jQuery/CSS Vertical Admin Navigation

Introduction

The jQuery/CSS Vertical Admin Navigation is a popular and highly customizable navigation plugin that allows you to create a sleek and modern vertical navigation menu for your admin dashboard or website. This tutorial will guide you through the process of setting up and customizing the plugin to fit your needs.

Prerequisites

Before you start, make sure you have the following:

• A basic understanding of HTML, CSS, and JavaScript
• A code editor or IDE (Integrated Development Environment)
• The jQuery library included in your project (you can download it from the official jQuery website if you don't already have it)

Step 1: Download and Include the Plugin

1. Download the jQuery/CSS Vertical Admin Navigation plugin from the official website or GitHub repository.
2. Extract the downloaded file and include the necessary files in your project:
   • vertical-admin-navigation.min.js (the plugin JavaScript file)
   • vertical-admin-navigation.min.css (the plugin CSS file)
   • jquery.min.js (the jQuery library)

Add the following code to your HTML file to include the plugin:

<script src="path/to/jquery.min.js"></script>
<script src="path/to/vertical-admin-navigation.min.js"></script>
<link rel="stylesheet" href="path/to/vertical-admin-navigation.min.css">

Step 2: Create the Navigation Structure

Create a container element to hold your navigation menu. This can be a div or any other HTML element that you prefer. For example:

<div id="vertical-nav" class="vertical-nav">
    <!-- Navigation menu items will go here -->
</div>

Step 3: Add Navigation Menu Items

Add navigation menu items as li elements inside the container element. Each li element should contain a link (a element) with the desired text and URL. For example:

<div id="vertical-nav" class="vertical-nav">
    <ul>
        <li><a href="#">Home</a></li>
        <li><a href="#">About</a></li>
        <li><a href="#">Contact</a></li>
        <li><a href="#">Settings</a></li>
    </ul>
</div>

Step 4: Initialize the Plugin

Add the following JavaScript code to initialize the plugin:

$(document).ready(function() {
    $('#vertical-nav').verticalAdminNavigation();
});

This code selects the container element with the ID vertical-nav and initializes the plugin.

Step 5: Customize the Plugin

The plugin provides several options to customize its behavior. You can set these options using the plugin's API. For example, you can change the animation speed, toggle button text, and more.

Here are some examples of customization options:

$(document).ready(function() {
    $('#vertical-nav').verticalAdminNavigation({
        animationSpeed: 500, // animation speed in milliseconds
        toggleButtonText: 'Toggle Menu', // text for the toggle button
        collapsed: true // initial state of the menu (true = collapsed, false = expanded)
    });
});

Step 6: Add the Toggle Button

Add a toggle button to the navigation menu to allow users to collapse or expand the menu. You can add the following code to create a basic toggle button:

<div id="toggle-button" class="toggle-button">
    <i class="fa fa-bars"></i>
</div>

Add the following JavaScript code to toggle the menu:

$('#toggle-button').on('click', function() {
    $('#vertical-nav').toggleClass('expanded');
});

Conclusion

That's it! You have now set up and customized the jQuery/CSS Vertical Admin Navigation plugin. You can customize the plugin further by exploring its API and options. Remember to include the necessary files, create the navigation structure, add menu items, initialize the plugin, and customize its behavior to fit your needs.