sure your main menu is complete, with your entire heirarchy filled out.

2. Download and install this module.

3. Open the module in Joomla! and ensure the setting 'Menu Name' is set to main menu.

4. Publish the extended menu

5. Ensure it is positioned in your template, and that the corresponding 'Position' is set in the extended menu module.

6. Go to this web page: http://de.siteof.de/extended-menu-parameters.html and work through the parameters, trying them until you get the desired effect.

7. Go to this page: http://de.siteof.de/extended-menu-templates.html if you want to do dynamic menus.



It is unfair to expect the developer to produce a product that can be used by people without very good knowledge of XHTML and CSS, as this is not Dreamweaver. If you are not in this position, you really ought to pass this over to the person in your company who is - once the initial work is done, any of your customers (internal and external) need not look at this again and simply worry about adding content. I consider Extended Menu as set and forget at this level.



No amount of silly comments (as below) will help such fantastic open source products as Joomla! compete. Leave these for the trolls in the newsgroups.

Extended Menu

Version:
1.3.1
Developer:
Daniel Ecer
Last updated:
Oct 12 2023
1 year ago
Date added:
Mar 05 2006
License:
GPLv2 or later
Type:
Free download
Includes:
m
Compatibility:
J3 J4
Download

Uses Joomla! Update System