Joomla Menu Item Types — Articles, Contacts, Search and System Links
In this tutorial, you'll learn every menu item type available in Joomla — from Single Article and Category Blog to Contacts, Smart Search, System Links, External URLs, and the Language Switcher — so you can build complete site navigation for any project.
What You'll Learn
- Single Article menu type for displaying individual articles
- Category Blog layout for magazine-style article displays
- Category List for table-style article listings
- Featured Articles menu for curated front page content
- Archived Articles menu for accessing old content
- Contact menu types for staff and directory pages
- Search and Smart Search menu items
- System Links: External URL, Separator, Heading, and Alias
- Language Switcher for multilingual sites
- Configuring each type with specific options
Why It Matters
Each menu item type creates a different kind of page. Choosing the right type determines what content appears, how it is laid out, and how users interact with it. A Category Blog is perfect for a news section. A Single Article is best for an About page. An External URL handles links to social media or third-party tools. Knowing all available types ensures you build pages that match your content's purpose.
Real-World Use
A community website needs: a homepage with featured content (Featured Articles), a news section with the latest posts in blog format (Category Blog), an events calendar with past events archived (Archived Articles with month filter), an About page with a static description (Single Article), a staff directory (Contact Category List), a search bar page (Smart Search), and social media links (External URL). Each requirement maps to a specific menu item type.
Learning Path
flowchart LR A["Menu System"] --> B["Menu Item Types
You are here"]:::current B --> C["Modules & Positions"] C --> D["Custom HTML Modules"] classDef current fill:#38bdf8,color:#0f172a,stroke-width:2px
Articles Menu Item Types
Articles have the most menu item types because they are the primary content type in Joomla.
Single Article
Purpose: Display one specific article as a standalone page.
Configuration:
- Select Article: Choose the article from a list
- Article Options: Show/hide title, category, tags, author, date, hits
- Link Type: Add link attributes (title, language, and target)
Use when: You have a specific article that needs its own page — About Us, Contact Info, Terms of Service, Privacy Policy.
Example: An "About Our Company" menu item links to a Single Article with the company history, team photos, and mission statement.
Category Blog
Purpose: Display articles from a category in a magazine-style blog layout with leading articles, intro articles in columns, and linked article titles.
Configuration:
- Category: Select source category
- Include Subcategories: Show articles from child categories
- Leading Articles: Number of full-width leading articles
- Intro Articles: Number of articles with intro text
- Columns: Number of columns for intro articles
- Links: Number of linked titles at bottom
- Pagination: Show or hide page numbers
- Category Options: Show/hide category title, description, image
- Article Options: Per-article display settings
Use when: You want a blog, news section, or magazine-style content listing.
Example: A "Latest News" menu item shows the 3 most recent articles as leading, 6 articles in 2 columns, and links to 10 more headlines.
Category List
Purpose: Display articles from a category in a table-style list with optional filters.
Configuration:
- Category: Select source category
- Include Subcategories: Include child articles
- Show Headings: Display column headers
- Show Date: Display publication dates
- Show Hits: Display view counts
- Show Author: Display author names
- Filter Field: Enable text filter box
- Pagination: Show/hide navigation
- Category Options: Show/hide title, description, image
Use when: You need a directory, archive, or listing where users want to scan titles quickly.
Example: A "Press Releases" menu item lists press releases by date with clickable titles, showing the most recent first.
Featured Articles
Purpose: Display all articles marked as featured in a blog-style layout.
Configuration: Same options as Category Blog (leading, intro, columns, links, pagination).
Use when: You want editorial control over your front page. Only articles you mark as featured appear here, regardless of category.
Example: A homepage showing the 5 most important articles this week, manually selected and ordered by the editor.
Archived Articles
Purpose: Display archived articles grouped by month, with month-based filtering.
Configuration:
- Month Format: How months are displayed (January 2026, Jan 2026, 01/2026)
- Archive Options: Show/hide article details in the listing
Use when: You have older content that is still valuable but should not appear in main listings.
Example: A "Past Events" menu item shows all archived event articles organized by month.
All Categories
Purpose: Display a list of all categories with links to each category's content.
Configuration:
- Top Level Category Description: Show/hide descriptions
- Subcategory Levels: How deep to show subcategories
- Empty Categories: Show or hide categories with no articles
Use when: You want a sitemap-style overview of all content sections.
Example: A "Sitemap" menu item lists every category on the site as a hierarchical navigation tree.
Contact Menu Item Types
Contacts use the Contacts component (com_contact).
Single Contact
Purpose: Display one contact's information as a standalone page.
Configuration:
- Select Contact: Choose from the contact list
- Contact Options: Show/hide name, position, email, phone, address, website, image
- Form: Show or hide the contact form
- VCard: Enable vCard download
Use when: You want a dedicated page for a person or department.
Example: A "Contact Our CEO" page showing the CEO's photo, bio, email, and a contact form.
Category List (Contacts)
Purpose: Display a list of contacts in a specific category.
Configuration:
- Category: Select contact category
- Show Headings: Display table headers
- Show Filter: Enable text filter
Use when: You have multiple contacts to display (team directory, department listing).
Example: A "Our Team" page listing all staff members with names, positions, and email links.
Featured Contacts
Purpose: Display contacts marked as featured.
Use when: You want to highlight key contacts (board members, department heads) separately from the full directory.
Search Menu Item Types
Search
Purpose: Display a basic search form with configurable options.
