Forum Home Enhancements - UKBL ~ Quality Drop Down Menu System

UKBL ~ Quality Drop Down Menu System

You wanted Drop down Menu's that were easy to install and edit, Well now you've got it

Live Demo

http://www.aboxcafe.com/index.php

http://www.wheelsbd.com/

Compatible with almost ALL Browsers.

Hi Guys, i've had so many messages about My "Easy Menu Tabs" and when was i going to do Dropdown Tabs, Well i've listened and now i can happily add UKBL ~ Quality Drop Down menu's to our list of modifications.

This is just so easy to edit and install, as long as you feel confident with a few simple edits and uploading a graphics file to your images directory or even your photobucket account, if you don't want to mess about uploading to your server.

UKBL ~ Quality Drop Downs sit quite happily on top of your forums accessable from all pages of the forum



They look like any bog standard Menu Nav bar but when you hover the mouse over it you'll see the dropdowns, I've uploaded a test version to my forum, Take a look for yourselves http://www.ukbusinesslive.co.uk/forum

I've left the Top White Easy Men Bar in place also so you can compare both of them.

When you go over the menu bar the dropdowns should appear like in the picture below



See how the chosen links are highlighted

So now we come to the installation stage.

Download the dropdown.zip file below and open the VBOrg_Menu.txt file in notepad or any other text editor, as we need to edit a few files.

The first one we need to edit is the url of our Graphic File, So to cut a long story short we'll upload our graphic file to our Photobucket account, or any other account or image directory on your server, So firstly find

	/*"""""""" (MAIN) Container Edit Picture URL Here :-) """"""""*/	
	#qm0	
	{	
		padding:5px;
		background-image:url(http://i475.photobucket.com/albums/rr114/ukbusinesslive/center_tile_blue.gif);
		border-width:1px;
		border-style:solid;
		border-color:#eeeeee;
	}

and this is the line we need to edit, so that it gives us a nice gradiant blue acdcross the menu bar

background-image:url(http://i475.photobucket.com/albums/rr114/ukbusinesslive/center_tile_blue.gif);

Just replace the url within the brackets ( ) and thats it

Then we go and do the menu edits, You don't want your members click on your forum menu and ending up on my site :erm: So what we need to do now is change the menu links for yours, It take about 15 min's but its not hard to do, so lets do it.....

First find where our menu starts, This will be right at the bottom of the code, The HTML part of this and the first bit we need to change starts from here...

 <li><a class="qmparent" href="javascript:void(0)">MY CONTROL PANEL</a>

		<ul>
		<li><a href="http://www.ukbusinesslive.co.uk/forum/profile.php?do=editavatar" title="Edit Avatar">Edit Avatar</a></li>
		<li><a href="http://www.ukbusinesslive.co.uk/forum/profile.php?do=editsignature" title="Edit Signature">Edit Signature</a></li>
		<li><a href="http://www.ukbusinesslive.co.uk/forum/profile.php?do=editoptions" title="Edit Options">Edit Options</a></li>
		<li><span class="qmdivider qmdividerx" ></span></li>
		<li><a href="http://www.ukbusinesslive.co.uk/forum/subscription.php?do=viewsubscription" title="List Subscriptions">List Subscriptions</a></li>
		</ul></li>

Basically each tab is made up of a block like what you see above, You have the Main Tab Description which looks like this

<li><a class="qmparent" href="javascript:void(0)">MY CONTROL PANEL</a>

and you have all the sub links underneath and they look like this...

<li><a href="http://www.ukbusinesslive.co.uk/forum/profile.php?do=editavatar" title="Edit Avatar">Edit Avatar</a></li>

and its this one which we need to edit, basically if you want to keep the same link, all you need to do is to chasnge my url http://www.ukbusinesslive.co.uk/forum to your forums URL, and thats it, your link should work for your site.

If you want to change the link altogether and put your own, then replace the full URL with one that you want and don't forget to edit the end part "Edit Avatar" as that is the title thats shown on the dropdown.

When you've finished all your editing, we need to upload this whole code to your Header Template of the Style that your Currantly using on your forum, So once you've saved your edited code, Just copy and paste directly to your Header, Go right to the end and click paste, save the template and thats it, The Graphic File which you need to upload to your server or image host is also in the zip file.

