Active Menu, DynaMenu and MDMenus

Once the only menu available to Nuke admins was the standard menu. It was an intimidating thing to new users with almost all items listed consecutively in one group. It could be improved on by regrouping the listings within it into a more logical order while renaming some of them. Even so, it is a one level menu and has related limitations. There were no ready-made alternatives.

Along came ActiveMenu sometime in 2003. It is a modularized version of the dynamicdrive.com version of Ger Versluis’ Menu, which they retitled HV Menu (because it can be used horizontally and vertically). The dynamicdrive.com version is used because it is available for use by anyone, even commercial sites whereas the original, current version has some limitations in regards to commercial use.

ActiveMenu is a JavaScript menu that runs in a block. I became familiar with the source Menu program years ago in search of a menu program to aid navigation on my HTML site. It has the ability to list items in multi-level groups and has several options, including the ability to change colors for any level, substitute images for text, have translucent or transparent background colors, and others. Most of these options are carried over to AM.

Unfortunately, as I discovered with the original Menu, JavaScript menus are not suitable for anything but the smallest of menus. This is because they are rebuilt (reloaded) with every page viewed on a site. This can mean an interminable and recurring delay on sites with lengthy menus. AM shares this deficiency with its source menu and I found it equally unsuited. A better solution was needed.

One came along in 2004, DynaMenu, based on PHP Layers Menu 3.1.1by Marco Pratesi and created by Nate Welch. DynaMenu is a block which allows the admin to create multiple dynamic and plain text menus for their Nuke website navigation. Menu styles include a vertical "fly-out" menu and a horizontal drop-down menu which run on JavaScript; a tree-style vertical menu which can be collapsed/expanded, using the DOM (Document Object Model); and plain text menus, with indented subcategories.

While DM has some JavaScript menus, it also has several options that are not and are well suited for large menus. At last there was a menu suitable as a replacement for the standard Nuke menu on any site. DM uses the permissions system, allows adding several blank lines at a time (in multiples of up to 5), can hide lines by designating no level for them, and uses configurable background color to indicate the level. DM can handle up to 15 levels. Items may be moved up or down using arrows in a manner similar to block placement in the MDP admin menu. Listings with sublevels may be expanded or contracted by default as well as changed by each user with their choices stored via a cookie. The variety of menu styles means that DM can be used on most any site regardless of whether their theme calls for a vertical or horizontal menu.

The model for DM, PHP Layers Menu, was a good one and it is this same model that was used by MDP developer Sergey Alexandrov when he created MDMenus. It is similar to DM from the user’s perspective and differs largely on the administrative end. Listings are added one at a time with no provision for empty lines. Their exact position is specified and they can be moved more rapidly (in one step) by indicating their new location. When a module is added, its name is specified from a drop down list and it is unnecessary to know the directory name and whether [straight] or {curly} brackets are used.

Once listings have been added, the structure can be more easily reviewed in MDM. DM will not display alternate text on any line which does not have a link (MOD or URL in the case of MDM) but MDM now has this capability. Both have options for displaying icons or not although some icons (such as folders) are shown regardless of the settings. This can be remedied by replacing the appropriate icons with transparent ones.

My own use of both DM and MDM has been as a vertical tree configuration. I replaced the tree folder open and tree folder closed icons (and possibly others) with transparent icons so that only the thin, gray, mostly vertical lines showing the relationship of one level to another appear. This allows me to use “new” icons to indicate recently added menu items.

There are things I like about both programs. DM lets me hide items easily until they are ready to be revealed (or for whatever reason) and has the ability to create several blank lines at a time in order to add several items at a time. On the other hand, MDM makes it easier to add and place items as well as making it easier to change their location. It also has a more compact display that better indicates the menu structure. Items can be hidden using the permissions system.

Permissions were added quietly to MDMenus which makes the choice a bit easier for some between DM and MDM. On my main site, which requires permissions, I once used DM when MDM lacked them. On other of my sites where menu permissions are not needed I used MDM. Because they use the same libraries and other components, they cannot function concurrently on the same site although they can be installed concurrently without problems. Now that permissions have been added to MDM, I use it exclusively on all my sites. I can hide items using the permissions system and find it an ideal menu program for my needs.


Active Menu by Dennis Meulensteen http://www.meulensteen.nl/

Menu by Ger Versluis http://www.burmees.nl/

DynaMenu by Nate Welch http://natewelch.com/

MDMenus by Sergey Alexandrov http://maxdev.com

Added:  Sunday, January 16, 2005
Reviewer:  Duster
Score:
Hits: 3342
Language: eng