Navigation bar
A navigation bar or link bar (English navigation bar) is a central element of a website, which allows the viewer to always get an overview of the structure of the web site and as directly as possible each or any important page of the site deemed to control.
Use
Compared with a table of contents as in a book or a site map provides a navigation bar the advantage to be always visible, usually positioned on the left or top of your browser window. Depending on the size and complexity of the content, only the categories of the web site will be listed in this bar there. Sometimes it can subcategories " opened ", so there appears in the correct position and the current page to be highlighted.
Technology
Basically, there are two common techniques: frame and navigation bar on every page.
When using frames, the navigation bar is independently next to the content page in a separate frame. Pros and cons of the frame technique are described in detail on the side frames.
The alternative is to insert the navigation bar directly into the page. This can be based on the type of page creation divided into pages, in which the source code, the navigation bar is used in each case by hand, which is hard to handle larger projects, and pages in the navigation bar is inserted automatically by server-side technology (Server Side Includes).
Classification
The devices available on one side navigation elements can be distinguished in terms of their hierarchy and function:
Main Navigation
The main navigation is part of the structural navigation and is based on the (usually 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 at the top level. The main navigation helps to get an overview of the entire port film, serves as an orientation and allows you to quickly switch between the main headings.
Local navigation ( Subnavigation )
The local navigation is assumed in the hierarchy of the main navigation. It allows you to navigate within a main category previously selected. Usually these sites also Subnavigation mentioned already offer content to the selected main category and divide the following including deeper range of information.
Contextual navigation
The context menu is not bound structure compared to the two above- mentioned navigation elements, but skips thematically linked from a content to another with each other. Many forums for example, use automated plugins that terms within a text section with the explanation link. News sites use the context menu like to refer to further articles on the same topic.
Utility Navigation
These navigation links pages and functions that will help the user control by the actual content pages. They are summarized and classified according to their common features. Language and a collection of external links belong to this category, for example. But even so-called toolboxes, which allow the controller of the information offered can be made to be.
Footer navigation
( Hence the name) This navigation element is always located at the bottom of a website. Often, the elements contained in it are a mixture of main, sub and utility navigation. Newspaper sites offer as example, are often the direct access to sub- headings on. But utility elements such as RSS feeds, newsletters, blogs, Disclaimer and Sitemap are housed mostly there.