Customize the sidebar menu

Build your own sidebar for the whole organization by starting from Nova's default menu, adding folders, pages and outside links, choosing who sees each item, and previewing it before you save.

In the sidebar, open Administration, then choose Sidebar Navigation under Workspace, or select Customize sidebar (the sliders button) at the bottom of the sidebar. The page address is /settings/org/sidebar-navigation.

The Nova logo and version appear beside the Help, Support and Customize sidebar buttons in one row. Select the logo or version to open What's New. These footer controls stay visible while you scroll the menu.

Before you start

• Anyone whose role can read sidebar settings can open the page. To change the menu, your admin has to give your role permission to write it. Adding outside links and setting who sees an item are separate permissions.
• Nothing your team sees changes until you press Save. Revert throws away everything since the last save.

Steps

1. At the top, switch from Nova default to Custom.
2. Press the button that starts from your menu size (it names the size, for example Start from the Standard menu), or Customize a copy in the right-hand panel, to begin with a copy of Nova's menu. Press Create first folder to build from scratch. See Choose your menu size.
3. Under Menu structure, use Add folder, Add page and Add external to add items. Select a folder first to add inside it.
4. Drag an item above or below another to reorder it, or drop it onto the middle of a folder to move it inside. Alt+ArrowUp and Alt+ArrowDown move the selected item too.
5. Select an item to edit it on the right:
   • Every item has a Label.
   • A folder has Open by default.
   • A page picks a Nova page from Search pages, and can Open in new tab.
   • An outside link needs a URL, and can Open in new tab.
6. To limit who sees an item, press Visibility. The Sidebar visibility drawer lets you choose the roles and people the item shows for.
7. Under Access preview, choose Current user, a Role key or a User ID and press Preview to see what that person's sidebar would contain.
8. Press Save.

What you see

• Checks lists anything that blocks saving: a page that no longer exists (Missing page), an Empty folder, or a custom menu with nothing in it.
• Under a page you selected, Nova shows that page's own requirements. Hiding a menu item never grants or removes access to the page itself.
• Nova default mode is read-only; it shows Nova's own menu, which people may see less of depending on their roles and your plan.

If something looks different

• The page says Building your own menu is not part of your plan: your plan does not include a custom menu. You can still pick a menu size; see Choose your menu size.
• Add external is greyed out: your role cannot add outside links.
• Deleting an item is refused with a message about visibility rules or external links: the item carries rules your role cannot remove. Ask your admin.
• Clear empties the whole custom draft; Replace custom with Nova default overwrites it with a fresh copy. Both ask you to confirm and only apply once you Save.

Open Sidebar Navigation

A custom menu can contain up to 500 pages, folders and links in total. Folders can be nested up to three levels deep.