Getting BL2 Menu to Show in WordPress

mindstorm · 2018-11-13 05:03:32

I have created a menu in Backlight2 and saved it. When I go to the Wordpress BL2 theme, I only see menus created there under Wordpress. I do not see the menu I created in BL2.

On a hunch, I deleted the WP menu entirely, hoping it would then see the BL2 menu. No dice. WP now just says I have no menus.

??

rod barbee · 2018-11-13 06:57:18

Link?
Does your page template have navigation?

mindstorm · 2018-11-13 07:09:38

The web site is -- www.mindstormphoto.com

Mathew helped me get back a roadblock this weekend, where the blog was not showing up. Turned out I had inadvertently copied the BL2 index.php file one directory too high, which meant it wiped out the Wordpress file of that name. Reverted to the Wordpress index.php file from a couple weeks ago, and the blog worked fine.

However, I later realized the menus no longer worked in that case. More investigation shows the menu from the Wordpress BL customization is being used, instead of the menu created in the BL2 templates.

to answer your specific question about menu in Navigation. There is nowhere to indicate the menu name to be used there. I can indicate the colors, directions, etc, but not the menu name itself.

Here is a screenshot of the Navigation section of the Page template to show what I am looking at... just in case you meant somewhere else:

https://www.dropbox.com/s/gusbuh6llbwqm … u.png?dl=0

Note that there is currently no menu at all on that web site, since my last attempt was to delete it on Wordpress, hoping I could then see the BL2 menu. Can't see it though, leaving me no menu at all.

Last edited by mindstorm (2018-11-13 07:10:37)

rod barbee · 2018-11-13 07:25:58

At the very top of the page template is where you choose the Menu Set to use.
Create a menu set by goinfpg to Design > Menu Sets
http://backlight.theturninggate.net/doc … r-menusets

mindstorm · 2018-11-13 07:30:56

Oops. you are right. It WAS set there. I forgot where it was (I have been fighting this pretty much nonstop for the past couple weeks...).

Here is a screenshot showing that the menu was indeed chosen:

https://www.dropbox.com/s/yrg66kuia3b18 … M.png?dl=0

however, it is still not visible in Wordpress,

Screenshot from Wordpress showing which template I am using (MSP 2018 is derived from BL2):

https://www.dropbox.com/s/ce0368zpabklq … M.png?dl=0

and screenshot showing menu available -- now none. The one from BL2 is not showing up in WP:

https://www.dropbox.com/s/ik0re15pcn5ip … M.png?dl=0

rod barbee · 2018-11-13 07:51:51

I’ve only created one site that is WordPress based but using a Backlight WP theme, and that was a while back.

But looking at the template and the WP admin it appears that the BL menu is not part of the theme.
So if using WP as the basis of your site, then it looks like you should create the menu in WP.
In Backlight, create a menu that matches your WP menu. That menu will be used in Backlight generated album sets and albums.

mindstorm · 2018-11-13 08:55:30

That surprises me. That is what I ended up doing in 2014 when I made the CE4 site, but doing so caused a lot of grief. Trying to keep them identical as new galleries were added, and trying to get them to look the same was a PITA.

I can always do that again, but i was trying to do it "right" this time and not get caught in that same endless chasing-my-tail situation.

rod barbee · 2018-11-13 09:04:57

Wait on Matt then, he might have a solution. Probably something obvious that I'm missing.

Back in CE4 days there was some code you could use in a phplugins file that would pull the WP menu and insert into CE4 generated album sets and albums:
http://ce4.theturninggate.net/docs/doku … r_of_magic
it is, of course, obsolete. But that same approach might be an option.

Daniel Leu · 2018-11-13 10:23:57

Just out of curiosity, I did a test install with Wordpress serving the home page and using Backlight 2 to create my theme and custom menu. Works beautifully out of the box. Obviously the Backlight managed pages such as about and index do not work.

mindstorm · 2018-11-13 10:36:34

@Daniel -- So you created a menu in Backlight 2, and when you created a Wordpress theme, that menu showed up?

it doesn't for me...

