Navigation bar
A navigation bar or Links bar ( English navigation bar ) is a central element of a site to always get an overview of the structure of the web presence and directly as possible any or any driving important deemed page of the site, which allows the viewer.
use
Compared to a table of contents like in a book or a sitemap , a navigation bar offers the advantage of being always visible, usually positioned on the left or at the top of the browser window. Depending on the size and complexity of the content, only the categories of the website are listed in this bar. Sometimes sub-categories can be "opened", ie displayed in the correct position and the current page highlighted in color.
technology
There are basically two common techniques: frames and a navigation bar on each page.
When using frames, the navigation bar is in its own frame, independently of the content page. The advantages and disadvantages of the frame technique are described in detail on the Frames page .
The alternative is to insert the navigation bar directly into the page. Based on the type of page creation, this can be subdivided into pages in whose source text the navigation bar is inserted manually, which quickly becomes confusing in larger projects, and pages into which the navigation bar is automatically inserted using server-side technology ( server-side includes ).
Classification
The navigation elements available on a page can be distinguished in terms of their hierarchy and function:
The main navigation is part of the structural navigation and is based on the (mostly hierarchical) structure of the page. A very typical example is the navigation of press services such as Spiegel, Stern, FAZ etc. It represents the main pages on the top level. The main navigation helps to get an overview of the entire portfolio, is used for orientation and enables you to switch quickly between the main categories.
Local navigation is subordinate to the main navigation in the hierarchy. It enables you to navigate within a previously selected main category. As a rule, these pages, also known as subnavigation, already offer content for the selected main category and structure the more in-depth information offered below.
In comparison to the two navigation elements mentioned above, context navigation is not structurally bound, but rather jumps thematically linked from one content to another. For example, many forums use automated plugins that link terms within a text section with its explanation. News pages like to use context navigation to refer to further articles on the same topic.
This navigation combines pages and functions that are intended to make it easier for the user to navigate through the actual content pages. They are grouped and structured according to their common functions. Language selection and a collection of external links, for example, belong to this category. But also so-called toolboxes that can be used to control the information offered.
This navigation element is always at the bottom of a website (hence the name). Often the elements contained therein are a mixture of main, sub and utility navigation. Newspaper pages, for example, often offer direct access to sub-headings. But utility elements such as RSS feeds, newsletters, blogs, imprint and sitemap are mostly housed there.
See also
Individual evidence
- ↑ James Kalbach: Handbook of Web Navigation . O'Reilly, Beijing 2008, ISBN 978-3-89721-865-9 (English: Designing Web Navigation . Translated by Michael Gerth).