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Pages in to a menu

  1. vintagedriver
    Member

    Hi,

    I'm desperately trying to sort out my front page with different tabs exactly shown as in the example of the following link http://en.support.wordpress.com/menus/

    I'd like to have different tabs referring different subjects just as shown on the example of the twenty ten theme..

    I've tried many many times but for some reason it won't work..? :-( i've even tried it with the twenty ten theme but even there it doesn't seem to work..)

    I'm probably doing something wrong but i've tried so many times and read different topics in both support and forums..

    What am I doing wrong here?

    Thanks for your help.

    Stephan

    My blog : Lefthome.wordpress.com

    Btw. i'm a newbie ;-)

    The blog I need help with is lefthome.wordpress.com.

  2. timethief
    Member

    This is not theme related. What’s critical is:
    (1) a clear comprehension of the differences between pages and posts > http://en.support.wordpress.com/post-vs-page/

    You cannot post to pages. Pages are static and sit outside the blog structure. With wordpress, you use categories to organize posts into subjects and then you can add those categories to your navigation using a custom menu.

    (2) a clear comprehension of the fact that there is only one dynamic page in a blog for posts and we cannot post to more than that one page. But we can create the appearance that we have posted to more than one page.

    We organize our posts by assigning Categories to them. When we publish a post it automatically appears on the running page for posts and also on the Categories pages and Archives pages. Note: There must be one published post in each Category in order for there to be anything to display.

    A custom menu allows you to display Categories with drop-downs to sub-categories in tabs along the horizontal navigation where normally only Pages tabs are displayed. If you wish you can also include Pages with drop-downs to sub-pages and/or custom links in your custom menu as well. You are in charge of what appears in a custom menu. You choose the order in which to display any and/or all the foregoing in your custom menu. You choose which to display and which to hide. http://en.support.wordpress.com/menus

  3. vintagedriver
    Member

    Thx for your reply!

    My mother language isn't english so i'm afraid i don't really understand your way of writing.

    I do understand that you can't post to pages.

    But my question is rather can you make a tab on your front page..

    (for example: Roadtrips, just as shown on the link which i've posted in my first post where there's different tabs shown, music, tech, about,..)

    .. which contains all the different roadtrip pages as shown on my front page.

    Reason is that i don't want to have a front page that's full of pages.

    Hope this is clear.

    Thx Stephan

  4. thesacredpath
    Member

    You have to make categories for things like Roadtrips. You then assign the posts for Roadtrips to the Roadtrips category. You then put the Roadtrips category into the custom menu.

    The front page will typically display all posts from all categories. If you do not want it to show all posts, you can create a static front page for your site.

  5. kellywpa
    Member

    I think I understand what you are asking to do. You want a spot on your menu bar at the top that says “Roadtrips” and then you want to add articles that will drop down underneath that?

    Under custom links, put # in the URL field. Type in Roadtrips in the label. Click add to menu.

    Select the posts that you want to include under Roadtrips. After you add those to menu, move them under Roadtrips and indent them.

    You can also add your About page and Home to that menu. Give it whatever name you want and then set that as your primary menu. That will post at the top for you.

  6. rudimawar
    Member

    Thank's for info

  7. timethief
    Member

    @rudimawar do you also have another username ie. vintagedriver ?

  8. vintagedriver
    Member

    Ok bare with me as i find it very hard to understand how it all works..

    So, if i want people to visit my website and start on a particular page such as my "about" page than i do this in settings (reading).. correct? this is what i've done so far..

    @kellywpa, thx for your info, that's exactly what i'm trying to do..
    I tried to do what you've said but i don't really get what it does.. ?

    So now i've created a "roadtrips" page but this contains all of the same links as my front page.. I've also created other pages but this is where i'm stuck..

    What i really want to create is a home page which shows a menu bar that reads; Home, About, Roadtrips, Our busses, hot from the press and Winter Trail without having any other links.

    Then if i click on for ex. Roadtrips i would like to see all the different articles which are related to it and nothing else exept for the link to my home page..

    Is this possible?

    I'm very pleased you take the time to help me, please explain it in a "wordpress for dummies" style as it's all new and very difficult to me!!

    Thx Stephan!

    @timethief, I'm not the same person as "rudimawar".