So easy and a great improvement to any VBulletin Forum

This is a Freebie for all you members on VB.org with my compliments

If anyone wants any custom menus made, Just PM me I'll help where i can, Just bear in mind a menu like this takes a good couple of hours or so, so a donation is more than welcomed

Oh almost Forgot guys,

If you like it, Please Click on Installed, as this really does motivate me to improving these hacks

UPDATE 09.02.09

Uploaded a New Zip File, Black Menu.Zip This is the same as this original except that its black for darker Websites and Forums, Instructions are the same as above, and comes complete with customised Graphics which will need to be uploaded to your /images/ directory.



UPDATE 23.02.09

For some of you Admins who prefer menu Buttons as opposed to a menu bar, i've made some buttons based on the above menu formate, You can install it by following the same instructions as the main install, Just upload the graphics and edit your menu links and thats it.

Experiment with the css to change colors width of boxes etc, Add more or as little as you want, the important thing is to have fun learning.



UPDATE: 26th April 2009

Centering the Menu so that it appears central

There has been much debate about trying to centralise the menu tabs, I didn't want to edit the code too much as this would make a mess of it in different browsers, However i've found that there is a way

The easiest way to center menu content is to place it inside of a center aligned table, as shown below:

<table cellpadding=0 cellspacing=0 align="center"><tr><td>

----[ your menu structure]----

</td></tr></table>

This way the menu tabs will appear central in all browsers.

Hope this helps :up:



Enjoy

[lowey]

Yo bro if i was off to try to center it any idea where i would start ive seen some have done it fine

Also interested in this, because I don't have the same number of items shown to guests and padding therefore doesn't help a lot.

Anyway, incredible stylish mod. Thanks a lot!

[UKBusinessLive]

Originally Posted by lowey

Also interested in this, because I don't have the same number of items shown to guests and padding therefore doesn't help a lot.

Anyway, incredible stylish mod. Thanks a lot!

I cannot give instructions to center the menu bar as this will mess up the css and will appear distorted when viewing with other browsers, Feel free to do as you wish but i can't explain something that i can't guarantee. I hope you understand where i'm coming from

[Xencored]

Originally Posted by UKBusinessLive

You can actually adjust the padding at the begining of the css to make the tabs wider

Sorry mate i cant find this my skills in CCS sucks if you have time fancy showing me the bit i need to change

Cheers

[UKBusinessLive]

Originally Posted by animemike

Sorry mate i cant find this my skills in CCS sucks if you have time fancy showing me the bit i need to change

Cheers

Will have a look for you mike,

[Xencored]

Originally Posted by UKBusinessLive

Will have a look for you mike,

Thanks mate your a star

[brvheart]

never mind read the post above

[UKBusinessLive]

Originally Posted by animemike

Sorry mate i cant find this my skills in CCS sucks if you have time fancy showing me the bit i need to change

Cheers

The only way you can make the tabs central is by extending them the full width of your forums



you need to find this in the CSS

/*"""""""" (MAIN) Items""""""""*/	
	#qm0 a	
	{	
		padding:3px 60px 3px 3px;
		margin:0px 60px 0px 0px;
		background-color:transparent;
		color:#aaaaaa;
		font-family:Arial;
		font-size:11px;
		text-decoration:none;
		border-width:0px 1px 0px 0px;
		border-style:solid;
		border-color:#aaaaaa;

and change the padding and margin (in Red) to a higher value.

The only problem you have then is that it will be set to your resolution, people with other screen resolutions will just see a mess, or the menu bars on two rows.

i did state before the reson its coded like it is, is that it will work in all resolutions and in All Browsers, Changing the above will create problems when viewing, thats why i don't recommend it.

Thanks

[theparentpack]

I love this hack, I actually replaced my navbar, after adding this to the header. Thanks for this one!

How can I add a link to mark forums read? Trying to replace the old navigation bar.

Is there a way to add a different drop down menu to one of my additional CMPS pages?

The Is there any way to make one of the sections just a button/link and not a drop down menu? If so, how?

