INFORMATION FOR...
navigation
Path Bar
Overview
The path bar is to help the user navigate. The first part of the path bar is the first level below the College home page. The last part of the path bar represents the current page the user is viewing. Items in the path bar are called path bar items. The path bar items in the middle can be any important unit or content pages that are between the COE Hompage and their current page. The path bar does not reflect the actual path they took, but an approximation of the hierarchy above their current page.
Examples:
- coe >> edwebs >> menu
- eps >> specializations >> religious educational policy
- saao >> undergrad >> degreeprograms
For example, in http://www.ed.uiuc.edu/eps/about.html the path bar item "about" is a short name for the About EPS page.
Path bar items should be:
- short
- lower case
Changing the Path Bar Items Above the Current File
Every folder between the root of the web site and the current page is examined to determine the pathbar. For a given folder (such as /eps) the path bar item (eps) is found by:
Looking in the properties file for that folder (i.e. /eps/properties.html) and looking at the path bar name property. If it is not empty it will use this value for the path bar item.
The folder will not be represented as a path bar item if:
- path bar name property is left empty
- path bar name is set to hidden (by typing hidden in the path bar property box)
- properties.html file does not exist for that folder.
Thus, to change the path bar items before (or above) the current page, you should edit any folder properties files in the same folder or above your current page. You should set the path bar name property by (1) leaving it blank to not have a path bar item for that folder, (2) putting the text you want such as "eps" in it, or (3) put "hidden" in it to not have a path bar item for that folder.
Changing the Path Bar Item for the Current File.
The current files path bar item is the rightmost one. If the path bar name property is set in that page (see image below) then it will be that value. It the path bar name is left empty, it will be the name of the file converted to lower case.
Additional Info on Path Bar/Bread Crumb Navigation
- http://psychology.wichita.edu/surl/usabilitynews/52/breadcrumb.htm
- http://www.webdesignpractices.com/navigation/breadcrumb.html