Sections Module

Overview

The Sections Module is part of the Website section of the SUMS platform. It is used to create and manage your website’s navigation structure.

Sections control how users move around your website by defining:

• Main navigation tabs
• Dropdown menus
• Groupings of related pages

Unlike the Pages Module, which controls content, the Sections Module controls navigation. Sections do not contain content themselves - they link users to pages, external URLs, or other destinations.

Using this module correctly ensures your website is easy to navigate, logical, and consistent.

 

Understanding Sections 

The Sections Module supports three navigation levels, each with a specific purpose. Each individual website may have a different setup, but the functionality remains the same

Parent Sections

Parent Sections are your main category navigation items.
These appear generally directly in the website’s primary navigation.

Examples:

• About Your SU
• Get Involved
• Advice & Support
• Activities

Parent Sections group related information and contain Child Sections.

Child Sections

Child Sections sit within a Parent Section and appear as part of its dropdown menu.

They act as sub‑categories that further organise content.

Example:

• Advice & Support (Parent Section)
  • Academic Support (Child Section)
  • Wellbeing (Child Section)

Child Sections can also contain multiple Section Items.

Section Items

Section Items are the lowest navigation level.
They sit within a Child Section and usually are within the Child Section pages within a sidebar like the example below. Here we have a Child Section About us. Then a dropdown with section Items attached to the Child Section. 

These can also Navigate to more pages, files for download etc.

Please refer to Section Items Module to find out how to use them

Examples:

• Academic Appeals
• Exam Support
• Mental Health Resources

💡 Important:

• Pages contain content
• Sections define structure
• Section Items are further navigation links which can direct to files, more pages without congesting the main navigation menu

Understanding URLs in Sections

When creating a Sections, the URL field controls where the link will take users.

In this system it will define the full page path (endpoint) that will be added to your main website domain. This is the same for a Parent Section and a Child Section and depending on your setup.

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How to enter your URL correctly

When adding a URL, you should:

• Always start with a "/"
• Enter the full path you want the the page to be addressed to

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How it works

The URL you enter is added directly after your main website domain to create the final page address.

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Example

If you enter:

/how-we-are-run

The final URL will become:

https://yourdomain.com/how-we-are-run

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Creating longer page paths

You can also create more detailed URLs by including / within your input:

Example:

/your-union/how-we-are-run/

This would result in:

https://yourdomain.com/your-union/how-we-are-run/

When should I use this module?

Using the Sections Module

Introduction

Sections Dashboard 

The Sections dashboard contains all Navigation Items  currently available on your website. These are sat somewhere within your site whether this is a Parent Section or a Child Section. Which would be a drop down

What we see is the Section Titles that we set when creating the Sections displayed as the way to identify which one we want to look at.

Creating the Parent Section

1. Navigate to Website and click Sections
2. Click Create Sections

This will open the Page Creation Tab where you will add your content and select options

💡Note: Only the fields marked * are mandatory for you to get a page up and running

3. Name*
    Use a title that you want users to click on to access the dropdown

4. Parent Section
   Leave this blank as we want to create a Parent Section

   

5. Icon
   An Icon can be used to create a visual element to the Link.

   ⚠️ A Font Icon library must be included in the website header for icons to display correctly. This is configured within the Templates Module

   

6. URL*
   Add the Page URI that was input when the page was made. This is so it directs to the correct endpoint. Ensure to add a “/” before the endpoint. Please see the Understanding URLs in Sections to learn more. 

   

7. Order*
   The smaller the number the higher the section will be within the drop do

   

8. Click Submit

   

Adding the new Section to the Navigation

🔨Advanced Configuration: These next steps will be using the Templates Module. Read the Module for more info on templates. Each setup may also look very different. This may require Developer support or contact sums@help.su for support

1. Find the Section you created and find the ID it has been assigned This will be displayed on the left hand side. For this example it is "100"

   

2. Head to the Templates Module within the Website Section

   

3. Find the Template Group called Global and click the File Icon. This will bring up all the files within this Template group

   

4. Within this template group look for a template with the prefix of “header”.

   

5. Click View/Edit Template Icon on the left hand side which will bring us to the Code Editor.

   

6. Scroll down within the Code Editor and find the tag below

   {exp:su_sections:GetHeaderMegaMenuServices sectionParentKeys="1"}

   

7. Where it states sectionParentKey="". Add a “|” after the last number and add the ID corresponding to the new Parent Section you created. In this example it is "100" so this will add this onto the end

8. {exp:su_sections:GetHeaderMegaMenuServices sectionParentKeys="1|100"}

   

9. Scroll to the Top and Press Save Changes
10. Navigate back the website and you will see the new Parent Section added to your Navigation. In this example we have added the "Support" Tab.

How to add a Child Section (Sub Tab)

This section will walk you through how to make a Child Section that is assigned to a Parent Section. We will be adding "Events & Tickets Support" under the "Support" Parent Section

Creating the Child Section

1. Navigate to Website and click Sections
2. Click Create Sections

This will open the Page Creation Tab where you will add your content and select options

💡Note: Only the fields marked * are mandatory for you to get a page up and running

3. Name*
        Use a title that you want users to click under the parent Section

   

4. Parent Section*
   Assign this to a Parent Section as we want to create a Child Section

   

5. Icon
   An icon adds a visual element to the navigation link. Enter a valid Font Awesome class (e.g. fa-solid fa-house).

   ⚠️ A Font Icon library must be included in the website header for icons to display correctly. This is configured within the Templates Module

   
   

6. URL*
   Add the Page URI that was input when the page was made. This is so it directs to the correct endpoint. Ensure to add a “/” before the endpoint. Please see the Understanding URLs in Sections to learn more

7. 

8. Order*
   The smaller the number the higher the section will be within the drop do

   

9. Click Submit

Checking the Child Section

1. Navigate to the Website
2. Click the Parent Section you assigned the Child Section to
3. The new child section should be under the parent section

💡Note: Section Items can be added to a Child Section which can give you access to more related pages. See more in the Section Items Module. The "About Us" page is a Child Section and has been assigned Section Items so they have been included within a further dropdown on the website page.

💡 Note: Creating the page content Creating a Section only sets up the navigation link — it does not create the page content.

To display content when users click this link, you will need to create the page using one of the following:

• Pages Module – Recommended for standard pages (no technical knowledge required)
• Templates Module – Used for advanced or custom-built pages (technical users)

It is recommended to create your page first, then link to it using the URL in the Sections Module. This ensures users do not click on empty or unavailable pages.

Updating a Section

1. Navigate to Website > Sections

   

2. Locate the Section to update
3. Click Modify on the left hand side

   

4. You can update:

   • Name
   • Parent assignment
   • Order
   • URL
   • Icon

5. Click Submit

   

⚠️Warning: Please note if the URL is changed this means any page directed to this url would no longer be available. Please ensure you update the corresponding Page within the Pages Module or Custom Template within the Templates Module to ensure a page is displayed with the new URL.

6. Go to the Website and check the Navigation to ensure the changes have been applied

Deleting a Section

1. Navigate to Website > Sections

   

2. Locate the Section to update
3. Click Modify on the right hand side

   

4. Click Submit

   

5. Go to the Website and check the Navigation to ensure the Section has been deleted

Troubleshooting