Menus and Navigation

Here’s a breakdown of how the process works when using either Appearance > Menus or the Site Editor:

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1. Creating and Managing Menus in Appearance > Menus

• Where: Go to Appearance > Menus in the WordPress admin dashboard.
• What You Can Do:
  • Create menus with hierarchical structures (main menu items and submenus).
  • Assign menus to specific theme locations (like Primary Menu, Footer Menu, etc.).
  • Add pages, posts, custom links, or categories to the menu.

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2. Adding Navigation in the Site Editor

If you are using the Site Editor, the workflow is slightly different, and here’s how you can connect a navigation block to an existing menu:

1. Insert a Navigation Block:
   • In the Site Editor, navigate to the template or template part (e.g., Header) where you want the menu to appear.
   • Insert a Navigation block (you can search for it in the block inserter).
   • Once inserted, it will show a placeholder for the menu.
2. Link the Navigation Block to an Existing Menu:
   • Select the newly added Navigation block.
   • In the toolbar above the block, click the three vertical dots (⋮) near the “Menu” option.
   • From there, select an existing menu created via Appearance > Menus.
3. Creating a New Menu in the Site Editor:
   • Alternatively, instead of linking to an existing menu, you can choose to create a new menu directly within the Site Editor by adding links manually or dynamically.
4. Edit Menu Items:
   • After linking or creating a menu, you can rearrange items, add new links, or customize the appearance.

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Key Points

• Menus created via Appearance > Menus are stored in the WordPress database and can be reused across themes.
• The Site Editor offers flexibility to create or connect to menus via the Navigation block.
• Menus are not theme-specific: They are universal across the site and linked dynamically to the navigation block or theme location.

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Practical Example

If you create a menu called “Primary Menu” in Appearance > Menus:

1. Go to the Site Editor and insert a Navigation block in your header.
2. Select the Navigation block, and from the toolbar settings (⋮), choose “Primary Menu” to link it.

Now, the menu you created in Appearance > Menus will appear in your header.