Navigation Basics

In the previous steps, you created a page at:

/my-first-page

The page exists, but it does not appear in the sidebar yet. Mordoc keeps pages and navigation separate so you can choose which pages readers see in the menu.

In this step, you will add your new page to the sidebar.

Open the navigation file

Open this file:

config/navigation/sidenav.yaml

The starter file looks like this:

- label: The Ring
  expanded: true
  children:
    - label: Lore of the Ring
      path: /lore
    - label: Wielding the Ring
      path: /wielding-the-ring
    - label: Safeguards
      path: /safeguards

This file controls the links shown in the sidebar.

Add your page

Add your new page under children:

- label: The Ring
  expanded: true
  children:
    - label: Lore of the Ring
      path: /lore
    - label: Wielding the Ring
      path: /wielding-the-ring
    - label: Safeguards
      path: /safeguards
    - label: My First Page
      path: /my-first-page

Save the file.

If your local server is running, the sidebar should update automatically. You should now see My First Page in the sidebar.

What label and path mean

Each navigation item has a label and a path.

- label: My First Page
  path: /my-first-page

The label is what readers see in the sidebar.

The path is the page address that opens when they click the label.

Keep labels simple

Navigation labels should be short and clear.

Good examples:

• Install
• Configuration
• Deploy

Avoid long labels when a shorter one is clear enough.

More navigation options

This page only covers the first sidebar edit.

Later, the Side Navigation page will explain nested groups and expanded groups. The Configuration section will also explain top navigation, header links, and translated navigation labels.

Next step

Add images and files.