A factor may be that I have been using CE4 for the past 5 years, and did some bandaging to get it to work way back then. Matt later told me I was fighting the system rather than using it, but I had it working by then, so did not go clean anything up.

I still have the CE4 folders on the site, though I don't believe they are being used. I intend to delete them, but have waited until I get the new system working.

sooo... it is possible there is some detritus from the earlier incarnation that is interfering here? if so, I need some idea of where to look.

FWIW, Matt already has full admin access to both the Wordpress and Backlight 2 portions of the site.

Daniel Leu · 2018-11-13 10:50:51

mindstorm wrote:

@Daniel -- So you created a menu in Backlight 2, and when you created a Wordpress theme, that menu showed up?

Yes, it worked out of the box

mindstorm · 2018-11-13 11:19:51

@Daniel --

Well, da**... Here are my steps in screenshots. Can you see where i might have made a mistake?

https://www.dropbox.com/sh/0qhmevt8qebt … 6_Xta?dl=0

01-menu sets.png -- in BL2, shows the menu sets that exist

02-menu design.png -- in BL2, shows the first page of the design of that single menu

03-templates.png -- in BL2, shows the templates that exist

04-create new MSP WP template.png -- in BL2, shows that I created a new Wordpress template called MSP

05-settings for MSP WP.png -- in BL2, shows the settings i have for the MSP WP template

06-MSP WP now created.png -- in BL2, shows that I have created and exported the theme to WP

07-MSP settings.png -- in BL2, shows the settings for that WP template

11-WP showing MSP exists.png -- in Wordpress, showing themes, including the new MSP

12-WP MSP made active.png - in WP, shows I have made that new BL2 theme active

13-WP MSP has no menu.png - in WP, shows that no menus are available to that theme in WP

rod barbee · 2018-11-13 11:23:54

I’ll have to give this a try. I haven’t created a WP site with a BL theme since the Okapi days

mindstorm · 2018-11-13 11:36:14

HOLD THE PHONE.... it works...???

I went back and created a new theme (as shown in steps above).

Wordpress says there is no menu available. it also says there in no palette being used, even though there should be.

HOWEVER, when I go into the site (www.mindstormphoto.com), the menu DOES appear and so does the palette...?!

Apparently, if WP knows about a menu, it overrides BL2 and uses it. If WP cannot find a menu, it tells you there is none, but the web site itself does show it.

Baffling, but at least it appears to be working now...

THANKS to everyone who helped on this mystery!

Daniel Leu · 2018-11-13 11:39:09

mindstorm wrote:

@Daniel --
Well, da**... Here are my steps in screenshots. Can you see where i might have made a mistake?

13-WP MSP has no menu.png - in WP, shows that no menus are available to that theme in WP

Did you notice the sandwich icon on the top right? Could it be that your display is too small and you see the mobile menu?

Daniel Leu · 2018-11-13 11:43:18

mindstorm wrote:

HOLD THE PHONE.... it works...???
I went back and created a new theme (as shown in steps above).
Wordpress says there is no menu available. it also says there in no palette being used, even though there should be.
HOWEVER, when I go into the site (www.mindstormphoto.com), the menu DOES appear and so does the palette...?!
Apparently, if WP knows about a menu, it overrides BL2 and uses it. If WP cannot find a menu, it tells you there is none, but the web site itself does show it.
Baffling, but at least it appears to be working now...
THANKS to everyone who helped on this mystery!

I don't think that the menu shown right now comes from Backlight.... When I'm in preview, my Backlight menu shows.

mindstorm · 2018-11-13 11:51:12

@Daniel -

Interesting guess about the display size. However, I am on a maxed-out iMac Pro with two 27" displays, so that isn't the issue...

Note my last response (after you suggested the display size). Turns out that WP seeing no menu at all is a GOOD THING. If WP complains there is no menu, then it will use the BL2 supplied one when the site actually runs.

The problem i had earlier was that i did have a different menu on WP. When that exists, WP insists on using it, and does not let the BL2 menu shine through. Once I deleted the WP menu, suddenly the web site worked properly again!

