Forum Home Enhancements - Dropdown Menu box for Links/Urls

As a result of this post https://vborg.vbsupport.ru/showthrea...82#post1697782

I've come up with a small modification that will allow admins to include a small dropdown box in the forum discription. With this mod you will be able to add a few or hundreds of urls and links without filling up your forum.




This is really easy, all you need to do is to copy the following code to notepad on your PC and save it as subnav.js

function go_nav() {
	
  if (document.getElementById && document.createTextNode) {	
	
	var user_link = document.getElementById("my_links").value;	
    
	window.location = user_link;
	
	return false;
	
  }
  
}

or you can just download the zip file

then you need to upload the subnav.js file to your forums root directory.

The next stage is the code where you edit your urls etc...

<div id="drop_box_nav">
<form action="#" onsubmit="return go_nav();">
<select name="my_links" id="my_links">
  <option value="http://www.ukbusinesslive.co.uk">UKBusinesslive Store</option>
  <option value="http://www.ukbusinesslive.co.uk/topsite">Topsite</option>
  <option value="http://www.google.com">Google</option>
  <option value="http://www.ukbusinesslive.co.uk/links/">UKBL Links</option>
</select>
&nbsp;&nbsp;
<input type="submit" name="sub_nav" id="sub_nav" value="Go to URL" />
</form>
</div>
<script type="text/javascript" src="subnav.js"></script>

Within that code you need to edit your urls and description in the option values

 <option value="http://www.ukbusinesslive.co.uk">UKBusinesslive Store</option>

I've only done 4 in the above but you can add as little or as many as you need by simply adding more option values as in the code above.

Once you've saved your edit, you can upload it to a forum, what i did was to create a new forum called "Quick Links" and then paste all of that code into the Forum Description.

Thats all there is to it, Feel free to experiment with this and remember to post a link here if you want to show off your new dropbox.

Enjoy



*****************************UPDATE*************** *******************
4th Jan 2009

Please find below an .xml file, This is the Menubox done within a Module for vBa

It's the actual module with the default url still in place. (You need to edit these - Unless you want a link to my site )
Anyone with vBa3 can upload it via the vBa control panel.
Lower versions of vBa may need to edit the .xml file.
REMEMBER you still need to upload the subnav.js file to your forum root

Many Thanks to Mal for this Code

Enjoy
*****************************UPDATE*************** *******************

12 January 2009

To Open in new Browser Window

To get the link to open in a new browser window, what you do is add the target="_blank" attribute to your link tag, like this in your Menu Links area

<option value="http://www.ukbusinesslive.co.uk" target="_blank">UKBusinesslive Store</option>

If you do that to the ones that you want to open in a new window, then you don't navigate away from your site

[down.low]

UKBL,.- another thing you can do is put them between an <li> tag on one of your blacktabs.

[Noosphere]

To Open in new Browser Window

To get the link to open in a new browser window, what you do is add the target="_blank" attribute to your link tag, like this in your Menu Links area

<option value="http://www.ukbusinesslive.co.uk" target="_blank">UKBusinesslive Store</option>

If you do that to the ones that you want to open in a new window, then you don't navigate away from your site

I love this mod - but the above is not working for me. Even when I cut and paste exactly as you have it there, it does not open a new window. Can someone take a look at that and see if there is a tweak to make this work? I really need it to open a new browser window versus navigating away from my site.

Thanks in advance!

[Noosphere]

Btw, in relation to the target="_blank" coding tweak not working for me (to have links open up in a new browser window), I am running vb 3.8.2 if it matters.

I'd also like to know if it's possible to have any of the links in the dropdown list show up as bolded or with colored text?

[Noosphere]

Anyone with a suggestion out there?

[TheLastSuperman]

Originally Posted by Noosphere

Btw, in relation to the target="_blank" coding tweak not working for me (to have links open up in a new browser window), I am running vb 3.8.2 if it matters.

I'd also like to know if it's possible to have any of the links in the dropdown list show up as bolded or with colored text?

You can do that via the css (have not DL'd the mod but I assume it has a css file) OR by adding in <font> tags to specify color/bold/italic etc etc. I'll check on you later today after work as I'm enjoying lunch

[Noosphere]

I am not familiar with the whole CSS thing...I haven't been able to get tags to work for color or bold fonts...doesn't seem like it should be hard, but so far no luck.

I'm really more interested in the code to have the link open up a new browser window when clicked. Anyone got suggestions on that?

Thanks in advance!

[Noosphere]

Still looking for help with the code text to get the drop-down link to open a new browser window guys? I've inserted the target="_blank" text exactly as shown, and it doesn't work.

Anyone have suggestions?

[UKBusinessLive]

Hi,

This is how it looks without the target blank

<option value="http://www.ukbusinesslive.co.uk">UKBusinesslive Store</option>

and this is where you add the target blank, to get the link to open into a new page, highligted in blue

<option value="http://www.ukbusinesslive.co.uk" target="_blank" >UKBusinesslive Store</option>

you need to make sure that its the same layout as above and that you have all the " in the right place. Theres no real reason for it not to work as its basic HTML

Let me know how you got on, or perhaps post your code here and we'll take a look

[Noosphere]

Originally Posted by UKBusinessLive

Hi,

This is how it looks without the target blank

<option value="http://www.ukbusinesslive.co.uk">UKBusinesslive Store</option>

and this is where you add the target blank, to get the link to open into a new page, highligted in blue

<option value="http://www.ukbusinesslive.co.uk" target="_blank" >UKBusinesslive Store</option>

you need to make sure that its the same layout as above and that you have all the " in the right place. Theres no real reason for it not to work as its basic HTML

Let me know how you got on, or perhaps post your code here and we'll take a look

Unless I'm blind, that's how I have a couple of the links formatted. Here's the initial snippet of code showing one of the links setup as you've instructed (but it doesn't perform any differently than the other links when clicked by opening a new window):

<div id="drop_box_nav"><form action="#" onsubmit="return go_nav();"><select name="my_links" id="my_links" align="center">
<option value="http://www.dabearz.com/forums/" target="_blank" >Bears/DaBears</option>
<option value="http://www.chicagobears.com/">Bears/Team Site</option>
<option value="http://forums.bengalszone.com/">Bengals/BengalsZone</option>

Appreciate the help!

[UKBusinessLive]

Hi

heres your code

<option value="http://www.dabearz.com/forums/" target="_blank">Bears/DaBears</option>
<option value="http://www.chicagobears.com/">Bears/Team Site</option>
<option value="http://forums.bengalszone.com/">Bengals/BengalsZone</option>

You'll see that there are some errors in your code, if you look at what you need to have shown below, i will highlight in red the errors in your code which you'll need to delete for your menu to open in a new window

So this is what it should look like

<option value="http://www.ukbusinesslive.co.uk" target="_blank" >UKBusinesslive Store</option>

and this is where you've gone wrong, highlighted in red

<div id="drop_box_nav"><form action="#" onsubmit="return go_nav();"><select name="my_links" id="my_links" align="center">
<option value="http://www.dabearz.com/forums/" target="_blank" >Bears/DaBears</option>
<option value="http://www.chicagobears.com/">Bears/Team Site</option>
<option value="http://forums.bengalszone.com/">Bengals/BengalsZone</option>

You seem to have a forward slash "/" at the end of your urls, Delete that and the target="_blank" should work