Accessing Index Pages

After creating index pages, you'll need to provide your users/partrons a way to navigate to either the individual page(s) or the pre-built page that lists all the created index pages. There are various ways to accomplish this, including menu links, header buttons, other Stacks features, and a footer link.

No one method is necessarily the best; ultimately, the best method is determined by how you want your users/patrons to find and navigate to content on your site. 

Menu Links

Stacks has 2 menu areas, the main menu and the top menu, either will allow for custom links for navigating to your index page listing or individual index page(s).

Main and Top Menu

To add menu links:

1. From the Dashboard, click the Menus tile
2. Click the List Links button to the right of Main Menu or Top Menu, depending on where you wish to place the link
3. Click the +Add link button
   1. Menu link title, enter a title for the menu link, this is the value users/patrons will see in the menu
   2. Link, enter the path to the index page listing (/index_pages) or the URL alias for a specific index page
      1. Note: for internal Stacks pages, the full URL is not required in the link field, just the path mentioned above
   3. Enabled, ensure this box is checked to enable the link to appear in the menu
   4. Description, if required, enter a description for the menu link
   5. Show as expanded, when checked, this will expand the menu link if there are child links added under the main link
   6. Language, select the appropriate language, if applicable
   7. Parent Link, select the appropriate option
      1. <Main menu>, select this option to display the link in the main menu
      2. <--link name>, select from other menu links listed to embed this link as a child link under the selected option
      3. <Top menu>, select this option to display the link in the top menu
   8. Weight, enter a numerical value to determine the order of appearance
      1. Alternatively, after saving, click and drag the 4-way arrow in the list link page to change the order of appearance
   9. Click Save to complete the creation of the menu link

Header Button

Call to Action (or CTA) buttons are up to 4 custom buttons that can be enabled in the header and used for navigating to content, other Stacks pages, or external websites. Depending on the header layout, these buttons typically appear beside or just under the main search bar in your header. 

1. From the Dashboard, click the System Configuration tile
2. Click the Header tile, then the Header CTA Buttons option from the menu on the left
3. Enable, check this box to enable the CTA button feature
4. Header Button 1 through 4
   1. Title, enter the button name, this will be visible to the user/patron
   2. URL, enter the path or URL to the page users/patrons will be directed to when the button is clicked
      1. For the Index Listing page, enter the path /index_listings in the URL field
      2. For an individual Index Page, enter the URL alias for the page
   3. Click Save configuration when done

Other Stacks Features

Another method to direct users/patrons to your index listing page is through another Stacks feature such as a Callout, Slider, or Custom Block as example. The advantage of using features like this in particular, are the image options that can be used as a way of drawing attention to the content the user/patron may want to access.

As described in the sections above, the key to directing people to your index listing page is by using the path /index_pages in the appropriate Link or URL field.

For more information on creating or editing content such as Callouts, Sliders, Custom Blocks, etc. please see the associated user guide article(s) for the desired feature type. 

Footer Link

The footer of your Stacks site allows for the addition of custom content and links that can be used for navigating throughout your site, including the directory listing page. 

1. From the Dashboard, click the System Configuration tile
2. Click the Footer tile, then the Contact Info option from the menu on the left
3. In the Staff Directory URL field, enter the full URL to your directory listing page
   1. Unlike other areas, this requires the full URL (example: https://yoursitename.com/index_pages)
4. Click Save configuration when done