How can I make certain links open in a new window?

Also, I love the color of the bar, but is there any way to change just the color of the actually drop down menus?

[theparentpack]

So is there a way for us to adjust our forums, as opposed to the MOD, so that this is centered and our forums do not require scrolling on any resolution monitor?

Originally Posted by UKBusinessLive

The only way you can make the tabs central is by extending them the full width of your forums



you need to find this in the CSS

/*"""""""" (MAIN) Items""""""""*/	
	#qm0 a	
	{	
		padding:3px 60px 3px 3px;
		margin:0px 60px 0px 0px;
		background-color:transparent;
		color:#aaaaaa;
		font-family:Arial;
		font-size:11px;
		text-decoration:none;
		border-width:0px 1px 0px 0px;
		border-style:solid;
		border-color:#aaaaaa;

and change the padding and margin (in Red) to a higher value.

The only problem you have then is that it will be set to your resolution, people with other screen resolutions will just see a mess, or the menu bars on two rows.

i did state before the reson its coded like it is, is that it will work in all resolutions and in All Browsers, Changing the above will create problems when viewing, thats why i don't recommend it.

Thanks

[UKBusinessLive]

Originally Posted by theparentpack

I love this hack, I actually replaced my navbar, after adding this to the header. Thanks for this one!

How can I add a link to mark forums read? Trying to replace the old navigation bar.

Is there a way to add a different drop down menu to one of my additional CMPS pages?

The Is there any way to make one of the sections just a button/link and not a drop down menu? If so, how?

How can I make certain links open in a new window?

Also, I love the color of the bar, but is there any way to change just the color of the actually drop down menus?

Hi

All those points have been covered already, I will answer them below...

I love the color of the bar, but is there any way to change just the color of the actually drop down menus?

The first half of the code is the css, You can change different colors by simply changing the hex numbers - background-color:#000000;

there are serveral hex number referances in the css, that do different parts of the menu, Change the ones you need.

/* UKBL ~ Menu 0 */

	/*"""""""" (MAIN) Container""""""""*/	
	#qm0	
	{	
		width:auto;
		padding:5px 50px;
		margin:0px;
		background-color:#000000;
		background-image:url(qmimages/gradient_16.gif);
		border-width:1px;
		border-style:solid;
		border-color:#000000;
	}


	/*"""""""" (MAIN) Items""""""""*/	
	#qm0 a	
	{	
		padding:3px 30px 3px 3px;
		margin:0px 20px 0px 0px;
		background-color:transparent;
		color:#aaaaaa;
		font-family:Arial;
		font-size:11px;
		text-decoration:none;
		border-width:0px 1px 0px 0px;
		border-style:solid;
		border-color:#aaaaaa;
	}


	/*"""""""" (MAIN) Hover State""""""""*/	
	#qm0 a:hover	
	{	
		color:#ffffff;
		border-color:#ffcc33;
	}


	/*"""""""" (MAIN) Hover State - (duplicated for pure CSS)""""""""*/	
	#qm0 li:hover>a	
	{	
		color:#ffffff;
		border-color:#ffcc33;
	}


	/*"""""""" (MAIN) Active State""""""""*/	
	body #qm0 .qmactive, body #qm0 .qmactive:hover	
	{	
		color:#ffffff;
		border-color:#ffcc33;
	}


	/*"""""""" (SUB) Container""""""""*/	
	#qm0 div, #qm0 ul	
	{	
		padding:15px;
		background-color:#000000;
		border-width:1px;
		border-style:solid;
		border-color:#ffcc33;
	}


	/*"""""""" (SUB) Items""""""""*/	
	#qm0 div a, #qm0 ul a	
	{	
		padding:3px 20px 3px 5px;
		margin:0px;
		color:#cccccc;
		border-width:0px;
		border-color:#ffcc33;
	}


	/*"""""""" (SUB) Hover State""""""""*/	
	#qm0 div a:hover	
	{	
		color:#ffcc33;
		text-decoration:underline;
	}


	/*"""""""" (SUB) Hover State - (duplicated for pure CSS)""""""""*/	
	#qm0 ul li:hover>a	
	{	
		color:#ffcc33;
		text-decoration:underline;
	}