  9. timethief
    Member

    So, if i want people to visit my website and start on a particular page such as my "about" page than i do this in settings (reading).. correct? this is what i've done so far..

    reference link: static front page > http://en.support.wordpress.com/pages/front-page/

    Creating a static front page is optional. Very few bloggers will make that choice. Those who are savvy to what their readers want and to search engine optimization will not make this choice. Consider why would you want to force every returning visitor to your site to arrive on the same page containing the same information every time they visit your site? In my not humble opinion static pages are traffic killers. Returning visitors to your site are coming to read your most recently published content. By forcing them to click through the same page to locate it every time they come you have risked annoying them. I don't take that risk on my blogs. My fresh content is on my front page.

  10. timethief
    Member

    So now i've created a "roadtrips" page but this contains all of the same links as my front page.. I've also created other pages but this is where i'm stuck..

    You are not required to create a "page" in order to display any category in your custom menu.

    Start here > Adding Categories via Your Dashboard and create categories titled "Roadtrips". Create a post a post and assign the category "Roadtrips" to the post and publish it. Adding Categories with the Categories Module

    Every time your publish a post and assign categories to it that post will automatically appear:
    (1) on the running page for posts (usually the front page unless you create a static page and another page for posts to display on)
    (2) on the Category page "Roadtrips"
    (3 on the Archives page.

    Note: There must be at least one published post in every category and sub-category in order for there to be anything to display on the Categories page which is automatically created by the software. You do not create the page. The software does it.

    Now to include that automatically created "Roadtrips" page in your custom menu you go here > Appearance > Custom menu and there will be a Categories box displayed. Select and add "Roadtrips" to the custom menu.
    Adding Category Pages to Your Menu In the future every time you create and publish a post with the "Roadtrips" category assigned to it the software will see to it that it automatically appears on the relevant category page. When visitors click the "Roadtrips" tab in your custom menu they will be able to access the links to every post you assign to that "Roadtrips" category.

    There will also be a Pages box on the custom menu page and you can select About, etc. and include them in your custom menu.
    Adding Pages to Your Menu

    There will be a custom links box there as well and your can add the links you want in your custom menu there. Adding Custom Links

  11. vintagedriver
    Member

    I'm throwing in the towel!! :-(

    It's very frustrating, i've followed every single step which is explained above and in the links..

    I don't get where i want to be..

    I made all the categories i want, i created a menu for the category, i've added pages, i've tried to add a post to a category, i turned off my static page but it is all far from what i'm trying to get/receive..

    Is it really that hard?? or is it just impossible? Or i'm i just not smart enough to use this software..?

    Again,
    I want to create a home page Exactly like the first picture shown in this link ; http://en.support.wordpress.com/menus/#adding-category-pages-to-your-menu

    So from there i want people that visit my site to have the option if they want to go and see my roadtrip stories, blog, etc.. (i don't mind that visitors might get bored from clicking around as i'm not going to post on it everyday so my blog will only be updated a few days a week)

    I thought this should be fairly easy when seeing other wordpress pages ..

    @ Timethief, i appreciate you've taken the time to answer me! basically i like to have a menu bar on top just like yours that reads "Home - about - archives - guest posts - links -..etc.. but obviously with different subjects.

  12. kellywpa
    Member

    I did a screen shot of what mine looks like – I use pages & posts, not categories but it will give you an idea. You can use a combination of pages, posts & categories if you want.

    https://plus.google.com/u/0/photos/103957201723030195608/albums/5450855084374830433/5692809434817678690

    The ones that have indented stuff on mine are the ones with drop-down pages. You can’t click on the about/contact wording but can click on the drop downs below it. Not all of my tabs are drop-downs.

    First, I looked a couple of your posts and you did not mark a category for the older ones. You need to edit those and add a category or they won’t show up on your menu. That might be where you are going wrong.

    If you use the categories and have Roadtrips, then remove the individual posts from the menu bar. You can leave them if you use posts but indent them under Roadtrips like I have mine indented.

    Also, make sure you have the menu set as Primary Menu. I have a bunch of menus but the one at the top I just called Pages and it is set as primary.

  13. kellywpa
    Member

    @vintagedrive, I wanted to add that if you use categories, all that will show on the menu is “Roadtrips” or whatever categories you add. They have to click on Roadtirp to go to another page where the list of articles will be from that category.

  14. panaghiotisadam
    Member

    @vintagedriver: Forget about the tabs for a moment and forget about custom menus.

    1) You create posts in Posts > Add New. You access your published posts in Posts > All Posts. Have you published any posts?

