Footer Navigation Location

[Bruce]

Hi Tom,

I know that you have several posts in the forum for adding a responsive footer menu to the theme.

The GeneratePress theme has VERY few things missing to simplify life for the end user, but the footer menu situation is one of them.

Would you consider registering a footer navigation location and including it in a future release of the theme? By doing so, a relatively inexperienced user could most likely manage their own footer navigation scenario.

Thanks!

[Roberto Enrique]

Could be a “Send Second Navigation to Footer” option be of any help?
Just my 0,02€

[Bruce]

Hi Roberto,

Possibly. The first thing that would need to be added is registering the Footer Navigation location in the theme, with the appropriate CSS, etc. Then adding an additional section in Customizer for Footer Navigation, with controls.

That was what I was thinking. That way, you could still have a Secondary Navigation for separate use on the site (under header, above header, etc), and also have footer navigation. The advantage doing it that way would be the ability to use a totally different menu in the footer.

Hope that makes sense…

[Tom]

The reason I haven’t added this is you just don’t really see it these days in websites.

Most sites include their navigation in the footer widgets as I did here on this site.

It’s very rare you see a navigation in the footer that shares the same style as horizontal navigation bars in the header.

Any examples of this done really well?

[Bruce]

Hi Tom,

The reason for the horizontal menu in the footer is primarily on sites that you do not want footer widgets on each and every page. Or may not want them at all…

I don’t have any specific examples, but I run into instances where they are asked for quite frequently. No problem though if you don’t want to add it to the theme, or Premium plugin. I just thought it would check off one more feature in terms of completeness.

Thanks

[Tom]

I’m not against it, but would definitely have to find the most user/friendly, attractive way to do it.

If you come across any sites doing it well, let me know 🙂

[Bruce]

Not really much to it. Just a basic horizontal menu, above the footer credits. http://screencast.com/t/29gcWL8dF

On mobile, it has to expand up, not down (obviously). Actually a slideout would be the ideal…

Nothing fancy… Just an option that I find people want to have for locating a menu, as opposed to having to have a footer widget area with vertical menus. I agree that the vertical menus are lately more in demand. But there are still a percentage that want the horizontal option.

[Tom]

Cool, I’ll play with some ideas.

Thanks! 🙂

[Roberto Enrique]

Why don’t you do it by hand?

I mean, if all you need is a bunch of links then that shouldn’t be too difficult.

Take a look over here: http://onepager.artomultiplo.net/ …look at the footer menu 😉

It was done using just SimpleCSS and GP Hooks following this tutorial:

http://www.hongkiat.com/blog/responsive-web-nav/

[Bruce]

Thanks Tom! By the way, I just happened to notice Sucuri does a little of both kinds of menus http://screencast.com/t/bvnMlmVKl

Roberto – Yep, I already do something similar. It would just be easier for clients to manage a solution that would be built directly into the WordPress menu system and Customizer. Definitely possible to do it by hand though, which I do/have done.

Thanks!

[Gary]

I’m looking for the same thing. I often have to put in privacy, terms and disclaimer polices etc. in this menu. This is specially important on sales pages where you don’t want to necessarily place footer widgets that distract away from pricing information and keep a more subdued menu color scheme for this.

Would be nice to able to include the option of a pipe break or similar between the menu items as well?

[Hans]

A statement from Europe.

In many European countries a footer menu is used for legaly required information, e.g. contact, impressum etc. This feature would be appreciated in Europe.

[Tom]

Would the ideal position of this navigation be above the copyright text, centered?

[Bruce]

Hi Tom,

Centered and above the copyright text is how I did it, because it was the fastest and easiest. It is one possible solution.

But the IDEAL solution would be to have it controlled in the Customizer like this, with the menu and copyright/text in the SAME horizontal row:

http://screencast.com/t/6q8OhfKonUbP
http://screencast.com/t/nsfgzGCUit

This allows the menu to be either by itself, together with copyright/text, or (in the case of the theme I took the snapshot from) with social icons.

This gives the most flexible, and yet user configurable, solution that I have seen.

Hope that helps.

[Tom]

Interesting, I like that idea.

Thanks!

[Author]

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