.. _menu_layouts:

Menu Layouts
------------

Menu layouts define the view a user has of the menu content and structure on
the Admin Portal; that is, the menu you see when logging in, based on your login user role 
at the hierarchy where you log in. 

Menu layouts can be customized for different levels of the hierarchy. For example, the 
menu layouts at provider level of the hierarchy can be different to menu layouts at customer 
level or site level. An administrator with permissions to edit menu layouts 
can customize a menu layout based on a user's role at a particular level of the 
hierarchy, to represent the resources the user has access to. 

.. note:: 
  
  * To view and edit menu layouts, go to (default menu) **Role Management > Menu Layouts**. 
  * To view the menu layout assigned to a particular role, go to (default menu) 
    **Role Management > Roles**, click on a role, and view the value in the 
    **Menu Layout** field (this is the menu layout for users with this role). 


When creating or editing a menu layout, you can apply a field display policy (FDP) and 
configuration template (CFT) to refine the view of model entities for the user role. In 
this way, the FDP and CFT for a specific model is applied as part of the menu layout (in 
the menu structure); the FDP and CFT are attributes of the specific model entry for 
that menu layout. This means: 

* Different FDPs and CFTs for a specific model can define menu layout variations for
  that model.
* The required FDP and CFT should be available before you create new menus. 

If a menu layout applies to the list view of a model, this list can be filtered
by means of a number of filter options that apply to the displayed list. 
Only instances where the values of a model attribute that match the filter,
are then shown.

VOSS Automate ships with a number of default menu layouts for the following, hierarchy-based 
administrator user roles: system admin, provider admin, reseller admin, customer admin, and site 
admin. You can clone the default menu layouts and edit the settings to create new menu 
layouts. You can also export a menu layout, edit it externally, and re-import it. For example, you can apply an alternative FDP or CFT, or change the order and grouping 
of items on the menu layout. Designers with access to tag or version tag can apply 
these to a menu layout so that it can be uniquely identified to track and control changes.

.. rubric:: Related Topics

* Best Practices Guide

* 
  .. raw:: latex

     Create a Menu Layout in the Core Feature Guide

  .. raw:: html
  
     <a href="tasks-menu-layout.html">Create a Menu Layout</a>