    2) Your "2007 – fRaNCe", "2008 – fEar AnD LoaThing tHrOugH tHE UK" etc. articles are static pages (created in Pages > Add New, accessed in Pages > All Pages). Are you sure you want them to be static pages instead of posts? Why? Are your posts going to be about other subjects?

    3) Those articles are too long. The 2010 one has more than 100 images. First, endless scrolling down isn't user friendly. Second, such a page or post takes too long too load: for a visitor with a slow connection, the browser will time out before loading all the images. More on what to do about this after you answer 1 and 2.

  15. vintagedriver
    Member

    @ Kellywpa,
    Thx for the link as it gives me a good impression of how it goes.. Although i tried a lot of these but never seemed to work. i will give it another go later on today!
    Btw: the menu on your site with the drop downs looks great and would be exactly what i need to do for my roadtrip stories..

    @Panaghiotisadam,

    1) I only did a test post which is the one you see when entering my page.

    2) mmm.. i thought that posts are the ones you see on the blog.. right? i made pages as i don't feel the need for them to be on my "blog". my posts will be about the updates/upgrades on my vehicle and probably weekend trips and shows we do..

    3) I understand your point of view, however these stories were already on the internet and altho they may seem too long or boring for you i had many many replies that people really liked it and specially that it was all described the way it was experienced si i guess different opinions..
    But they were on a forum and they changed the rules about editing your posts (only within 7days) since i'm the author, i'd like to have full control about editing these.

    So,
    A) If i'm correct than all my road trips are pages.. right?
    B)How do i create a home page? is this by creating a static page called "home" page?
    C) How can i group all road trips under 1 drop down button on the home page so you will only see a roadtrip button/tab? Is this what Kellywpa has done and explained..?

    I'll give it a go now..

    Btw thx again for your help & patience!!!!

  16. panaghiotisadam
    Member

    Fine - now we can proceed more clearly.

    Re your 3:

    First, I wanted to make sure you really want those articles to be pages and you weren't confusing pages with posts. Second, I didn't say or imply anything about "boring": I don't judge the content. My "too long" had to do with the technical issues: too many images on one page means the page takes too long to load; and if a visitor has a slow connection, the browser will time out before loading all the images, and the visitor will see nice big empty spaces instead of your photos. What you must do is split those pages into a series of numbered pages using the nextpage tag:
    http://en.support.wordpress.com/splitting-content/nextpage/

    Re your B:

    Your home page is your blog front. By default, your blog front displays your latest posts. If you want it to display a static introductory page instead (say, "Welcome"), you create that page in Pages > Add New, and you create another (blank) page for your posts (say, "Blog"); then you go to Settings > Reading and set Welcome as your front page and Blog as your posts page.

    Re creating the top menu tabs:

    Suppose you want to display a Home tab, the About tab, the Blog tab, a tab (say, "Travels") with a dropdown to your 2007, 2008 etc pages, and a tab for the Roadtrips category.
    a) First you create the "Travels" page in Pages > Add New.
    b) Then you go to Appearance > Menus.
    Click Screen Options (top right) to make sure Theme Locations, Pages and Categories are checked.
    Click the cross to add a menu and give it a name (say, "My Top Menu").
    Select "Roadtrips" from the Categories module, click Add to Menu.
    Click View All in the Pages module, select all the pages except Welcome, click Add to Menu.
    Once they're all added, drag them vertically to change their order. Drag the 2007, 2008 etc pages under the Travels page then drag them horizontally to make them indented as shown here:
    http://en.support.wordpress.com/menus/#changing-the-order-of-menu-items-and-creating-sub-menus
    Click Save Menu.
    Select this menu from the pulldown in the Theme Locations module, click Save Menu.

    Check my general instructions as well:
    http://wpbtips.wordpress.com/2011/12/19/custom-menus/

  17. vintagedriver
    Member

    You Sir are my hero!!!! :-) Thx for explaining it in a simple way

    *Re your first post, sorry for using the word boring as i didn't know what other word to use but i do understand what you mean! And yes you are right about it being too long.
    I tried to split the pages but where do i put " <!--nextpage--> " ?
    I'm not very familiar with these technical terms (as you've probably noticed :-D )

    Do i have to put this (some)where i edit my page?

    * not sure yet what i'm going to use as my home page, a static one or just the one that shows my latest posts, i guess once i get to know WP a little bit better i'm sure i'll know what i like best. Thx for you point of view tho ( i need to learn a lot!!)

    Many thanks for taking the time to explain it and getting me on my way!!

  18. panaghiotisadam
    Member

    You're welcome.