Last edited by mindstorm (2018-11-13 11:51:46)

Daniel Leu · 2018-11-13 12:00:25

So all is good now?

mindstorm · 2018-11-13 12:05:47

Daniel Leu wrote:

So all is good now?

I think so. I have asked my wife to go through and test all the menus. I am in the process right now of writing the next blog (2 weeks late, since I have been fighting the conversion to a new ISP and BL2 all that time).

I still need to go back and improve the colors a bit, since it looks pretty stark right now. However, it does appear to be fully functioning.

Thanks again for all your help on this!

Daniel Leu · 2018-11-13 12:24:38

tgalex · 2018-11-13 12:31:25

Fascinating discussion on this. I have a wordpress blog attached to my site called “Artists Journal” created under BL1 which I converted to BL2 and I’ve had no issues with it. Haven’t done much journaling of late but plan to get back to it soon. Hope things remain smooth and steady with it. Good luck.

Matthew · 2018-11-13 14:06:08

Backlight's page template has a menu assigned. If there's no menu in Wordpress, then it will display. If you have a menu in Wordpress, the Backlight menu is overridden.

Backlight menus do not show in Wordpress' admin.

mindstorm · 2018-11-13 14:12:20

Matthew wrote:

Backlight's page template has a menu assigned. If there's no menu in Wordpress, then it will display. If you have a menu in Wordpress, the Backlight menu is overridden.
Backlight menus do not show in Wordpress' admin.

That is exactly what I ended up deducing.

I would like to recommend that info be put in the documentation for both BL menus and WP theme. It is not at all the behavior I expected, which is how I got into such a fix until I deleted the WP menu as a test (at which point I thought it was still failing, since WP said there was no menu).

I can certainly live with the current approach. I just would have appreciated not running in circles for a day trying to figure out WTHeck I did wrong this time...!

Community @ The Turning Gate

#1 2018-11-13 05:03:32

Getting BL2 Menu to Show in WordPress

#2 2018-11-13 06:57:18

Re: Getting BL2 Menu to Show in WordPress

#3 2018-11-13 07:09:38

Re: Getting BL2 Menu to Show in WordPress

#4 2018-11-13 07:25:58

Re: Getting BL2 Menu to Show in WordPress

#5 2018-11-13 07:30:56

Re: Getting BL2 Menu to Show in WordPress

#6 2018-11-13 07:51:51

Re: Getting BL2 Menu to Show in WordPress

#7 2018-11-13 08:55:30

Re: Getting BL2 Menu to Show in WordPress

#8 2018-11-13 09:04:57

Re: Getting BL2 Menu to Show in WordPress

#9 2018-11-13 10:23:57

Re: Getting BL2 Menu to Show in WordPress

#10 2018-11-13 10:36:34

Re: Getting BL2 Menu to Show in WordPress

#11 2018-11-13 10:50:51

Re: Getting BL2 Menu to Show in WordPress

#12 2018-11-13 11:19:51

Re: Getting BL2 Menu to Show in WordPress

#13 2018-11-13 11:23:54

Re: Getting BL2 Menu to Show in WordPress

#14 2018-11-13 11:36:14

Re: Getting BL2 Menu to Show in WordPress

#15 2018-11-13 11:39:09

Re: Getting BL2 Menu to Show in WordPress

#16 2018-11-13 11:43:18

Re: Getting BL2 Menu to Show in WordPress

#17 2018-11-13 11:51:12

Re: Getting BL2 Menu to Show in WordPress

#18 2018-11-13 12:00:25

Re: Getting BL2 Menu to Show in WordPress

#19 2018-11-13 12:05:47

Re: Getting BL2 Menu to Show in WordPress

#20 2018-11-13 12:24:38

Re: Getting BL2 Menu to Show in WordPress

#21 2018-11-13 12:31:25

Re: Getting BL2 Menu to Show in WordPress

#22 2018-11-13 14:06:08

Re: Getting BL2 Menu to Show in WordPress

#23 2018-11-13 14:12:20

Re: Getting BL2 Menu to Show in WordPress

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