KB Users Guide - SitePref Tab - Site-Map Navigation by Topic via Side Module

Please Note: The module described on this page is different than the built-in topic module that displays sub-topics in horizontal fly-out menus (See Example). For information on the alternative style of topic module, follow the instructions here: KB User's Guide - Topics Tab - Enable the Topic Tree Side Module on your Live Site(s).

Site Navigation by Topic via Side Module

The image below is an example of what we are trying to achieve. It is a screenshot of the Demo KB's Side Module Navigation.

A Topics Tree has documents assigned to each topic in the tree. One of the topics is "Browsers", which is a Level 5 topic in the Topics Tree. Upon clicking on the "Browser" link , the various "email" subtopics appears to the right. You have the option click on the "See Documents" buttons that allow you to see all the documents assigned to a topic. The image above shows the subtopics of "IE, Firefox and Chrome".

Create Topics Side Module

1. Create a Side Module (container) called "Topics".
2. Create a Side Module Link for each Topic.
3. Populate the Link URL field. (see next section)
4. Click on Update button to save.

Populate the Side Module Link "Link URL*" Field

The construction of the URL is a bit tricky. You will need to determine your Topic ID number and the Topic Level number.

In the image below you see all the Side Module Links in the Side Module, called "Topics". Next to "Browsers", the Link URL* field is circled in red and shows the link, topics.php?c=1057&l=5&a=d. The "1057" indicates the topic ID number, and the 5 determines the level of that specific topic. Follow the instruction below to determine your Side Module Link's "Link URL*".

• To determine your Topic ID number, Admins can go to the KB Admin Tools > Topics Tab > and locate their topic in one of the Level X  Topics links/screens. The Topic ID number is found to the left of the Topic name.
  
  In the image below, the "Browser" topic is found in the Level 5 Topics screen. The Topic ID is 1057.
  
  
  
  
• In constructing the Link URL* string, you need to incorporate those two piece of information:
  • The Topics ID number = X
  • Level Number of that Topic into this string = Y
    
    into this string topics.php?c=X&l=Y&a=d
    
    
• Replacing the X and Y will lead you to a string ready to place into the Link URL* field in the Side Module links. In the image below, the Link URL* field for the "Browsers" topic shows topics.php?c=1057&l=5&a=d


  
  
• After the appropriate settings are enabled for your purposes, click the Update button to save your work.