CSS Navigation >>> PHP Navigation

HTML & CSS
1

Hi,

I am redesigning a web site that is currently HTML and CSS.

The new site will be PHP, MySQL and CSS.

My question is: Is it common practice to delete my CSS navigation bar and replace it will a PHP driven navigation bar (constructed using data within the MySQL Database)?

Matt.

2

I’d imagine. Just put it in an SSI (aka PHP include). Is that what you mean?

3

CSS only styles a page. Though if you mean use PHP includes then obviously the database might be used to pull the markup for the ‘navigation menu’ rather than having a static one.

4

Well let me try and explain what I might try:

If the navigation bar included:

Home
Contact Us
About

Could it be designed so that if you click Contact Us it creates a submenu like

Home
Contact Us
Contact UK
Contact USA
Contact Africa
About

Furthermore since this navigation bar would be created using data from a MySQL Database could it ‘create itself’? Could the links for these pages be generated from the MySQL Database?

Previously, when designing navigation bars I have manually written the text for the links, manually added the link to the text and then used CSS to code the effect of the navigation bar. But I was wondering whether PHP can rule out the need to write the text and rule out the need to write the link for the text? This way, if I added to the database “Forum” then the navigation bar would include that also and also it’s link.

I would rather spend a week coding a navigation bar using a database than spend 10 minutes each time I add or delete something, which alters the navigation bar. Those 10 minutes soon add up!

Any ideas,

Matthew.