	/*"""""""" (SUB) Active State""""""""*/	
	body #qm0 div .qmactive, body #qm0 div .qmactive:hover	
	{	
		color:#ffcc33;
		text-decoration:underline;
	}


	/*"""""""" Individual Titles""""""""*/	
	#qm0 .qmtitle	
	{	
		margin:2px 5px 5px;
		color:#f6f6f6;
		font-family:Arial;
		font-size:11px;
		font-weight:bold;
	}


	/*"""""""" Individual Horizontal Dividers""""""""*/	
	#qm0 .qmdividerx	
	{	
		border-top-width:1px;
		margin:4px 5px;
		border-color:#aaaaaa;
	}


	/*"""""""" Custom Rule""""""""*/	
	ul#qm0 li .qmparent	
	{	
		background-image:url(http://www.ukbusinesslive.co.uk/forum/images/arrow_14.gif);
		background-repeat:no-repeat;
		background-position:90% 50%;

How can I make certain links open in a new window?

Below is a link from a Menu Structure

<li><a href="http://www.ukbusinesslive.co.uk/forum/calendar.php" title="My Calender">My Calender</a></li>

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

<li><a href="http://www.ukbusinesslive.co.uk/forum/calendar.php" target="_blank" title="My Calender">My Calender</a></li>

Is there a way to add a different drop down menu to one of my additional CMPS pages?

Not sure what you mean by this? If your saying that you want to add a second different menu altogether then you can if you add it to the CMPS header, If you want simply to add a further menu item or new tab, then you simply copy a menu block from the code and paste it underneath the last menu block in the code, Below is a menublock you can use, just edit the links to your requirements

<li><span class="qmdivider qmdividery" ></span></li>
	<li><a class="qmparent" href="javascript:void(0);">CALENDER</a>

		<ul>
		<li><a href="http://www.ukbusinesslive.co.uk/forum/calendar.php" title="My Calender">My Calender</a></li>
		<li><a href="http://www.ukbusinesslive.co.uk/forum/calendar.php?do=add&type=single&c=1" title="Add Single Event">Add Single Event</a></li>
		<li><a href="http://www.ukbusinesslive.co.uk/forum/calendar.php?do=add&c=1" title="Ranged Event">Ranged Event</a></li>
		<li><a href="http://www.ukbusinesslive.co.uk/forum/calendar.php?do=add&type=recur&c=1" title="Recurring Event ">Recurring Event </a></li>
		</ul></li>

The Is there any way to make one of the sections just a button/link and not a drop down menu? If so, how?

if you simply want a button/link without dropdowns then just get the first part of the code

[CODE]

<li><span class="qmdivider qmdividery" ></span></li>
	<li><a class="qmparent" href="javascript:void(0);">CALENDER</a>

Delete the menu dropdown links below it, thats all these..

<ul>
		<li><a href="http://www.ukbusinesslive.co.uk/forum/search.php?searchid=167" title="Todays Post">Todays Post</a></li>
		<li><a href="http://www.ukbusinesslive.co.uk/forum/search.php?do=getnew" title="New Post">New Post</a></li>
		<li><a href="http://www.ukbusinesslive.co.uk/forum/search.php?searchid=167" title="Post Last 24 Hrs">Post Last 24 Hrs</a></li>
		<li><a href="javascript:void(0);">New Item</a></li>
		</ul></li>

and then you need to add your link to the menu tab so from this

<li><span class="qmdivider qmdividery" ></span></li>
	<li><a class="qmparent" href="javascript:void(0);">CALENDER</a>

you need to add your url here (In Red)

<li><span class="qmdivider qmdividery" ></span></li>
	<li><a class="qmparent" href="YOUR_URL.COM">TAB_NAME_HERE</a>

How can I add a link to mark forums read? Trying to replace the old navigation bar.

To make a link that when people press it will make all forums read, you'll need to add a url like this to the menu

http://yourforum.com/forumdisplay.php?do=markread

don't forget to change yourforum.com to the name of your own forum ;-)

I hope thats answered your questions,

;-)