Title: Second level nav using menus Last modified: August 20, 2016 --- # Second level nav using menus * [mamalovesyou](https://wordpress.org/support/users/mamalovesyou/) * (@mamalovesyou) * [14 years ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/second-level-nav-using-menus/) * I cannot seem to get the second level of a menu to show only the children of the selected parent page. * Page is [http://hearthomemag.co.uk/jobs/](http://hearthomemag.co.uk/jobs/) * `
  • '2', 'menu' => 'primary' )); ?>
    • ` * It shows the first level of the nav, but I cannot get the second level to show. * I have tried a few things out and managed to get the second level showing, but it shows ‘all’ second level pages and not just the children of the selected parent. * Really would like some help with this. * Thanks Viewing 15 replies - 1 through 15 (of 20 total) 1 [2](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/second-level-nav-using-menus/page/2/?output_format=md) [→](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/second-level-nav-using-menus/page/2/?output_format=md) * [vtxyzzy](https://wordpress.org/support/users/vtxyzzy/) * (@vtxyzzy) * [14 years ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/second-level-nav-using-menus/#post-2724804) * The parameters to wp_nav_menu can be confusing. It may be that you want to use‘ theme_location’ => ‘primary’ instead of ‘menu’ => ‘primary’. * The ‘menu’ parameter is the actual name of the menu that you typed into the ‘ Menu name’ box. Many times ‘primary’ is the ‘Theme Location’ dropdown where you select your menu name. * Thread Starter [mamalovesyou](https://wordpress.org/support/users/mamalovesyou/) * (@mamalovesyou) * [14 years ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/second-level-nav-using-menus/#post-2724813) * Hi * That’s great, but hasn’t quite worked for me. Here is what I currently have: * ```
  • '2', 'theme_location' => 'primary' )); ?>
    • ``` * For some reason I have the second level of the nav showing in both places. * Also, ‘Test’ page is not part of the same parent as the other pages so I need to only show the children for the current parent. * It’s all very confusing. * [Chip Bennett](https://wordpress.org/support/users/chipbennett/) * (@chipbennett) * [14 years ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/second-level-nav-using-menus/#post-2724814) * You have _two separate Theme locations_, but are referencing the _same one in both_ calls to `wp_nav_menu()`. * First, be sure you’ve _registered_ two separate menu locations, in functions. php: * ``` register_nav_menus( array( 'primary' => 'Primary Menu', 'secondary' => 'Secondary Menu' ) ); ``` * Second, call the _appropriate Theme location_ in each `wp_nav_menu()` call. Assuming you want to use `primary` in the first call: * ```
    ``` * …then you’ll need to reference `secondary` in the _other_ call: * ```
  • '2', 'theme_location' => 'secondary' )); ?>
    • ``` * [vtxyzzy](https://wordpress.org/support/users/vtxyzzy/) * (@vtxyzzy) * [14 years ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/second-level-nav-using-menus/#post-2724815) * You need to register a second Theme Location in order to have a different menu. Here is the Codex article that explains how to do that: * [http://codex.wordpress.org/Navigation_Menus](http://codex.wordpress.org/Navigation_Menus) * Thread Starter [mamalovesyou](https://wordpress.org/support/users/mamalovesyou/) * (@mamalovesyou) * [14 years ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/second-level-nav-using-menus/#post-2724817) * That still doesn’t seem to be having the desired effect. * I’ve tried something else which seems to be getting there- I have the correct pages now showing but for some reason the styles are all wrong. * I’m now just using: * ```
    'primary' )); ?>
    ``` * I know that this is a different issue but any ideas how to get these in the correct order? * [Chip Bennett](https://wordpress.org/support/users/chipbennett/) * (@chipbennett) * [14 years ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/second-level-nav-using-menus/#post-2724818) * > ` 'primary' )); ?>` * You’re still using the wrong parameter. You need to use **`'theme_location'`** rather than **`'menu'`**. * Thread Starter [mamalovesyou](https://wordpress.org/support/users/mamalovesyou/) * (@mamalovesyou) * [14 years ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/second-level-nav-using-menus/#post-2724819) * I changed it back because it didn’t seem to work. * Have now added to the theme functions: * ``` register_nav_menus( array( 'primary' => 'Primary Menu', 'secondary' => 'Secondary Menu' ) ); ``` * and changed the nav to ` 'primary' )); ?>` * You can see what has happened now. It no longer has the first level nav and just all of the second level navigation pages. * [Chip Bennett](https://wordpress.org/support/users/chipbennett/) * (@chipbennett) * [14 years ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/second-level-nav-using-menus/#post-2724820) * > `and changed the nav to 'primary' )); ? > >` * **`'menu'`**, or **`'theme_location'`**? * Also: have you _defined_ separate custom menus, and _applied_ those custom menus to the specified Theme locations? * Thread Starter [mamalovesyou](https://wordpress.org/support/users/mamalovesyou/) * (@mamalovesyou) * [14 years ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/second-level-nav-using-menus/#post-2724823) * Sorry, yes, changed to ` 'primary'));? >` * I haven’t used a secondary menu in the end as I don’t think that will work. When I click on different sections I would need to define children of that parent for each section of the website. Isn’t that what the indentation refers to in a menu? * Can I not just use one menu with parent/children and style these over two rows? * [Chip