Mega Menus

A Mega Menu is a large and fully-detailed menu that displays all associated sub-links without having to cascade down through categories. The menu stays active until you close it or toggle to a different menu. The switch to Mega Menus should help facilitate navigation and decrease frustration with the old-style menus.

Let's go over the components of the Mega Menu and identify the important features.

(Click to enlarge)
  1. This is an Active Tab. You'll notice that the menu title is surrounded by a lighter-blue tab similar to the tabs you see in filing cabinets. This shading helps you to identify the tab you are currently browsing. To open another tab you may either close the tab (number 5) or simply click a different Menu Title.
  2. This is a menu title in an inactive state, or an Inactive Tab. The shading is a darker blue color and there is no border between the inactive menu titles. All menu titles should be in this state if they are not in use. To open an Inactive Tab simply click any Menu Title.
  3. The Dashboard button can be pressed from ANY Active Tab. This button will take you back to the Dashboard in its neutral state with no menus active and the Quick Stats report displayed.
  4. The Reports drop-down is only available from some Mega Menus. The state in the image above means that there are no reports available on this tab. If reports are available, the word Reports will be black instead of blue.
  5. The red box with the white x in the middle is the close button. Clicking this button enables you to close the menu.
  6. The text indicated at number 6 is bold text with blue highlighting behind it. This indicates a Main Menu Heading. This is essentially a category within the Menu Title that helps to contain links to similar tasks, thus making them easier to locate. These are typically not links, but merely a container for similar links.
  7. The blue links are links to tasks contained in the Main Menu Headings. These are ultimately where you are trying to go in the Admin Portal.

Almost all of the Mega Menus are similar to what is described above, the exception being the Reports tab. Reports navigation has been enhanced in other ways and is further described in the Report Navigation topic.

Menu Behavior

  • To activate a Menu, hover over the Menu Title for approximately 2 seconds.
  • Stopping the hover deactivates the menu.
  • Clicking the Menu Title will also activate a Menu Title (without the off-hover close ability).
  • Click the red X to close the menu.
  • Hovering over an object (link, icon, etc.) in a menu will display a brief description of the item at the top of the Mega Menu.
  • Mega Menus are often divided into sections to group like tasks/icons together.
  • Any given user may have access to all or some of the mentioned links or icons, depending upon their permissions. For example, an Affiliate may see a link to a Merchant function, but not be able to load the function because it is not available to them.
  • A New or Updated icon may display next to a link as a way to indicate a newly added feature or service.