    To split the pages, you go to Pages > All Pages, hover over a page title, click Edit, click the HTML tab to switch the editor to code, paste <!--nextpage--> at the points where it makes more sense, click Update. Repeat for the rest of the pages.

    Setting your front to display a static Welcome page looks nicer for first time visitors, but setting it to display your latest posts is better for returning visitors.

    Other things to note:

    Your posts and pages will load faster if you upload the images from your computer to your blog instead of using images stored elsewhere.

    So far you have ignored the sidebar, which is generally useful. Try going to Appearance > Widgets and adding widgets such as Recent Posts, Categories and Pages, and see if they might be of use to you.
    Note 1: the Recent Posts widget is essential if you finally decide to use a static page as your front.
    Note 2: the Recent Posts widget and the Categories widget won't display anything if you haven't published any posts.

  19. vintagedriver
    Member

    Many thanks again, you've been very helpful! I nearly turned it all down..

    - i've divided the pages now, so should be better now.

    - still not sure on the front page, i actually like the way it is now. (mind you i still need to add a lot of different pages to the subjects and then i'll start doing posts..)

    - re the pics, the reason why i use another host for my pics is because these stories were already written and it seemed easier like this. However i find it very slow.
    Once i've added all pages i might consider changing the source for the pics.

    - i've got rid of all the widgets as i find them rather annoying, i think once my site is completely the way i want it and being used properly (i.e. daily/weekly post) i might add them again.. ( i like it simple :-) )

    Question: is it possible to have a different picture in the header for every different page/story?

  20. raincoaster
    Member

    No, I'm afraid that's not possible. Some themes allow you to upload lots of different header images and randomly display them on different posts/pages, but you can't specify which picture goes with which article.

  21. panaghiotisadam
    Member

    "Is it possible to have a different picture in the header for every different page/story?"
    Yes, by setting a featured image to each page or post. See here:
    http://wpbtips.wordpress.com/2010/08/23/featured-images/

  22. vintagedriver
    Member

    Thanks for the link!!

    I tried the featured image but it doesn't replace my usual header, the pictures is set a the top of my page under the header..

    I'm i doing something wrong?

  23. vintagedriver
    Member

    Edit: I was too quick!!

    Thx you're extremely helpful many many thanks!!!!!

  24. timethief
    Member

    Hello,
    If your featured image is not the exact dimensions required by your theme then this can be a problem. That's why we Volunteers keep telling others to optimize and pre-size every image to the exact dimensions required by the theme prior to uploading them into their blogs. Optimizing and pre-sizing images means the cropper does not come into play and no image quality is lost. It also means you aren't wasting your space.

    Adventure Journal - Replaces regular header image when viewing single post or static pages only. For dimensions see Header images (cropped if larger, no show if smaller).

  25. panaghiotisadam
    Member

    See here as well:
    http://wpbtips.wordpress.com/2011/10/21/on-the-recent-featured-image-issues/

  26. bgsnmky
    Member

    I am having the same problem. I have been able to add the header and the picutres are all 920x360.
    On my page I have the feature image the same size.

    the picture is showing in the bottom right hand corner as the featured image..but when I go to the page it has the same as the header on the "home" landing blog page.

    I have read the articles and can't figure out what I am doing wrong.

  27. bgsnmky
    Member

    Also...after you upload the feature image, set it to feature image and then save. A page pops up with multiple pictures and is set on the tab gallery.

    what is this window used for. It has the tabs at the top that have from computer, from URL etc.

    And then the images has a box that you can type in and then a SHOW.

    It has settings that say how many columns for the gallery etc.

  28. panaghiotisadam
    Member

    a) Go to Media > Library, hover over the image that won't show up, click Edit, copy the File URL and paste it here so we can check the image.

    b) The popup window is for regular images; none of its options applies to featured images. Once you see the featured image in the FI module (bottom right), you close the popup window and click Update (page or post).

  29. vintagedriver
    Member

    I have another question..

    I've made a few posts so far but when I visit the category I posted them in than all I see is the subject line rather than the actual post..

    Can you change this? Is there a setting that I missed?

    Thx

    Btw, this question is not related to the subject title of this topic.. Not sure if I needed to make a new one..?

  30. panaghiotisadam
    Member

    Yes, you should have started a new thread. But don't do it now - same question twice is worse than wrong thread!

    How posts are displayed on category and other archive pages is theme dependent - see here (including Note 3):
    http://wpbtips.wordpress.com/2009/03/25/full-posts-in-archive-pages/

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