PHP menu

Manat

Hello all. I have to create a Menu system for our site's new navigation process.

I was wondering if you guys can help me out.

If you go here, http://www.mattel.com/about_us/default.asp
You will see their menu system. This is the sort that I want to create. You click on a Parent menu link, and a submenu list opens up relative to the parent menu. And when you click on say 'Toys', it defaults to the All Toys submenu, and both links are highlighted.

How would I code this menu in PHP? And if every page in my site will use this menu, will every page need to be a .php page?

How would I begin to code this?
Can you guys also provide a little snippet to show me and explain the general structure of such a project?

Thanks

barand

How would I code this menu in PHP? And if every page in my site will use this menu, will every page need to be a .php page?

If your navigation menu is in its own frame at the top of the page then the pages in the lower main frame can be php, html, pdf ... any thing a browser can display.

As for coding, let's keep it simple with a couple of main menu items, each with a couple of subitems.

<body>
<table>
<tr>
	<td>|&nbsp;<a href="$PHP_SELF?item=1">Item 1</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;
		<a href="$PHP_SELF?item=2">Item 2</a>&nbsp;|
	</td>
</tr>
<tr>
	<? if ((!isset($_GET["item"])||($_GET["item]"==1)) {?>
	<td>|&nbsp;<a href="mypage1a.html" target="main">Subitem 1a</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;
		<a href="mypage1b.html" target="main">Subitem 1b</a>&nbsp;|</td>
	<? } else {?>
	<td>	<td>|&nbsp;<a href="mypage2a.html" target="main">Subitem 2a</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;
		<a href="mypage2b.html" target="main">Subitem 2b</a>&nbsp;|</td>
</td>
	<? } ?>
</tr>
</table>		
</body>

When a main item is selected the menu calls itself, sending the selected item. When it reloads, it displays a different second row depending on which item was selected.

When a subitem is selected, it loads the appropriate page into the main fram area.

Of course this can be elaborated upon by using images as buttons instead of just text links.

hth

Manat

Well, I wouldn't be using frames.
Actually, my site currently uses frames and because of how it breaks URLs, one of the mandates of this projects is to go away from Frames. So I don't use frames whatsoever, youupiii!

Anyhow, you used and else statement? But the else statetement would only be good if there are only two selections in the top menu.

How would this work without frames?
Thx

barand

If you don't use frames then put the menu code in a separate file and include it at the top of all your pages. They will, in this case, all need to to .php files. When you call each page, you will need to pass the selected item (and subitem selection, maybe, then you you can hilight the selected subitem) in addition to any other variables.

For several items

switch (item) {

case 2 : ... ;
case 3: ... ;

case n: ... ;

default : /*default to item 1 */;

}