Bennett](https://wordpress.org/support/users/chipbennett/) * (@chipbennett) * [14 years ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/second-level-nav-using-menus/#post-2724824) * Can we back up – a bunch – and ask a more fundamental question: * Looking at your HTML markup, this actually looks like **one, single menu**. Is that correct? Or are these, in fact, two different menus? * If a single menu: why not just nest your menu items, so that they display the way you want them to? * Thread Starter [mamalovesyou](https://wordpress.org/support/users/mamalovesyou/) * (@mamalovesyou) * [14 years ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/second-level-nav-using-menus/#post-2724825) * Yeah, that’s what I want buy struggling with how to do it. Tried lots of different ways. Seem to have some issues with the classes and how to get it to do that. * For some reason all of the imposed classes are making my head hurt but am sure it is simple enough to do. Or at least I hope it is. * [Chip Bennett](https://wordpress.org/support/users/chipbennett/) * (@chipbennett) * [14 years ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/second-level-nav-using-menus/#post-2724826) * > For some reason all of the imposed classes are making my head hurt but am sure > it is simple enough to do. Or at least I hope it is. * If you’re just trying to develop a dropdown menu, I would encourage you to take a look at Twenty Eleven. It has solid CSS for controlling a three-level dropdown menu, as generated by `wp_nav_menu()`. * Also, I’d appreciate your feedback on the [CSS classes section of the `wp_nav_menu()` Codex entry](http://codex.wordpress.org/Function_Reference/wp_nav_menu#Menu_Item_CSS_Classes). I recently added it, and would love to know if it’s useful, or needs improvement. * Thread Starter [mamalovesyou](https://wordpress.org/support/users/mamalovesyou/) * (@mamalovesyou) * [14 years ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/second-level-nav-using-menus/#post-2724828) * I wanted to have a static two row menu system, rather than a drop-down. That page seems to make sense but what about submenu styles? * [Chip Bennett](https://wordpress.org/support/users/chipbennett/) * (@chipbennett) * [14 years ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/second-level-nav-using-menus/#post-2724833) * > I wanted to have a static two row menu system, rather than a drop-down. * Okay, so then you really do want _two separate menus_. * > That page seems to make sense but what about submenu styles? * You can style each menu separately, based on the ID or class you pass to the UL or the containing DIV, via `wp_nav_menu()`. * Let’s try to step through it, completely, one more time: * **REGISTER NAV MENU LOCATIONS** * In functinos.php: * ``` register_nav_menus( array( 'topnav' => 'Top Navigation Menu', 'secondnav' => 'Second Navigation Menu' ) ); ``` * **OUPUT TOPNAV** * We’re going to get rid of all extraneous markup, and pass IDs and classes instead directly to `wp_nav_menu()` (_please_ be sure to reference [the `wp_nav_menu()` Codex reference](http://codex.wordpress.org/Function_Reference/wp_nav_menu) to understand its parameters): * ``` wp_nav_menu( array( 'theme_location' => 'topnav', 'container_id' => 'topnav', 'depth' => 1 ); ``` * **OUTPUT SECONDNAV** * Same drill as above: * ``` wp_nav_menu( array( 'theme_location' => 'secondnav', 'container_id' => 'secondnav', 'depth' => 1 ); ``` * **CREATE/APPLY CUSTOM MENUS** * 1. Go to **Dashboard -> Appearance -> Menus** 2. If you’ve not done so already, create the custom navigation menus that you wish to apply to the two Theme locations. 3. Apply each of those menus to the appropriate Theme location, via the “Theme Locations” meta box in the upper left-hand corner * **APPLY CSS STYLES** * This part is mostly up to you, because I don’t know the exact styling you’re looking for. You can target the topnav menu via `#topnav .menu`, and you can target the secondnav menu via `#secondnav .menu`. * Thread Starter [mamalovesyou](https://wordpress.org/support/users/mamalovesyou/) * (@mamalovesyou) * [14 years ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/second-level-nav-using-menus/#post-2724840) * Okay, so I think that separate menus will make life easier although I will have a lot of menus with so many sections needing second level navigation, but if it works, I’m fine with that route. * So, I now have: * ```
    'topnav', 'container_id' => 'topnav', depth => 1 )); ?>
    'nav-jobs', 'container_id' => 'secondnav', 'depth' => 1 )); ?>
    ``` * which seems to have set them out as I wanted except I still have the same issue that both levels are showing the same second level nav. * What is more confusing is that the ‘Test’ page is not even in either of the menus. It just seems to show ALL pages in both levels. Viewing 15 replies - 1 through 15 (of 20 total) 1 [2](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/second-level-nav-using-menus/page/2/?output_format=md) [→](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/second-level-nav-using-menus/page/2/?output_format=md) The topic ‘Second level nav using menus’ is closed to new replies. ## Tags * [child](https://wordpress.org/support/topic-tag/child/) * [nav](https://wordpress.org/support/topic-tag/nav/) * [parent](https://wordpress.org/support/topic-tag/parent/) * In: [Fixing WordPress](https://wordpress.org/support/forum/how-to-and-troubleshooting/) * 20 replies * 4 participants * Last reply from: [phoenixfromtheashes](https://wordpress.org/support/users/phoenixfromtheashes/) * Last activity: [13 years, 7 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/second-level-nav-using-menus/page/2/#post-2724999) * Status: not resolved ## Topics ### Topics with no replies ### Non-support topics ### Resolved topics ### Unresolved topics ### All topics