Replacing the sidebar with your own

Process

Rather than hand-tailor each -sidebar page, use a master navigation page that will be included on each sidebar. Here's how.

1. Create the master nav page to include on all pages in the nav bar. Name it descriptively: EssayMasterNav, for instance.
2. Add some potential page names, using double brackets. Save the master nav page.
3. Create a new page: by linking, by following an open link...
4. Hack the url of the new page by adding -sidebar at the end. Press return and a new page is created.
5. Add an include statement (:include MasterNavPageName:) where you want the nav links to appear on the sidebar.
6. Save the sidebar page.
7. Return to the recently created page and the new sidebar will appear.

You will need to create a -sidebar page for each page you want a new navigation bar to appear. Don't create links to the -sidebar pages.

Working method suggestions

• To make the master nav page easy to get to and edit, add a link to it on the page itself. The link will appear in the nav bar to follow whenever you need to edit it.
• Rough out the design of the project in the nav bar, creating open links (using double brackets) for pages you might create. Later, you can reorganize and categorize the links to show the structure of the project in the nav bar.
• Not every page needs to be listed in the nav bar. You can use contextual links on pages, as well.