APG vNext allows you to add custom menu items to the top navigation bar through both the Admin Panel and direct theme file customization.
Method 1: Admin Panel Menu Editor
- Navigate to Admin Panel → Settings → Navigation Menu.
- Click Add Menu Item.
- Enter the label text and the URL (can be relative like
/about.aspxor absolute). - Set the display order to position the item in the menu.
- Optionally set visibility (All Users, Logged-in Users, Admins Only, Guests Only).
- Save — the menu item appears immediately.
Method 2: Master Page Customization
For more advanced customization (dropdowns, icons, conditional logic), edit the navigation section in your theme's master page file (App_Themes/YourTheme/MasterPage.master):
- Locate the
<nav>or navigation<ul>element in the master page. - Add your custom
<li><a href="...">Label</a></li>items. - Use APG vNext's built-in role check helpers to conditionally show items:
<% if (APG.IsLoggedIn) { %> ... <% } %>
For help, see the Template Customization guide.
Advanced Navigation Customisation in APG vNext
The APG vNext navigation menu system supports multi-level dropdown menus, icons alongside menu item labels, and conditional visibility rules that show or hide specific menu items based on the member's authentication status or role group. Configure these advanced options in Admin Panel → Settings → Navigation Menu by clicking the advanced settings icon next to each menu item. Dropdown sub-menus are created by drag-and-dropping menu items underneath a parent item — items indented under a parent become its dropdown children. For communities with complex navigation requirements, the menu system supports up to three levels of nesting (parent → child → grandchild).
Conditional Menu Item Visibility
Show specific navigation items only to certain member groups using the visibility condition setting. Common use cases include: showing an Admin Dashboard link only to administrators, showing a Members-Only Forum link only to registered members (hiding it from guests to reduce confusion), and showing a Moderator Tools link only to the moderators role group. Configure visibility conditions in the menu item advanced settings by selecting the target role or authentication state from the Visible To dropdown. This keeps the navigation clean for each audience segment without requiring multiple separate navigation configurations.
Adding Icons to Navigation Items
APG vNext navigation menu items support Font Awesome icons or custom SVG icons displayed alongside the label text. Add an icon to a menu item by entering the icon class (e.g., fa-solid fa-house for the home icon) in the Icon field of the menu item settings. Icons add visual distinction to navigation items and help members quickly identify key sections. For accessibility, navigation icons are marked as decorative (aria-hidden) since the label text already describes the destination — this prevents screen readers from announcing both the icon name and the label text for the same link.
Responsive Navigation Behaviour
On mobile viewports, the APG vNext navigation bar collapses into a hamburger menu button that expands to show the full menu when tapped. Custom menu items added through the admin panel are automatically included in the mobile menu alongside the default navigation items. Verify the mobile navigation appearance after adding custom items by resizing the browser window or using the browser's mobile device simulation mode. For mobile menus with many items, consider using section dividers or collapsible sub-sections to prevent the menu from becoming too long to scroll through comfortably on small screens.
Related Resources
Custom Menu Use Cases for APG vNext Communities
The flexibility of the APG vNext navigation menu system enables a range of custom navigation experiences tailored to the specific needs of different community types. A support community for a software product might add custom menu items linking to the product documentation site, the changelog, and the customer download portal. A professional association community might add links to the association's main website, an events calendar, and a members-only resources section. An educational community might add links to course materials, assignment submission portals, and instructor contact pages. Because APG vNext's navigation system supports external URLs alongside internal paths, custom menu items can link to any URL — both within the forum and to third-party sites — making it a flexible entry point for the wider digital ecosystem around the community.
Caching Considerations for Dynamic Menu Items
APG vNext caches navigation menu configuration to reduce database reads on every page load. When you modify a menu item in the admin panel, the change takes effect after the navigation cache expires (default: 5 minutes) or after a manual cache clear from Admin Panel → System → Cache Management → Clear Navigation Cache. In a Cloudflare or CDN-cached environment, navigation changes may take longer to appear for end users due to CDN-level page caching. If navigation changes need to appear immediately (e.g., removing a time-sensitive link), perform a CDN cache purge for all pages after saving the menu configuration. Plan non-urgent navigation changes to coincide with the natural cache expiry cycle to avoid the need for manual cache operations.
A/B Testing Navigation Items
For communities focused on conversion (e.g., selling software, memberships, or premium content), A/B testing different navigation menu configurations can identify which arrangement drives the highest click-through rate to high-value pages. APG vNext does not include native A/B testing for navigation, but the menu item visibility conditions feature can be used in combination with custom role assignment to split members into test groups that see different navigation configurations. Track the performance of each variant using Google Analytics event tracking on navigation clicks. After collecting sufficient data, adopt the higher-performing variant as the default menu configuration and remove the test role assignments.
Looking for more help? Browse the support forum or check the Knowledge Base.