a unique menu for each tab option

[dave- <da...@pacbell.net>]

I believe that out-of-the-box lenya should be modified such that it is 
able to "optionally" generate a unique menu for each tab option.  I am 
convinced such a menu presentation is superior and more usable if both 
tabs and menu items are used in a publication.   Such menus are 
constructed by dropping unnecessary duplication of the top level menu 
items.

For example. if the publication site structure was entered as follows:
   home
   |--- catalog
   |     |--- category A
   |     |      |--- item1
   |     |      |--- item2
   |     |--- categoryB
   |            |---  item3
   |---FAQ
         |---section1
         |---section2

Then the current default publication "currently" generates menus as 
follows:

   for the "home" tab the menu is
   |--- home
   |--- catalog
   |--- FAQ

   for the "catalog" tab the menu is
   |--- home
   |--- catalog
   |     |--- category A
   |     |      |--- item1
   |     |      |--- item2
   |     |--- categoryB
   |            |---  item3
   |--- FAQ

   for the "FAQ" tab the menu is
   |--- home
   |--- catalog
   |--- FAQ
         |--- section1
         |--- section2

I propose that the default publication should "optionally" be able to 
generate the following menus:

   for the "home" tab the menu is
   |--- home
   |--- catalog
   |--- FAQ

   for the "catalog" tab the menu is
   |--- home
   |--- categoryA
   |      |--- item1
   |      |--- item2
   |--- categoryB
   |      |---  item3

   for the "FAQ" tab the menu is
   |--- home
   |--- section1
   |--- section2

IMHO, both of  above menu generation approaches are needed  because 
different publication have different requirements and we shouldn't be 
modifying lenya core behavior in order to meet those requirements.  It 
should be already built in.   For example.

Could menu.xsl be changed to access a flag in the "publication" to 
determine whether  top  level  nodes be included in the generated menu 
component or not.

TIA dave-

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Re: a unique menu for each tab option

[Andreas Hartmann <an...@apache.org>]

dave- wrote:

> I believe that out-of-the-box lenya should be modified such that it is 
> able to "optionally" generate a unique menu for each tab option.  I am 
> convinced such a menu presentation is superior and more usable if both 
> tabs and menu items are used in a publication.   Such menus are 
> constructed by dropping unnecessary duplication of the top level menu 
> items.

[...]

> IMHO, both of  above menu generation approaches are needed  because 
> different publication have different requirements and we shouldn't be 
> modifying lenya core behavior in order to meet those requirements.  It 
> should be already built in.   For example.
> 
> Could menu.xsl be changed to access a flag in the "publication" to 
> determine whether  top  level  nodes be included in the generated menu 
> component or not.

There is a concept called "fallback" to support custom navigation
components in publications:

http://cocoon.apache.org/lenya/docs/components/layout/navigation.html
http://wiki.apache.org/cocoon-lenya/ApplicationLookandFeelHowto

A flag would considerably narrow down the flexibility. In Lenya, most
concepts don't rely on choosing between options but rather on supporting
to override core components - following the principle "simple things
should be simple, complex things should be possible".

So my personal opinion is to leave things as they are now.
Useful additions could be:

- a FAQ about the navigation framework
   ("How do I achieve the following behaviour?")

- a repository of navigation components (maybe as attachments to a wiki
   page)

-- Andreas



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