Configuration:
- Search Limit: Results per page
- Show Search Description: Display introductory text
- Show Open Results: Display results in order of relevance
Use when: You need a dedicated search results page for the basic search system.
Smart Search
Purpose: Display the enhanced Smart Search interface with filters and facets.
Configuration:
- Search Filter: Enable category, date, and other filters
- Show Description: Display search tips
- Allow Empty Search: Show all results when no query is entered
Use when: Your site has many articles and users need advanced filtering.
Example: A "Search" page with category checkboxes and date range filters for finding specific content.
System Links
External URL
Purpose: Link to any URL outside your Joomla site.
Configuration:
- Link URL: Full URL (must include http:// or https://)
- Target Window: Same window, new window with navigation, new window without navigation, or modal
Use when: You need to link to external sites, social media profiles, or third-party tools.
Example: A "Follow us on Twitter" menu item with URL https://twitter.com/yourhandle and target set to new window.
Separator
Purpose: Create a non-clickable visual break in the menu.
Configuration: Just a title text that appears as a separator.
Use when: You want to group related menu items visually. Often used in sidebar menus or dropdown menus.
Example: A separator with title "Social" appears before Facebook and Twitter links in the footer menu.
Heading
Purpose: Create a non-clickable heading in the menu.
Configuration: Title and optional CSS class.
Use when: You need labels for menu sections without making them clickable links.
Example: A "Products" heading in a sidebar menu with sub-items for each product category.
Alias
Purpose: Create a menu item that points to another menu item, inheriting its link and options.
Configuration:
- Menu Item: Select the target menu item
- Override Options: Optionally override the target's options
Use when: You want the same content to appear in multiple menus. The alias updates automatically if the target menu item changes.
Example: A "Home" link in the footer menu aliases the "Home" item from the Main Menu.
Language Switcher
Purpose: Display language options for switching between site languages.
Configuration:
- Language Selection: Show active languages only or all
- Use Dropdown: Display as dropdown instead of list
- Full Name: Show full language name or code
Use when: Your Joomla site has multiple languages enabled and you want users to switch between them.
Example: A language switcher in the header showing EN | ES | FR flags or names.
Menu Item Options Common to All Types
Every menu item type has standard options:
Page Display
- Browser Page Title: The HTML title tag for SEO
- Page Heading: The h1 heading shown on the page
- Show Page Heading: Display the heading or hide it
- Page Class: CSS class for the page wrapper
Metadata
- Meta Description: SEO description
- Meta Keywords: SEO keywords (less important now)
- Robots: Index/follow settings
- Secure: Force HTTPS for this page
Link Type
- Link Attributes: Add rel, class, and other attributes
- Target Window: How the link opens
- Template Style: Override the site template
Common Mistakes
Choosing Category List when you want Category Blog: Category List shows a table. Category Blog shows a magazine layout. Beginners often pick the wrong one and wonder why the layout does not match their design.
Forgetting to select the article in Single Article: Creating a Single Article menu item without selecting an article produces a blank page. Always verify the article is selected.
Using External URL without http://: Joomla requires the full URL protocol. Entering "google.com" instead of "https://google.com" creates a broken relative link.
Not setting the Language Switcher correctly: The Language Switcher only works if you have installed language packs and enabled the multilingual feature in Global Configuration.
Creating duplicate menu items with the same content: Having "About" in both the main menu and footer menu is fine, but use the Alias type instead of creating a duplicate item so changes propagate automatically.
Practice Questions
What is the difference between Category Blog and Category List menu item types? Answer: Category Blog displays articles in a magazine-style layout with leading articles, intro text in columns, and linked headlines. Category List displays articles in a simple table-style list with optional filters.
When would you use an Alias menu item instead of creating a new menu item? Answer: Use an Alias when you want the same destination to appear in multiple menus. If the target menu item changes, all aliases update automatically.
What is the purpose of the Language Switcher menu item? Answer: The Language Switcher allows visitors to switch between languages on a multilingual Joomla site. It displays available languages as links or a dropdown.
Challenge: Create a site map using menu items. Use the following types: Featured Articles for the homepage, Category Blog for a blog section, Category List for a resources section, Single Contact for a contact page, External URL for a social media link, Archived Articles for old content, and Smart Search for search. Configure appropriate options for each type and verify the front-end output.
FAQ
Mini Project
Your task: Build a complete navigation system using 8 different menu item types.
Create a Main Menu with:
- Home (Featured Articles)
- Blog (Category Blog with 2 leading, 4 intro in 2 columns, 6 links)
- Resources (Category List with date and author columns)
- About Us (Single Article)
- Our Team (Contact > Category List)
- Archived News (Archived Articles)
- Search (Smart Search)
- GitHub (External URL to your profile)
Create a Footer Menu with alias items linking to Home, About Us, and Contact.
Add a Separator in the footer menu labeled "Connect" with social media links below it.
Configure appropriate page titles, meta descriptions, and template styles for each item.
Test every menu item on the front end and verify the output matches the expected type.
What's Next
Now that you know every menu item type, learn how modules and module positions work:
Continue to Lesson 13: Modules and Module Positions — Learn the Module Manager, module positions, assignment, and ordering.
Related lessons:
- Joomla Menu System — Review the menu system foundation
- Joomla Content Modules — Combine menu items with content modules
Built by the developers of DodaTech
Doda Browser, DodaZIP & Durga Antivirus Pro